Dawn Elder Management
Dawn Elder Biography
Dawn Elder is a unique player on the American media landscape. As a composer, producer, director, artist manager, and creator of over 1000 events spanning a broad spectrum of media, she has worked with some of the top names in entertainment, from American icons Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton and Carlos Santana, to the most celebrated stars of the African and Arabic-speaking world, among them Khaled (Algeria), Mory Kante (Guinea/Mali), and Kazem al-Sahir (Iraq). Elder has developed and directed television documentaries and concert broadcast specials for major networks in the U.S. and abroad, including ABC, NBC, PBS, and ANA/MBC. She has also developed and produced some of the most ambitious cultural festivals and conferences in recent U.S. memory. Behind all of Elder’s enterprises lies a fierce humanitarianism and a dedication to the principle that culture, especially music, has a vital role to play in bridging misunderstandings between contemporary societies.
Born of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heritage, Elder grew up in San Francisco, one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. By the time she received her degrees in Science and Music Education from the University of California, she was fluent in English, French and multiple dialects of Arabic. Today, Elder is president and CEO of Dawn Elder World Media & Entertainment Enterprises, a US-based production and media/entertainment firm. She is also the founder of the world-renowned International Friendship Festivals and Peace Through Music series, which have helped to bridge cultural divides in the United States and abroad. Elder has received numerous honors and awards for her music productions, multicultural events and television broadcast specials.
Music Production - As a skilled pianist and composer, Elder has always approached production from a musician’s perspective. This is one reason she has succeeded in bringing about ground-breaking collaborations between major artists from East and West, and presenting them effectively to American audiences. Highlights from her many recording productions include:
- Grammy-nominated duet with Khaled, Elan Attias, and Carlos Santana, “Love to the People.” (2005. Co-writer and producer.)
- Grammy-nominated CD for Simon Shaheen & Qantara Blue Flame (2001. Producer and executive producer.)
- Sabah Fakhri and Wadi Al-Safi, The Two Tenors of Arabic Music & Simon Shaheen. (2000 – Recorded, arranged, produced, and executive produced, and directed live TV broadcast.)
- National Arab American Museum collector’s edition compilation Love & Compassion, featuring Kazem al-Sahir performing his first English and Arabic song with Paula Cole and Karina Pasian. (2003. Co-wrote and produced the song, and compiled the CD.)
- Mohammed Wardi with the African Birds. The legendary Nubian singer from Sudan performing 18 of his most famous songs with full orchestra. (1998-99 Producer)
- Kazem al-Sahir, The Impossible Love (2001. Executive producer.)
- Hakim, The Lion Roars Live in America (2001. Producer and executive producer.)
- Desert Roses & Arabian Rhythms (CD series, 2001-02. Producer and executive producer.)
- “We Want Peace,” featuring Lenny Kravitz and Kazem al-Sahir and Simon Shaheen and Jamey Haddad (2006. Produced for Rock the Vote and the Olympics 2006 CD)
Elder is currently working
on new collaborations and recordings with various international artists
including Latin Grammy Award-winner and 2008 Grammy nominee Karina
Pasian,
and British newcomer Jasmin, a.k.a. Young London.
Managment/Tour Production - Elder has managed, represented
and organized international tours for some of the most highly regarded
international artists today, including U.S. tours for Khaled, Sting
and Cheb Mami, Mory Kante, and Kazem al-Sahir (shortly after start of
Iraq war in 2003). Other artists Elder has managed and toured
include Amina, Rachid Taha, Faudel, Transglobal Underground , Sabah
Fakhri, Wadi Al Safi, Souad Massi, Hakim, Enzo Avitabile & Bottari,
Sabah, Simon Shaheen, Assala, Riffat Sultana & Party, Cheb
I Sabbah, King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti, Lady Smith Black Mambazo,
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Woody Harrelson, The Beach
Boys, Michael Semble & the Bridge.
Events Production - In 2006, Elder was a keynote speaker at Glocal, a major forum on multiculturalism in urban cities held in Ankara, Turkey. Her speech addressed the realities of human migration, the isolation of diaspora communities, and the growing responsibility for cities around the world to promote multiculturalism in order to advance more vibrant and tolerant societies. At a subsequent workshop, she advised mayors and local community leaders on how to produce everything from festivals and conferences to concerts and photography shows, both to better integrate their local communities and to generate economic activity. Elder knew what she was talking about, for she has a track record of doing exactly that. Among the unique events Elder has conceived, produced, and helped to realize are:
- Project Teach Tomorrow’s Teachers (1995) The brainchild of Mike Love, lead singer for the Beach boys, this scholarship program encouraged kids to pursue careers as teachers and specialize in bilingual education. Elder coordinated the program.
- Debka for Peace (1999, Los Angeles) Over 100 performers from Middle Eastern dance companies, including a top Jewish troupe, shared the same stage as they traced the origin of the Middle Eastern dance, debka. The television broadcast of this event won a Tele Award.
- P.A.T.H.E.S., Preservation of Artistic Traditional Heritage Entertainment Society (May 1995) Elder produced this themed series of events aimed at encouraging children to study their own heritage. Focused especially on Latino cultures in California, events involved celebrities and ranged from concerts and fashion shows to workshops and seminars.
- Arab-American Music, Arts, and Literature (AMAL) Awards (1998, Washington, DC) This first-of-its-kind series of events drew over 10,000 participants from 25 countries, and four weeks of performances, readings, and exhibits. Over 50,000 attended the events live, and many more experienced them in television broadcasts throughout the United States and the Middle East on ANA TV & MBC.
- T.E.A.M EXPO - Teaching. Entertainment. Arts. Music. (1991-2000) This bi-annual conference used seminars and exhibits by top industry professionals to mentor and catalyze economic activity in the arts sector. The first event drew 100,000 participants including top performers, film producers & directors, video & film manufacturers, photographers, graphic designers, sound & lighting designers, broadcasters and record companies executives from around the nation. Elder plans to replicate this event in the Middle East.
- World Economic Forum (2002, New York) Working with Quincy Jones in the aftermath of 911, Elder coordinated the inclusion of Middle Eastern artists into the forum’s entertainment program.
- We Are The Future (2004 Rome) Again working with Quincy Jones, Elder coordinated performances by Middle Eastern and North African stars—including Khaled (Algeria), Kadim Al Sahir (Iraq)Simon Shaheen (Palestine), and Riffat Sultana (Pakistan)—into the program’s broad international mix. This live event before 1-million people was broadcast worldwide, including on MTV. Subsequently, Elder brought Khaled to the Grammy Jams in L.A., where he sang with & R & B legends Earth Wind & Fire.
- The Sudanese Music & Dance Festival (2007-2008) This historic gathering of top artists from many regions of the deeply divided nation of Sudan was ambitions and unprecedented. For two consecutive summers, in performances in New York, Detroit, and Chicago, this event—co-conceived and produced by Elder—showed over 50 diverse artists in unity and solidarity that their political leaders have never equaled.
Television Production - Elder is currently writing and preparing a series of reality television programs for global networks, programs aimed at exploring sensitive issues and promoting mutual understanding between Western and Middle Eastern societies. She is also working on music scores for a series of films and TV specials for American & Middle Eastern Networks to release in 2009-2011. In addition to the televised productions already mentioned, Elder has produced:
- One Planet One People (1997-1998) Worldwide broadcast and PBS special.
- Old Spanish Days (1989-1996) ABC, KEYT
- Kenny Loggins’s Christmas Unity Telethon (YEAR??) ABC, KEYT
- The Two Tenors of Arabic Music (2000) LBC International
- Kazem al-Sahir and Sarah Brightman (2003) LBC International
Recognition and Awards - Elder has been recognized and honored for her work by former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Governor Pete Wilson, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, among others. She has been nominated for or won over 100 entertainment industry awards including five Grammy nominations as a music producer, and awards from The International Music Council, The Tele Awards, and the National Association of Broadcasters.
Elder and her work have been
featured on NPR, BBC, ABC, and PRI, as well as numerous international
broadcast outlets, and in the pages of national and international
dailies
including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Billboard and the San
Francisco Chronicle. ABC News called her one of the most influential
producers of her time in 2006.
Associations - Elder is an active member in numerous humanitarian non-profit organizations and is a member of following industry consortiums: American Performing Arts Association, WOMEX, International World Music Association Pollstar, International Concert Consortium, NARAS (National Academy of Recording Sciences), RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), BMI, Music Cares, North American World Music Coalition, Arab-American Arts Institute, ISAMI (International Sudanese music and Arts institute), and AFTRA (American Federation of Television & Radio Artists).
Partial list of Organization Associations/memberships
- American Performing Arts Association
- WOMEX, International World Music Association
- Pollstar, International Concert Consortium years,
- NARIS, National Academy of Recording Sciences,
- RIAA, Recording Industry Association of America
- BMI,
- Music Cares
- North American World Music Coalition
- Arab American Arts Institute
- Global Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Worldwide Management Consultants
- Film & TV Professionals Association
- International Association of Music & Entertainment Professionals (IAMEP)
- American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA)
- Association of worldwide producers
- Professionals Winning Across Borders- PWAB
MEDIA ASSOCIATION & PARTNERS
- The Public Relations Society of AMERICA
- New York Public Relations Association
- Publicity Club of NY(PCNY)
- Media & Entertainment Professionals
- PR News Wire – National Wire service
- E-Marketing Association
Special Skills
- Management
- Fluent in French and Arabic/multiple dialects
Key Note speaker-Lectures/workshops
- Muti cultural themes-festivals- Incorporation through city and its communities
- The Future of International Music “Artists, presentation and its development globally”
- Middle Eastern Cultures through the arts and music
- Religion – and its effects on Society through the arts and music
DE Tech Production team
- Fluent in English/Italian/French and Spanish
PARTIAL LIST OF Current and Past Clients, Associates and Contracts
- SPECIAL PROGRAMS
- United Nations Micro Credit Launch
- United Nations International Day
- International Music Council
- American Performing Arts Association
- We are the Future
- Grammy Jam
- Logins Christmas Unity
- Amnesty International
- Peace through Music
- River of Song Light of the East
- International Friendship Festivals
- Pathes
- Music Cares
- Glocal Forum
- World Economic Forum
- Listen Up foundation
A Sampling of some of the Corporations
- Nordstrom
- Donna Karin
- Microsoft
- Raytheon
- LA Raiders
- Merrill Lynch
- MGM GRAND/MIRAGE
- Time Magazine
- The International Interior Designs Association
- Sunset Magazine
- Santa Barbara Symphony
- Global Net Communications
- Biosphere 2-
- Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center, 1993 to 1996
- El Paseo Plaza
- Essam Khashoggi (EK Industries and Maraposa)
- Manne Gallery
- The Adizes Institute
WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND DIPLOMATIC FRONTS
Engaged directly by top leaders in these countries Heads of State, Mayors, Cultural & Tourist Ministries and varies Ambassadors from each of these countries.
- Algeria
- Egypt
- France
- Italy
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Morocco
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
PARTIAL LIST NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS- PRESENTERS
- New York City Parks Foundation
- Chicago City cultural Affairs
- Santa Barbara City Council
- San Francisco Depart of Cultural Affairs
- Los Angeles Arts Council
- City of Los Angeles CA – Cultural Affairs
- City of Long Beach CA- Cultural Affairs
- Access, Detroit, Michigan
- Arab American National Museum
- Arab American Arts Institute
- Kennedy Center
- University of Michigan Musical Society
- Arab American Institute
- Meccad Festival and conference, Jordan
- Mosaics Foundation, Washington, DC
- Beiteddine Festival, Beirut Lebanon
- Arab American University of Beirut, Lebanon Alumni Association
- International Women Day
- United Nations
- UNESCO
- GLOCAL FORUM
- Listen Up Foundation
- American Cancer Foundation
BROADCAST NETWORKS SPECIALS
- ABC/Varies regional Networks
- NBC/Varies Regional and National networks
- CBS/Varies Regional and National Net
- PBS/Varies Regional and National programs
- MTV /Varies Regional and National Programs
- MBA(formerly TV Orient- Regional and National concert and broadcast programs)
- MBC broadcast (varies specials)
- LBC Broadcast (varies concert specials)
- ART Broadcast (varies concert Specials)
- National Public Radio
- Pacifica Radio
- BBC TV & Radio
- AFROPOP RADIO
Guest Appearances on Radio, TV, Print, Special International cultural features and documentaries
- NPR- National Public Radio (all things considered )
- PACIFIC RADIO (Afro pop) Middle East & North African Culture
- ABC News-Middle East & North African Culture
- BBC Radio & TV – The world – Middle East travel & Cultural expert guest
- KPFK – Radio – Middle East & North African Culture and music guest
- CBS – International – Features – culture & Music of the Middle East & North Africa
- KPFA- Radio- Music – Middle East Lifestyle & Culture
- KEYT –ABC – Community Events – Music
- CNN – Inside Africa –Middle East & North Africa Lifestyle & Culture
- LBC TV– Middle East Culture and Lifestyle in America –going global
- MBC TV – Middle East Culture and Lifestyle in America
- MBA TV – Middle East Culture and Lifestyle in America
- Link TV- Middle East Lifestyle & Culture
- WBAI – Middle East Lifestyle & Culture in America - Music
- Kiss 108, Boston- Music -Events
- Magic 106, Santa Barbara –Community News- Music
- KYTD, 99.9, Santa Barbara – Community News - Music
- KLITE 101.7, Santa Barbara- Community News-Music
- Sunny Country, Santa Maria- Community News- Music
- WBOS 92.9 FM –Boston – Music - events
PARTIAL LIST OF International Artist Representation/Management/Special
projects coordinator
- Quincy Jones- 2002- to present (special projects)
- Sting 2000(Special Projects)
- Stevie Wonder- 1997-to present (special projects)
- Jennifer Lopez – 2009 – new for Middle East only (special projects)
- Karina Pasian -2004 to present
Jasmin aka Young London- 2008- to present - Woody Harrelson- 1990 to 1993 (Current as needed)
- George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic All Stars – as needed
- The Beach Boys, 1990 (as needed on going)
- Arlo Guthrie- 1992-94(special project)
- Christian Love, 1992 to present
- Michael Sembello- 1997- present
- The Bridge, 1997 to 1998
- Simon Shaheen, 1997 to present
- Khaled (Cheb Khaled) 1999 to present
- Kadim (Kathem)(Kazem) Al Sahir, 2000 to present
- Hakim, 2000 to present (Americas)
- Cheb Mami, 1999 to present
- Cheb I Sabbah, 2004 to Present
- Riffat Sultana & Party, 2000 to present
- Shabaz, 2000 to present
- Mory Kante-2007 to present- Americas & Middle East
- Salar Nader- 2006 to present
- Amina Annabi, 2001 to present
- Bassam Saba, 2004 to present
- Sabah, 1997-98 as needed
- Wadi Al Safi- 1999 as needed
- Sabbah Fakhri- 1999 as needed
- Magida El Roumi- 2007 as needed
- Assala Nassri- 2009
- Rida Al Abdulla – 2009
- Enzo Avitabil & I bottari- 2004 to present- Americas- Middle East
- Flamenco Fury, 1996 to present
- Fairuz- 2000 as needed
- Mara Aboud, 1996-to present
Record Companies
- Capital Records
- Virgin Records
- Arista Records
- EMI
- Sony Records
- Columbia Records
- EMI Arabia
- A & M
- Universal/ Universal France
- Blue Note Records
- Warner Brothers
- Ark21/Mondo Melodia
- Wrasse Records
- Six Degrees
- Universal
- Putamayo
- Angel Records
- DEF JAM
- ROTANA
Partial list of theme events
- International Friendships Festivals
- Peace through Music
- Oasis of Peace
- Desert Roses & Arabian Rhythms
- AMAL Awards – Arab American Music Artistic and Literary Awards
- Sahara & Arabian Rhythms
- Sahara Nights
- Sudanese Music & Dance Festivals
- International Woman’s Day Conference
Lute Festival
River of Song Light of the East- current
Project Teach Tomorrows teachers - TEAM Expo- teaching entertainment art and music-
- International & National Earth Day Concerts
- Rock & Kick Extravaganza-
- Old Spanish Days
- PATHES (Preservation of Artistic Traditional Heritage Entertainment Society)
- EXPLORE THE VISION- COMPUTER EXPO 89’
- AFRICA MEETS BRAZIL