Siza Zayed, Founder and Managing Director of SIZZLE, is a dynamic force in the film and entertainment industry with more than a decade of experience, seamlessly juggling different roles as a talent manager, film marketeer, and film festival organizer. The American University in Cairo (AUC) alumnus, with a major in Integrated Marketing Communications and a minor in psychology, has over a decade of experience up her sleeve.

 

Zayed’s career kicked off at MAD Solutions in 2013, a marketing and PR agency for film marketing. There, she launched and managed the Arab Cinema Center, an initiative designed to represent Arab cinema at various international film festivals. In 2013, she moved to lead an in-house marketing team at RAW Entertainment, a production company established by director Tarek Al Arian, where she worked on a series of successful film campaigns.

 

As her work turned heads in the film industry, she found her way to the El Gouna Film Festival in 2018, where she excelled in her role as CineGouna Bridge Manager. Zayed led successful Bridge programs for 4 consecutive years, managing masterclasses, panel discussions, and workshops that contributed to enriching industry dialogues.

 

Her outstanding work at film festivals doesn’t stop there – Zayed’s journey continued in 2020 when she landed the role of Industry Consultant at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite the edition’s cancellation due to the pandemic, she returned in 2021 to manage the Red Sea Souk’s Networking Sessions. She also served as an Industry Consultant, enhancing connections among filmmakers, producers, and other industry key players. In 2022, she took on a bigger role, managing the Project Market, where she helped filmmakers find funding and co-production opportunities for their projects.

 

As an independent film marketer, Zayed has contributed to numerous impact film campaigns for festival and theatrical releases, including Yommedine (2018), 200 Meters (2020), and Captains of Zaatari (2020). She served as the latter’s Impact Campaign Producer, amplifying the film’s message on refugees’ dreams.

 

In 2020, Zayed expanded her scope of work by managing talents from the Arab region, representing multiple distinguished actors and actresses, as well as several reputable directors and writers.

 

Her exceptional contributions have garnered well-deserved recognition, securing her a spot in the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program by the US embassy's cultural department in 2023. This opportunity was the result of her unwavering commitment to advancing social change through the arts, her powerful impact campaigns for films, and her integral roles at film festivals.

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In 2024, she took a leap of faith and launched SIZZLE! With a stellar team by her side, she was ready to take the industry by storm.