AARON LOBEL, CO-FOUNDER & CEO
Aaron Lobel is the founder and president of the Washington, DC-based international media organization America Abroad Media (AAM). Under his leadership, AAM has partnered with some of the world’s leading broadcasters, journalists, writers and directors, and has raised tens of millions of dollars to develop and produce a range of media programming, including public affairs shows, drama and entertainment content, and feature length documentaries.

In 2016, Lobel spearheaded the launch of SCREEN BUZZ, an innovative initiative bringing top Hollywood talent to the Middle East to build the capacity of local storytellers to create compelling, original Arabic drama and entertainment content. Hollywood partners have included, among others, award-winning director Jack Bender (Game of Thrones, Lost, The Sopranos), writer and director David Zucker (Airplane!, Naked Gun) and comedy writer and producer Greg Daniels (Saturday Night Live, The Office, King of the Hill).

Lobel also established AAM’s annual Awards Dinner, an event which brings together the policymaking and diplomatic community in Washington with media leaders and the creative community from the Muslim World. Past honorees have included, among others, director Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker), director Paul Greengrass (United 93 and Captain Phillips), Showtime’s hit series Homeland, Turki Aldakhil (CEO, Al Arabiya), Noura Al Kaabi (CEO, twofour54 Abu Dhabi), and Nasser Al Qasabi (Saudi comedian/actor).

Lobel received his Ph.D. in International Affairs from Harvard University's Department of Government, where he was awarded Harvard's top teaching award, the Joseph Levenson Prize. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Edward R Murrow Center at the Fletcher School of Public Diplomacy.

ESIN ERKAN, CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
Esin Erkan brings to Black Birch Entertainment her life experience and passion for unique and inspiring stories of men and women from the Muslim world. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Erkan spent her childhood in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, living among Turkish expats and other families from the Middle East. After returning to Istanbul, she spent 8 years at Lycée Saint Benoît, a French Jesuit school in Istanbul that educated both Muslims and non-Muslim minorities in Turkey. She received her B.A. in International Relations from French speaking Galatasaray University, before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2002.

In Washington, Erkan worked for research programs on US foreign policy and US-Turkish relations at various think-tanks. She received her Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and worked with former national security advisor Anthony Lake following graduation.

Erkan later helped launch America Abroad Media (AAM), an international media organization, which produces documentaries, TV programs, and radio shows with partners from the Middle East and the Muslim world. She also researched and developed content for the organization’s award winning documentary radio show America Abroad.

In addition, Erkan produces the videos profiling honorees and oversees the musical performance for AAM’s annual Awards Dinner, an event which brings together top leaders from the creative arts and entertainment industry from the US and the Muslim world. Past honorees include Saudi female filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour, former CEO of twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, Noura Al Kaabi, and Tunisian actress Hend Sabry. Erkan brought to the Awards Dinner the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Civilizations Choir of Antakya, which is composed of amateur singers from southern Turkey’s rich mosaic of peoples and performs hymns from the three major monotheistic religions, as well as Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali, Founder of Pianos for Peace.

MARK GOFFMAN, SENIOR ADVISOR
Mark Goffman is currently an Executive Producer and Writer on Netflix’s hit series, UMBRELLA ACADEMY (Ellen Page, Mary J Blige and Tom Hopper). Prior to UMBRELLA, Goffman executive produced and was the showrunner for CBS’s BULL, the #1 rated new series of 2017. Prior to BULL, Goffman served as executive producer on LIMITLESS, and as showrunner for SLEEPY HOLLOW, Fox’s #1 rated new series of 2013. Previously, Goffman was executive producer for USA's WHITE COLLAR, and wrote for several seasons on THE WEST WING. Goffman also ran the writers' room for Aaron Sorkin's STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. He has worked on more than 200 hours of prime time television, been nominated for two Writers Guild Awards, won a SET Award for ELEMENTARY, and one of his episodes of LAW & ORDER: SVU garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mariska Hargitay. The Hollywood Reporter listed him as one of the 50 most influential showrunners in television.

BILL MACDONALD, SENIOR ADVISOR
Bill MacDonald is a successful producer, writer, serial entrepreneur and TV showrunner.  MacDonald, a graduate of Georgetown University and Fordham University of Law, started and ran production companies at Paramount, and famously was the co-founder and President of the Bob Evans Company. He has created and/or produced a great number of screenplays and movies over the years including having personally created and written the award-winning HBO miniseries ROME. ROME was nominated for 35 awards and won 19 times, including winning the Directors Guild of America’s “Outstanding Directorial Achievement” award, Primetime Emmy’s “Best Cinematography”, “Outstanding Art Direction” and “Best Special Effects” awards, and a nomination for the Golden Globes’ “Best Television Series.”