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Mandana Dayani
Mandana Rivka Dayani (born 1982) is an Iranian-American businesswoman and former media executive. In 2018, she co-founded I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan organization aimed at educating and mobilizing voters, which has been promoted by various celebrities and athletes. Since the Israel–Hamas war started in October 2023, Dayani has made frequent media appearances to speak on antisemitism. Early life and educationDayani was born into Persian Jewish family who had attempted to leave Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution. They obtained a travel visa to go to Italy in 1987, and were granted asylum as religious refugees in the United States with the help of Jewish American nonprofit HIAS.[2] Her father owned a wholesale distributor of children's clothing in Los Angeles, California.[1] Dayani attended the University of Southern California, where she received her bachelor's degree and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law.[1] CareerEarly careerDayani started her career as a corporate attorney. She then became a talent agent and represented fashion stylist Rachel Zoe. This led her to later become head of the stylist's company, Rachel Zoe, Inc., and a producer on her show, The Rachel Zoe Project (2008–2013).[3] Business venturesDayani was chief brand officer of an online marketplace for estate sales named Everything But The House.[4] From May 2021 to December 2022, she was the president of Archewell, the media and philanthropic company founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.[5][6] During this time, she played a significant role in the couple's business dealings with Spotify and Netflix.[3] I Am a VoterDuring New York Fashion Week in late 2018, Dayani co-founded I Am a Voter, a nonpartisan organization aimed at educating and mobilizing voters, which has been promoted by celebrities and athletes. The organization was co-founded by more than 30 women and the Creative Artists Agency. A social media campaign headed by the organization involved having actors meet with their former costars, including actors from Will & Grace, Friends, and Iron Man and The Avengers.[7] Leading up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the organization announced it would be merging with HeadCount to share resources.[8] Activism Dayani's experience as a religious refugee from Iran is one of her stated inspirations behind her activism.[2] In 2020, Dayani, together with her friend Debra Messing, launched The Dissenters podcast with Dear Media. The podcast features interviews with advocates for social issues, including Glennon Doyle, Adam Schiff, Jane Fonda, and Patrisse Cullors.[9] Dayani and Messing were dubbed "Jewish Champions" on the cover of the Jewish Journal in June 2023; the publication praised them for their "Unabashed Jewish Pride and Fearless Activism".[10] Since the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war in October 2023, Dayani has made media appearances to speak on antisemitism.[11] She has regularly appeared on MSNBC to comment on the impact of antisemitism on Jews in the diaspora.[12][13][14] Dayani's video about the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel was viewed approximately 50 million times. She was also named as one of the "Top 100 Influential Jews" for the Hebrew year of 5782 (from 2021 to 2022) by the Tel Aviv Institute.[15] She spoke on the attack as part of Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, later that year.[16] Amidst nationwide pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses in 2024, she spoke at a rally in Cornell University that was organized to combat antisemitism on campus and throughout the U.S..[17] In 2025, Mandana was appointed by President Biden to serve on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council Board of Trustees.[18] Personal lifeDayani married Peter Traugott, a media executive and producer, in 2010.[1] The couple sold their home in the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood, California, for $1.5 million in 2012.[19] Dayani signed to the Creative Artists Agency in 2023.[20] References
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