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Abdi's Story
There is a door of great mystery, single and unchanging but many doorkeepers. One by one, they come and serve. Rumi, Persian poet
Five years before the Islamic Revolution, I left my native Iran for the United
States, where I studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California.
I have always had great love of documentary filmmaking, although most of my professional career has been in film production and studio management. I was General Manager and CEO of Dream Quest Images for fourteen years and held senior positions at The Walt Disney Studios, Will Vinton Studios, and Starz Entertainment. Recently, I returned to my documentary roots when I traveled to Iran with Rick Steves to help produce a documentary for PBS. View my photo essay about the making of this film.
I have also had a longstanding interest in peacemaking, which I have pursued as a consultant to Mercy Corps, a non-profit organization committed to turning crisis into opportunity around the world. Soon after 9/11, I traveled to Iran and Afghanistan to help Mercy Corps obtain a work permit and initiate a program that enabled Afghan refugees in Iran to return to Afghanistan. In 2004, I made a fundraising film in Bam in Central Iran to benefit survivors of the earthquake that killed 30,000 people.
I have served as a board member of the Foundation for Self-Sufficiency in Central America, where I worked with Jose "Chencho" Alas, an ex-advisor to El Salvadoran human rights activist Archbishop Romero. I currently sit on the boards of the United Nations Association of Seattle and the Voices Education Project, a non-profit organization that explores the roots of war, violence, and conflict.
Having traveled to more than 30 countries around the world, I know firsthand the transformative power of travel. I offer only a few tours every year and accompany every tour myself. This way, I can make sure that every tour nurtures travelers on many levels, providing deeply meaningful interaction with the friendly people of Iran and stimulating dialogue among tour group members.
Email Abdi or call him at 206.709.9552
