Azza Cohen

Azza Cohen

Corporate Communications Associate

location of Azza CohenWashington, District of Columbia, United States

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Official Videographer & Director of Video, Office of the Vice President, The White House

  • Education

    • Princeton University

      2012 - 2016
      Bachelor of Arts - BA HISTORY
    • University of Galway

      2016 - 2017
      Masters in Culture & Colonialism History
    • Stanford University

      2020 - 2022
      Master of Fine Arts - MFA Documentary Film & Video

      Knight-Hennessy ScholarshipMaiken Baird Fellowship for thesis film "Float"

    • Highland Park High School

      2007 - 2011
      High School Diploma
    • SOAS University of London

      2014 - 2014
      Study Abroad Student, History Department History, Hindi Language
  • Experience

    • Medline Industries, LP

      Jun 2012 - Aug 2012
      Corporate Communications Associate

      I worked for three consecutive summers at Medline. I licensed music and helped organize the 2012 and 2013 Pink Glove Dance (www.pinkglovedance.com) breast cancer awareness campaign, wrote and edited press releases, and wrote Medline's "Style Guide."

    • Refugee, Refugee: a documentary film

      Feb 2013 - May 2013
      Director, Producer, Editor

      "Refugee, Refugee"​ is a microdocumentary profiling Eugenia Mapendo's experience as a refugee from Rwanda navigating life in Trenton, New Jersey. Official selection: Manhattan International Film Festival (New York, NY), Art All Night (Trenton, NJ), Princeton Student Film Festival (Princeton, NJ).

    • SPECKS OF DUST: a documentary film

      Mar 2013 - Apr 2019
      Director, Producer, Editor

      SPECKS OF DUST presents the story of a movement to fight human trafficking in Varanasi, India. For twenty years, this group of activists has refused to rest until every child is free to live a vibrant and creative life.SPECKS OF DUST premiered at Princeton University and University of London in April 2015; the film has since been screened at universities, high schools, nonprofits and legal conferences internationally. Funded by the Kathryn W. Davis Foundation and Dalai Lama Fellows, the film raised over 1 million rupees to benefit the survivors of sex trafficking who appear in the film. SPECKS OF DUST was recently awarded a grant from New York Women in Film and Television; we are honored and figuring out a distribution plan for 2020. Show less

    • The Daily Princetonian

      Jan 2014 - May 2016
      Opinion Columnist

      Sparking campus conversations about issues within and beyond Princeton. Byline here: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/staff/azza-cohen

    • Forbes India

      Jul 2014 - Sept 2014
      Reporting Intern

      Covering social enterprises and untold stories of entrepreneurship within and beyond Bombay. Also, like all good token millennials, I ran the twitter account. Read my stories here: https://www.forbesindia.com/search.php?searchtext=Azza%20Cohen

    • Princeton University

      Jun 2015 - Apr 2016
      Program Coordinator

      The Princeton University Summer Journalism Program brings high-achieving, low-income students from across the country to our campus for an intensive journalism and college preparation workshop. I was in charge of the logistics for the 2015 program, coordinating 2016 recruitment, and taught a documentary journalism workshop.

    • Princeton University

      Jul 2016 - Jul 2020
      Trustee, Princeton University Board of Trustees

      Elected by peers to a four-year term on the Princeton University Board of Trustees. Provides fiduciary and strategic guidance to the administration.Served on the following committees: Academic Affairs; Alumni Affairs, Public Affairs, and Student Life, Health, and Athletics.

    • US-Ireland Alliance

      Aug 2016 - Nov 2017
      George J. Mitchell Scholar at National University of Ireland, Galway

      As one of twelve Americans chosen for fully-funded graduate study in Ireland, the Mitchell Scholarship changed my life. In November 2017, I earned my M.A. in Culture & Colonialism -- an interdisciplinary history and human rights degree on the legacy of the British Empire. My dissertation is a combination of written and visual scholarship on the devastating social and economic effects of the June 2016 'Brexit' vote on Irish border communities. My dissertation was given the distinction of Highest Honours. Read + watch my dissertation: https://invisibleirishborder.tumblr.com/ Show less

    • Amnesty International

      Sept 2016 - Aug 2017
      Campaign Associate, Art for Amnesty

      - Assisted with "I WELCOME" refugees global fiction/illustration project- Produced video content for "Gulliver" exhibition at Prague-based DOX museum

    • University of Galway

      Sept 2016 - Jun 2017

      Assisted with the introduction to documentary production undergraduate course at the Huston School of Digital Film & Media. Designed curriculum, taught seminars on documentary interviewing, film ethics, and production. - Assisted undergraduate and graduate students with varying levels of research papers at the Academic Writing Centre- Worked with English as second language students on graduate dissertations- Designed posters with spelling and grammar rules in English and Irish languages

      • Teaching Assistant

        Sept 2016 - Jun 2017
      • Writing Tutor

        Sept 2016 - Jun 2017
    • REPEAL THE 8TH CAMPAIGN

      Oct 2016 - Oct 2016
      Video Producer

      Volunteered with canvassing as well as produced a video for the campaign to legalize abortion in Ireland.

    • Desert Laboratory: A Portrait of Life at Taliesin West

      Apr 2017 - Aug 2017
      Director, Producer

      I'm directing and producing DESERT LABORATORY-- a documentary film portrait of life at Taliesin West, the winter home and architecture studio of legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. A passion project about a little-known community of artists and architects living in the middle of the Arizona desert, DESERT LABORATORY will be hitting the festival circuit in 2018. Funded by an Indiegogo campaign, this film is a woman-with-a-camera verite style short documentary, and was partially filmed with a chollo cactus stuck in my foot.Currently finishing the final cut and figuring out distribution. Show less

    • CreativeChaos vmg

      Sept 2017 - Sept 2019
      Story Producer, Co-Director

      -Co-Director, THE LAST STATESMAN, a feature documentary about the political stalemate in Israel and Palestine, told through the stories of successful conflict negotiators from South Africa, Colombia, and Northern Ireland. Pitched the film to the company and brought on key characters, as well as solicited high-profile talent for interviews from national and global politics, business, and sports; conducting on-camera interviews with talent; crafting and story producing the vision of the film. -Story Producer: story produced "The Great Divide," a feature documentary about the debate over gun laws in Colorado, including finding and working with talent from across the country who have compelling personal stories about the issue of gun violence.-Post Production Legal Coordinator: Led our company's legal backup for our investigative documentary on medical error in the United States, BLEED OUT, available now on HBO. Show less

    • Salzburg Global Seminar

      Sept 2019 - Sept 2019
      Fellow

      Youngest fellow in cohort of academics and journalists from 29 countries. Convened to discuss American democracy and the state of media.

    • Mike Bloomberg 2020

      Dec 2019 - Mar 2020
      Video Producer

      Video producer across digital, organic social, and television content for Team Bloomberg. Producer of the "Open Mike" video series where Mike sits one-on-one with a voter to discuss their personal connections to policy issues. Part of the "real stories" team that sourced and worked with compelling Mike supporters around the country for television ads.

    • Aspiritech

      Apr 2020 - Jun 2020
      Media Relations Manager

      - Changing the narrative about autism in the workplace - Working with and empowering employees to tell their stories about the unique skills and traits of people with autism spectrum disorder- Liaising with journalists who cover technology, specifically software and QA testing, in order to include more coverage about software testers with ASD

    • Entertainment One

      Jun 2020 - Aug 2020
      Casting Associate for National Geographic Show "IMPACT with Gal Gadot"

      - Working with director Vanessa Roth and story producer Devorah Palladino to find amazing talent for episodic docu-series on women making an impact in their communities around the United States.- Certified as COVID-19 Compliance Officer and working with team on safety protocols for documentary production during the pandemic. - Produced with National Geographic, Entertainment One, and Pilot Wave Motion Pictures.

    • Office of the Vice President of the United States

      Jul 2022 - now

      - Official Videographer responsible for staffing and traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris, serving as her principal videographer for public events and closed press engagements for social media and for the National Archives. - Director of Video responsible for overseeing all videos on official @VP and @WhiteHouse channels, including color correction, music, audio mixing, and versioning; responsible for official archiving of all video and audio assets as the record of the service of Vice President Kamala Harris; responsible for hardware, software, and gear management of the department. Show less

      • Official Videographer & Director of Video

        Oct 2023 - now
      • Video Producer

        Jul 2022 - Nov 2023
  • Licenses & Certifications

    • COVID-19 Compliance Officer (C19CO) Certification

      Health Education Services
      Jul 2020
    • Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED

      Frontline Health First Aid CPR AED Training in New York
  • Honors & Awards

    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Knight-Hennessy Scholarship Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program Sep 2020 The Knight-Hennessy Scholarship funds any graduate degree at Stanford, building an interdisciplinary, multicultural cohort of graduate students hoping to become impactful leaders in their fields. The scholarship has enabled me to pursue my MFA in Documentary Film and Video, after which I hope to create socially and politically mobilizing documentary films.
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Carole Chazin Grant New York Women in Film & Television Apr 2019 A grant awarded to a female director for an outstanding film on the subject of human trafficking.
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Priscilla Glickman '92 Memorial Prize Princeton University Pace Center for Civic Engagement May 2016 Awarded to 1 Princeton senior at graduation for "independence and imagination in the area of community service."
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      George J. Mitchell Scholarship US-Ireland Alliance Nov 2015 1 of 12 scholars chosen for fully-funded graduate study in Ireland. Scholarship awarded for academics, leadership, and sustained commitment to public service. Press release here: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2015/11/30/princeton-senior-cohen-receives-mitchell-scholarship-study-ireland
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      2015 Spirit of Princeton Award Princeton University Apr 2015 The Spirit of Princeton Award honors students who have made positive contributions to campus life. Press release here: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2015/05/12/eight-students-receive-2015-spirit-princeton-award
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Manhattan International Film Festival World Youth Alliance Mar 2015 My film REFUGEE, REFUGEE was one of 9 films selected for the 2015 Manhattan International Film Festival.
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      PIIRS Undergraduate Senior Thesis Fellowship Princeton University Institute for International and Regional Studies Jan 2015 Fellowship awarded for international thesis research. I studied primary sources at the British Library to gain insight on the contested drawing of the India-Pakistan border in 1947.
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Dalai Lama Fellowship 2014-2015 Dalai Lama Fellows Jun 2014 1 of 18 Dalai Lama Fellows selected globally for funding and mentorship. DLF is a program authorized by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.My write up of meeting His Holiness: https://medium.com/@DLFellows/in-the-waiting-room-of-his-holiness-c5a7e9449109
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      The Trenton Project: Audience Choice Award Princeton University Program in Urban Studies May 2013 My short film, "Refugee, Refugee" won the Audience Choice Award at the screening of "The Trenton Project," a compilation of microdocumentaries about Trenton's housing for a Spring 2013 course in Urban Studies.
    • Awarded to Azza Cohen
      Davis Projects for Peace Grant Kathryn W. Davis Foundation Apr 2013 The Davis Projects for Peace Grant was the first grant our team received to film SPECKS OF DUST (www.specksofdustfilm.com). We also taught some of our documentary film characters to use cameras as a tool for empowerment and expression, and used their footage in the film.
  • Volunteer Experience

    • Member, Jewish Pride Fund

      Issued by Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund on Sept 2021
      Jewish Community Federation and Endowment FundAssociated with Azza Cohen
    • Warehouse sorting volunteer

      Issued by Second Harvest of Silicon Valley on Dec 2020
      Second Harvest of Silicon ValleyAssociated with Azza Cohen
    • Urdu Translator

      Issued by The Jewish Center of Princeton on Mar 2016
      The Jewish Center of PrincetonAssociated with Azza Cohen
    • Princeton Bridge Year Volunteer

      Issued by Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan on Sept 2011
      Guria Swayam Sevi SansthanAssociated with Azza Cohen