Audio

The National Podcasts

I produced four of The National’s six then-active podcasts in my role as Assistant Podcast Producer.

Trending Middle East

Host and Producer

I led the relaunch of The National’s flagship morning news podcast, transforming it into a multifaceted, award-winning program. Its redesigned workflow incorporated field reporting from journalists in bureaus across the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and the United States; tape and natural sound; and audio-optimized writing that listeners could follow with ease. I composed the program’s original music and stings, introducing a fluid sonic identity that complemented the varying themes of its news content.

Within weeks of relaunch, Trending Middle East ranked among the UAE’s top news podcasts, remaining among the top ten on Apple Podcasts for several weeks. Trending Middle East received its first award nominations and won its first-ever Signal Award during my tenure.

Listen to select episodes below.

Iran attacks US airbase in Qatar, and church bombing in Syria

Trump to lift Syria sanctions, and Saudi Arabia invests billions in US

Egypt’s counter plan on Gaza, and official says SDF will not lay down arms

Business Extra

Producer

As the producer of The National’s original business and economics podcast in collaboration with the business desk, I wrote, researched, and edited episodes on global markets, local start-ups, technology innovation and disruption, and regional economic policy. I expanded the program’s subject matter areas and activated the doubling of episode frequency and subsequent traffic increase.

Sanctions on Syria: A look back, a way forward

AI and the Gulf: Where it’s been and what’s next

Donald Trump’s tariffs and the Middle East

Tarab

Founding Producer

I launched this interview-based podcast, the first music-centered audio product at The National, named for the complex Arabic term roughly translatable to “enchantment” and often used in the context of music. Through interviews with influential artists, performers and composers, Tarab lays outthe genre-spanning musical heritage — both contemporary and classical — of the Middle East and North Africa. My production priorities pulled from my music background; I utilized isolated vocal and instrumental stems from artists’ recorded tracks to augment an episode’s spoken content, wrote interview questions centered on sonic elements, and employed bilateral audio design in post-production to elevate featured music. I also composed Tarab’s original music and stings, building on its native themes of traditional and modern musical identities and approachable conversation.

Apple Podcasts identified Tarab as a top-ten podcast in the Middle East across categories and formats.

Malek Jandali’s vision for Arabic symphonic music and the sound of legacy

Felukah on code-switching, song-building and ‘Arabeezy’

Lina Makoul on Palestine, contentment and Arabic lyricism

Year of Elections

Producer, Guest Host

I produced this limited series on the global elections of 2024 in collaboration with The National’s Opinion Desk, transitioning an existing Q/A product to a hybrid narrative-interview product. With a scope of coverage inherently broad and detailed, production priorities focused on simplifying complex themes—candidate profiles, foreign and domestic issues and policy platforms across countries—into digestible audio for a global audience. I hosted episodes on the polls in the US and in Iraq’s Kurdish Region.

US elections: Politics, policy and new power players in the Middle East

Inside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's election

Harris vs Trump: CNN's Jeff Zeleny on the debate and what's next