Shabnam Mogharabi has nearly 20 years of experience in impact entertainment building organizations, teams, and startups with an emphasis on television and digital video development, media production, storytelling, social platforms, and editorial news. She was most recently the General Manager of SoulPancake, an inspiring entertainment company she co-founded with actor Rainn Wilson that creates positive, socially conscious videos about human connection. As GM, she was responsible for steering the company’s vision, safeguarding its mission, and supercharging its growth to nearly 10M fans online and more than 1B video views. She also advised SoulPancake’s parent company, Participant, on strategic issues, acquisition opportunities, and the company’s long-term social impact strategy. Prior to SoulPancake, Shabnam was an award-winning journalist and editor, having served as the youngest Editor-in-Chief at Hanley Wood Business Media, where she oversaw a group of 4 print publications, 8 websites and e-newsletters, and 3 annual live events in the real estate space. Under her leadership, the group weathered downsizing and consolidation during the financial and housing crisis of 2008, yet surpassed annual revenue growth and profitability targets by 20%.
One of the youngest winners of the Jesse H. Neal Award (the Pulitzer Prize of B2B journalism), Shabnam has worked as a contributing writer, editor, and stringer for a number of publications, including People, Pool & Spa News, Sunset, and HuffPost. She is the New York Times bestselling author of "SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions". She is a frequent speaker on the importance of joy, positive psychology, and the power of storytelling. She resides in Los Angeles where she volunteers with a number of interfaith and youth organizations, is a member of the board of directors of the national nonprofit Tahirih Justice Center, and an advisor to film crowdfunding tech platform Seed&Spark. Shabnam received her B.A. in journalism and business administration from the University of Southern California and her Master’s in media management from Northwestern University. You can find her on Twitter at @shabster. She is a member of the 2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute.
.jpg)
