Journalist | Leyla Doss

Leyla Doss

Audio Producer at Kerning Cultures Network

About

I'm a New York-based audio producer and tell stories that cover the "why" and combine journalism and storytelling.

I'm currently a producer at Kerning Cultures Network, the first ventured-funded podcasting company in the Middle East. Our work has been featured in Radiolab, 99 Percent Invisible, This American Life, and others. Kerning Cultures is described as the "This American Life" of the Arab world. In my role, I produce audio documentaries for clients, most notably for the Inside Expo Podcast and for the People and Planet Podcast for Expo 2020 Dubai (Dubai's World's Fair). I'm also the sole producer for the People and Planet Podcast.

I also have an M.S. in journalism (audio specialization) from Columbia's School of Journalism. My experience there included producing fast-paced daily audio reporting, and long-form narrative audio producing. I also expanded on my journalism skills through hands-on classes focusing on investigative techniques, reporting, journalism business and journalism law. During my time there I was also the President of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, Columbia University Chapter.

I have 10 years of experience in journalism, strategic communications, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) political analysis. I also co-founded the global prizewinning news site Mada Masr, described by The Guardian as "the news site keeping press freedom alive in Egypt."

My experience abroad included reporting for the Financial Times, The Guardian and other international outlets on Egyptian politics, the criminal justice system, police violence, social movements and resource conflicts in Nile basin countries. I also covered key events such as the trial of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Egyptian presidential elections.

I graduated with a B.A. from the University of Toronto with a double major in Political Science and Media Studies, as well as an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS; the world's top institution for the study of the MENA region.