Khaled Haddad

Khaled Haddad is the Founder, Executive Producer, and General Manager of the Jordanian company Jordan Pioneers Multimedia Production . Khaled holds a bachelor's degree in Cinema Studies from Cairo University. He has more than 30 years of experience in the audiovisual field as a producer, director and production consultant in television and film production. He has initiated and been part of numerous projects and contributions to both local-Jordanian and international productions during his professional career. Haddad is also the founder of Slate Film Services (www.slate-fs.com), the biggest equipment-rental company in Jordan that has provided light and grip equipment to countless award-winning films and television programs since its founding in 2007. Mr. Haddad began his production career as a general manager for Arab Media TV Production and has gone on to direct and produce over 30 documentaries, films, and TV programs, in addition to commercials and informational spots. He served as an Executive Producer for Jordan Television and Radio, and for Jordan Satellite Channel's various weekly TV programs. Furthermore, he has also produced independent projects for channels such as the BBC, WGBH, National Geographic, and AlArabiya. Haddad's ongoing partnership with Sesame Workshop has produced four seasons of the educational entertainment program Hikayat Simsim, the Jordanian version of the Sesame Street. Its 104 episodes focus on educational goals such as literacy, health, hygiene, road safety, respect, and national pride, and seek to change the way children in Jordan learn. With the help of Muppets Tonton, Juljul, and Elmo, Hikayat Simsim also directly engages young children through interactive live shows around the Jordan. Continuing the partnership with Sesame Workshop, Haddad is the Executive Producer of the Emmy-nominated humanitarian project Ahlan Simsim in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee which is funded by The MacArthur Foundation as well as the Lego Foundation. The program is in production of its fifth season, including 26 episodes. Most recently, he has co-produced the student-Academy-Awards (Oscar)-nominated short film Tala'vision (2021), alongside the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Südwestrundfunk and Tabi360. In partnership with MENA Films and Wigwam Films, another notable project of his includes Under the Shadow (2016), where he served as the executive producer. Under the Shadow has received 19 awards including the BAFTA Film Award for the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director and Producer. Further, it was nominated at the 2017 Academy Awards under the Foreign Language Film category. Furthermore, Haddad recently joined forces with Palestinian directors Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser, to produce their latest project Gaza Mon Amour (2020). The film has received several nominations, among them the Venice Film Festival, and won the NETPAC Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020, as well as several others. In partnership with "Search for Common Ground", Haddad has developed and produced the political dramedy Madame President (2015). Some of his other notable projects include the production of 30-episode Jordanian hit drama Bawabat al Quds: Al Tariq ila Bab al Wad (The Gates of Jerusalem: The Road to Bab al Wad). Shot in over 180 locations all over Jordan with over 360 cast members, the show aired on Jordan TV, Rotana, and 8 local TV channels. Additionally, Khaled produced the educational sitcom Duwwar al Tasa'a with John Hopkins University, and 26 short films with the Gulf Cooperative Council. He further produced three cinematic short films; Quelques Miettes Pour Les Oiseaux, Diaspora, and De Quelle Couleur Sont Les Murs De Votre Appartement, funded by the Evans Foundation. Further, Haddad was the executive producer of the award-winning as well as nominated Taiwanese show Wake Up (2015) as well as the co-producer of the Egyptian shows, Al Nehaya (2020) and Counterattack (2021). Khaled Haddad also co-produced, Give Up the Ghost, directed by Zain Duraie which premiered at the "Orrizonti Shorts Competition" and won the El Gouna Star at "El Gouna Film Festival" in the Short Films category. Furthermore, the documentary Tiny Souls, which won the Human Rights award at the Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival. Khaled also produced Curse of Mesopotamia; a horror film directed by Lauand Omar. Finally, Haddad acted as an associate producer for the German feature film 45 min in Ramallah produced by Brave New Work, as well as co-producer for the documentary features Hijacked and Six Days of June. Over the past ten years, Haddad has repeatedly been assigned to be a jury member of several festivals, the most recent one being the Amman International Film Festival 2021, for the Arab Feature Narrative Film competition. Furthermore, he has proudly lead research study committees for Hikayat Simsim that have led to various publications: The Role of Multi-Media in Early Childhood Education: The Case Study of Hikayat Simsim; Cultural Heritage & Early Childhood Education as a Multimedia Entertainment (EME); Early Childhood Heritage Knowledge: Why, Where & How.