About Nora

I was born in Iran during the US-instigated Iran-Iraq war and lived on 3 continents before I was 3, when we finally settled in the states as refugees (the irony of coming to the country that caused us to flee in the first place is not lost on me).  When people ask what radicalized me, this is it: My earliest life was shaped by geopolitical factors outside of my control, and while I didn't have the words for it at that young age, I could identify the injustices even then.

In elementary school, I started responding to injustices with action. I led a protest against nap time because I felt it was unfair to be told to sleep when we were playing quietly.  When a friend was punished unfairly during recess, I organized our classmates and we convinced our teacher to allow a mock trial to prove his innocence. It was my first experience of people power, realizing that, together, us little kids could get the adults to listen to us, to change their minds.

At 15, I started “real” work. My first job was managing a yoga studio (where they definitely took advantage of my youth to exploit me for cheap labor). I’ve sold men’s shoes, assisted agents at a talent agency, sold muffins at a cafe, wrote career development curriculum, ran afterschool and leadership programs for youth, led support groups for survivors of domestic violence, managed a crisis helpline, and paid for both undergrad and grad school by working in different residential advisor roles.

My career focus was always gang intervention and peacebuilding, working with perpetrators of violence to come up with restorative solutions.  How i got from there to music management is kind of long story, but to make it short, i was in Liberia working with former child soldiers, met Takun J - they told me he was “Liberia’s Tupac” - got roped into managing him, and spent the next 3 years not just growing Takun’s career but also creating an arts-for-change model that (1) helped musicians make their careers economically sustainable by taking advantage of the many nonprofits in the country and (2) made nonprofits more impactful in their work.

I’m really proud of the work I did with Takun.  By the time I left Liberia, he’d been named an ambassador for the Ministry of Gender, UNICEF turned him into a character in one of their children’s books, and one of our entertainment-education campaigns won an award.  Soon, this led to other artists reaching out to work with me. Over the last 10+ years I’ve helped artists around the world build sustainable, impactful careers.  As VP at INTL BLK and, later, President at Incredible Music, I built record labels that centered the best interests of artists and amplified new voices in music. #CultureFix has grown into an unapologetic space for new ways of thinking and doing.  I’ve helped hundreds of folks, spoken all over the world, and have built a life that feels good to me, allowing me time for rest, community, and joy, all while maintaining my authenticity and integrity.  This is what I want to offer you, too.