Aaron Lobel
Founder of American Abroad Media & Black Birch Entertainment
Dr. Aaron Lobel is the Founder and President of America Abroad Media (AAM), a Washington, DC based international media organization, and the Founder and CEO of Black Birch Entertainment (BBE), a production company producing purpose-driven entertainment about the Middle East for global audiences.
Under Lobel’s leadership, AAM has co-produced public affairs shows and documentaries with top TV channels across the greater Middle East, including in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, UAE, Afghanistan and Pakistan. At BBE, Lobel is partnering with the UK’s Garrison Drama (Peaky Blinders) to develop a scripted television series about the life of King Hussein of Jordan, based on the rights to Hussein’s memoirs Uneasy Lies the Head and his life story. Lobel is also working with producer Howard Gordon (24, Homeland) to develop a limited television series about President Anwar Sadat, based on the rights to the memoirs of President Anwar and Mrs. Jehan Sadat’s respective memoirs. In addition, he acquired the rights to Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Wallace Stegner’s book Discovery - The Search for Arabian Oil about the Americans and Saudis who discovered oil and is partnering with Emmy winning producer Ben Silverman in developing a TV series on the origins of ARAMCO.
Lobel received his Ph.D. in International Affairs from Harvard University's Department of Government. While at Harvard he was awarded Harvard's top teaching award, the Joseph Levenson Prize, was a Research Fellow at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, a Research Fellow at the Belfer Science for Science and International Affairs, and a study group leader at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government.
Lobel currently serves on the International Advisory Board of the US Institute of Peace, and the Board of the Murrow Center for Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Public Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Senior Common Room at Leverett House at Harvard.
