Ali Hossaini is an American artist, philosopher and media executive. His work includes contributions in creative writing, political commentary, avant-garde film, photography and television, including the launch of several channels. Common themes include a commitment to freedom and innovation in the arts and business that breaks disciplinary boundaries.

The son of an Iraqi father and American mother http://www.opendemocracy.net/arts-multiculturalism/article_2126.jsp, Hossaini came of age during the Reagan Era

Reagan Era

The Reagan Era or Age of Reagan is a periodization of recent American history used by historians and political observers to emphasize that the conservative "Reagan Revolution" led by President Ronald Reagan in domestic and foreign policy had a permanent impact...

, when he became a producer for Alternative Views, a television program that offered progressive news, commentary and interviews. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/publicaccesstvaltviews.pdf He also produced short films that were distributed by Deep Dish Television. He went on to write for the Village Voice and other publications.http://www.pantar.com/bio.html
In 1994 he received a doctorate in philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 from the University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

, then became involved with academic publishing and the Internet. He launched The Surrealist Revolution at the University of Texas Press

University of Texas Press

The University of Texas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texana, anthropology, U.S...

, a book series whose inaugural volume, Surrealist Woman, revealed the suppressed histories of female artists. He also published one of the first electronic books, Istanbul Boy, in 1996,http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/nesisw.html and produced one of the first public webcasts, Come to Me, that same year. http://www.cyberopera.org/elaine.html

Hossaini left Texas to join the staff of The Site

The Site

The Site, hosted by Soledad O'Brien, was an hour-long TV program devoted to the Internet revolution. It debuted in July 1996 with MSNBC's launch and aired Monday through Saturday, reaching 35 million homes...

, a San Francisco-based television newsmagazine on MSNBC

MSNBC

MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...

, as a producer and commentator. His focus was on involving audiences in television broadcasts. He moved to ZDTV where he continued to develop interactive projects that integrated audience tools like chat and webcam

Webcam

A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...

s into television programs.http://www.infonortics.com/vc/vc01/bios/hossaini-bio.html As vice president for community at Oxygen Media, he developed applications that anticipated many trends in social networking, including video sharing and managed presence.http://www.opendemocracy.net/author/Ali_Hossaini.jsp

As executive producer of LAB HD

LAB HD

LAB HD was a three-year experiment by Voom HD Networks. It is the only channel in history devoted to video art and experimental film as a continuous flow of ambient television...

, Hossaini fostered the creation of several dozen films in avant-garde and experimental genres, including the Voom Portraits Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson (director)

Robert Wilson is an American avant-garde stage director and playwright who has been called "[America]'s — or even the world's — foremost vanguard 'theater artist'". Over the course of his wide-ranging career, he has also worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video...

, a project that became well known after Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair (magazine)

Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2006/12/wilson200612 featured one of its subjects, actor Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...

, on its cover.http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/hd_still_life_artist_wilson_1227/
The series of HDTV videos feature performances by Hollywood stars, European and Persian royalty and notable artists. http://www.newsday.com/features/printedition/ny-c5073773feb01,0,1704020.story The Voom Portraits Robert Wilson exhibition opened in 2007 at Paula Cooper Gallery

Paula Cooper Gallery

The Paula Cooper Gallery is an art gallery in New York City founded in 1968.The gallery is primarily known for the Minimalist and Conceptual artists it has represented and whose careers it helped launch. Such artists include: Carl Andre, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynda Benglis, Mark di Suvero, Donald...

 and Philips de Pury Gallery in New York City. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/arts/design/30wils.html?_r=1&oref=slogin His productions have also been featured in the Whitney Biennial http://www.transmag.org/mailer/mailer26/, the Tribeca Film Festival http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/event_np_summary.php?EventNumber=4181 and other venues.

Hossaini served as executive producer and director of programming for Equator HD

Equator HD

Equator HD was a geography themed network that broadcasts exclusively in high definition. Programming included documentaries, short subjects and films that tell stories of intriguing places from around the globe....

, high-definition television channel devoted to travel, culture and natural history until 2009.http://www.c21media.net/resources/detail.asp?article=34080&area=100 After leaving he has joined the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology

Foundation for Art and Creative Technology

FACT is a new media arts centre based on Wood Street in Liverpool, England.-Support for the creative industries:...

 and works as an artist and producer working in the United States and Europe.http://www.fact.co.uk

Reviews

New York Times, April, 2010

XXXX Magazine, August, 2010

KDVR Denver

Cool Hunting, April, 2010

Flavorpill, March, 2010

Reality Sandwich, March, 2010

Fast Company, October, 2009

Screenings and Installations

Fading Civilizations, SoundRes Festival, Lecce, Italy, August, 2011

Executive Privilege, White Box, New York city, June, 2011

Ouroboros, The Museum of Outdoor Arts, Denver, Colorado, June, 2011

Memory Begins, Mediamorfosi 2.0, Milan, Italy, April, 2011

The Aging Magician, interdisciplinary theater, director, The Kitchen, New York City, April, 2011

Memory Begins, SudLab, Naples, Italy, February, 2011

Memory Begins, White Box, New York, September, 2010

The Big Bang, Bowdoin Festival, Maine, August, 2010

Oceanic Verses, New York City Opera VOX series, New York, April, 2010

Caro Ben Mio, Galapagos Art Space, New York, April, 2010

Ouroboros, Ise Cultural Foundation, New York, March - April, 2010

Baghdad Transcendental, The Drop, New York, October, 2009

Prints from Epiphany, Gallery 8 & The Kaufman Arcade, New York, October, 2009

Hackney Empire, London, UK, December, 2008

American Museum of the Moving Image, Feb - April, 2008

Montreal Festival of Film on Art, March, 2008

Janos Gat Gallery, December, 2007

Pacific Film Archive, October, 2007

SF Cinemateque October, 2007

Scanners Film Festival, July, 2007

Orchard 47 Gallery, April, 2007

Anthology Film Archive, June & November, 2006

Selected writing

Don't Kill Your Television!

Merging Art with Television (p 14)

Vision of the Gods

Beyond the Multicultural Ghetto

The Nasty Truth About the Noble Lie

Stop the downward spiral in digital TV!

Interview with the Dalai Lama

Filmography

2009

• KOOL: Dancing in My Mind, 3D HD feature, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini

2008

• Mario’s Green House, 8 x 30’ HDTV series, director: Mario Van Peebles, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• The Monkey Thieves, 13 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Lost in China, 6 x 60’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Wildlife Nannies 2, 20 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Earthtripping, 6 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Natural Born Traveler, 4 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• 4Monkeys, multichannel video installation, artist: Ali Hossaini
• The River, theater and video, writer: Ali Hossaini
• Noumena, theater and video, writer: Ali Hossaini
• Time is the Moving Image, theater and video, writer: Ali Hossaini
• Beethoven's Toothpaste, experimental video, director: Camille Morin, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Wildlife Nannies II, 20 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini

2007

• Medicine Woman, 13 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Ultimate Tourist Scams, 13 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Wildlife Nannies, 20 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Penny Revolution, 6 x 60’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Green Wheels, 13 x 30’ HDTV series, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Video Portrait: Renée Fleming, director: Robert Wilson, HDTV, experimental short, executive producer: Ali Hossaini
• Video Portrait: Skunk, director: Robert Wilson, HDTV, experimental short, executive producer: Ali Hossaini

2006

• , experimental feature, director: Ali Hossaini
• Unperception Now, director: Ali Hossaini
• Video Portrait: Princess Caroline
  Caroline, Princess of Hanover
  Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco , formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover , has been heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.She is the wife of...
  
  : of Monaco, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: * Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Queen Farah Diba, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Prince Alexis Schleswig-Holstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Gao Xingjian, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Rite of the Black Sun, director: Bradley Eros, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Aquarium, director: Pavel Wojtasik, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Landfill, director: Pavel Wojtasik, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
• Sahara Mohave, director: Leslie Thornton, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Portrait of Shanghai, director: Lili Chin, HDTV, experimental short
• Sorry, director: Gail Vachon, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Meredith Salient Field, director: Theo Angell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Spectropia (episode), director: Toni Dove
• 25 Letters (3 episodes), director: Grahame Weinbren, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Tension Building, director: Erika Beckman, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Mythmakers, directors: Sabine Gruffat & Ben Russell, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Poem, director: Mary Lucier, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin, HDTV
• Light Mood Disorder, director: Jennifer Reeves, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Bridge, director: Fred Taylor, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Urban Sonata, director: Jud Yalkut, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Stiff, director: Jenny Reeder, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• Carrara Landscape, director: Angie Eng, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin
• The Shadow Lords, director: Jose Figeroa, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer: Lili Chin

2005

• Video Portrait: Isabella Rossellini
  Isabella Rossellini
  Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Sean Penn
  Sean Penn
  Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Willem Dafoe
  Willem Dafoe
  Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Robin Wright Penn, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: J T Leroy, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: William Pope L, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Gabriella Orenstein, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Lucinda Childs
  Lucinda Childs
  Lucinda Childs is an American postmodern dancer/choreographer. Her compositions are known for their minimalistic movements yet complex transitions. Childs is most famous for being able to turn the slightest movements into an intricate choreographic masterpiece...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Esther Gordon & Noah Khoshbin

2004

• , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Robert Downey, Jr., director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Jeanne Moreau, director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Isabelle Huppert
  Isabelle Huppert
  Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert is a French actress who has appeared in over 90 film and television productions since 1971. She has had 14 films in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Best Actress Award twice, for Violette Nozière and La pianiste . She is also the most...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Juliette Binoche
  Juliette Binoche
  Juliette Binoche is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international accolades, is a published author and has appeared on stage across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Marianne Faithfull
  Marianne Faithfull
  Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Zhang Huan
  Zhang Huan
  Zhang Huan is a Chinese artist based in Shanghai and New York. He made his BA at the He Nan University in Kai Feng and his MA at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Steve Buscemi
  Steve Buscemi
  Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin
• Video Portrait: Mikhail Baryshnikov
  Mikhail Baryshnikov
  Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
  
  , director: Robert Wilson, executive producer: Ali Hossaini, producer Noah Khoshbin

2002

• artTV, director
• Abstraction 1, director
• Abstraction 2, director

1995

• Come to Me, director

1989:1994

• Alternative Views weekly newsmagazine, producer

1986

• Sometimes a Blessing Can Be a Curse, director
• Ich bin Du, director
• Pentagram, director