every story must start somewhere. The beginning is a good place start, isn’t it?

I was born in Slough, the United Kingdom. The first few years of a person’s life really shape who they end up being. I am grateful for my childhood and all the things that have had a hand in making me, “me”.

I have mixed roots from both my parents’ sides, and these roots give us depth, while the exposure in the years to come give us breadth. Together, these things have shaped my perspective.

I have a Lebanese grandfather (a businessman), a Syrian grandmother (from a wealthy family in Syria), an Egyptian grandfather (who owned big plots of land - so he was a farmer in some way), and a grandmother with Turkish roots (her grandfather was Sultan Selim I - the Ottoman royalty).

I have lived (and worked) in different cities around the world, and I am not bound by borders. I am a lover of life and unique experiences that are true to me, ones that quench my soul and my lust for life.

These roots, together, with my upbringing, adventures and exposure, made me who I have become. Here is a glimpse of my story.

we are a culmination of all our life’s experiences.

As a child, I was allowed to explore. I have been traveling far and wide ever since I was very young, so my exposure to people, languages, foods, and experiences is deeply engrained within my very existence. “We live to create stories,” I always say. My love for film directing comes from my deep love for experiencing life. I simply want to give these experiences back, and to re-experience them while making my art in all its shapes and forms. And it’s not just filmmaking that I love, by the way. I love painting, exploring music, acting, and all things art. This is the reason I called my platforms “allthingsdibo”. I do not want to do just one thing or the other, I want to explore many mediums, and express in all sorts of ways. I always want to play - as a child and an adult. The person who has played games and played with Legos as a child (and an adult - I love Lego!) becomes an adult who can solve problems in different forms - by solving complex equations (squeezing my mind to solve games and puzzles), or making a scrumptious dish (by curating flavors and edible textures), or designing buildings (by literally putting “blocks” together like Lego), or making films (by stitching parts of a story and connecting shots and elements). I love the interconnection between work and play.

“You cannot separate work and play. They are interconnected, and the basis of all the work we do is deeply ingrained in the play we have experienced as children. Work, in its true essence, is play. And the opposite of play is not work, it’s boredom.”
— Dibo

My ancestors guide the way

  • my grandfather, Maitre Rachad Hassanein, was a lover of life.

  • My grandfather, Mohamed El Dib Bek, used to love football (Specifically Zamalek FC), so he sponsored them and wrote our family name on their jersey.

  • my mother loves all things art. this is my favourite of her collections: her English teapot collection.

  • Growing up, my father was an art dealer and collector, selling art in top auction houses in London and New York (namely, Sotheby's and Christie's

My parents once told me to "live so that when you get older and think back, you get to live your life a second time."

A sucker for art.

  • I love painting and I exhibited and sold some of my paintings.

  • I love photography (especially film) and I held solo conceptual photography exhibitions.

  • danced on stages, in theaters, and in opera houses.

  • acted in short films and commercials in four different languages.

  • Attended and screened in major film festivals. this is me in the opening of Cannes film festival.

  • I love public speaking. I've spoken at events, gave keynote speeches, and taught at university level.

I will never stop learning.

I love learning through failures and experiences. And I also love books, and formal education. The exposure I have gotten from learning different material, writing papers, and engaging with other students and academics has given me a broad view of the world.

  • I always pushed the limits when it came to my education. I was one of three students globally to be awarded the Cambridge International Fellowship Scholarship, given to individuals who are expected to make the biggest impact on the world.

  • Through my undergraduate years, I balanced extracurricular activities (I was CEO of Entrepreneurs’ Society, among other activities), and still maintained Magna Cum Laude status throughout my years. Making an impact, and managing people were polished in this phase of my life.

  • When I started figuring out my love for filmmaking, I went to London (my second home) and did my filmmaking diploma in MET Film School. There, I learned the basics of storytelling and making films. I became sure that this is my passion. My graduation film was chosen as the best film.

  • Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director

    I have founded two advertising and media production agencies (I existed one of them - the other I am a silent partner). By working on hundreds of project briefs, I have gained experience and understanding of multiple marketing communication channels and innovative design thinking solutions for clients. Among my clients were local companies and startups, as well as global brands like Vodafone, Red Bull, Unilever, and Proctor and Gamble.

    I was also the Marketing Director of RiseUp Summit for 3 years.

  • Freelance Lead Consultant

    I have consulted tens of clients globally in Egypt, USA, Dubai, Australia, Lithuania, the UK, and other countries. My work took a design thinking, human centered design approach to solving problems. Mainly focused on marketing communication, but also worked on product strategy, and business transformation. My clients were of all scales: from home based startups to governments and big pharmaceutical companies and e-commerce platforms. Collectively, I have worked with clients whose business is worth billions of dollars.

  • Public Speaker, and Professor of Practice

    I taught 200+ undergraduate students two courses; Advertising Creativity and the MassComm Thesis Course; over two semesters.

    I also gave keynote speeches and spoke at public events to 10,000+ people over the years all over the world. Also gave workshops to corporates, individuals, and school and university students.

  • Full-Time Diboness

    Possibly the most important part of my work and life experience. I have kept my sense of play through it all. I have explored multiple business realms. Started a restaurant, an event management agency, advertising agencies, and many other bigger and smaller ventures. I kept my adventurous spirit through it all. I’ve met people, travelled the world, and quenched my thirst for life.

    I have played. And I have lived (and grateful to be living) a full life.

In 2019, I felt a bit stuck working in strategy and managing a company, so I remembered a dream that my 5 year old self wanted to do for my 30th birthday: to live on a horse farm in Australia (ask me about this story when we meet, I love it!).
So I packed two large suitcases, and a one way ticket to Melbourne. There, I managed and lived on a beautiful little Ranch close to there - with 27 horses. It was a turning point in my life.

I stayed there for a year. I disconnected, and lived in nature, with the most beautiful and most intuitive animals ever created: horses. I learned a lot about myself, and realized my love for all things storytelling. So I went to Egypt, and decided to start telling stories from there. I started directing commercials and short films. And here I am. Of course there’s so much more to this story and all others, but let’s save these stories for when we meet!

I started by directing commercials, which I love. The tight schedules, and short durations of the final product are always fun and exciting challenges for me.

Then I decided to create longer form stories - short films. I really enjoyed telling stories all over the world - in Egypt, Italy, France, England. I made many short films, and loved the exposure my stories got, and the people I’ve met through the festivals these films participated in.

More to come. But for now, you may check some of my work below.

i love all things filmmaking.

Commercial work
Films and filmmaking

LEt’s talk!

d@allthingsdibo.com
+201001460346

Based between London and Cairo.
Working all over the world (and probably shooting somewhere!)