Leyla Doss

About Leyla Doss

Over the last 16 years, I\'ve moved from high-stakes reporting to leading communications strategy for organizations that need to build long-term, sustainable trust with audiences and the press.My interest in strategy started when I realized that even the most important story goes nowhere without a plan behind it.I started in journalism covering the Arab Spring for the Financial Times and The Guardian, but the turning point in my career came at Egypt Independent. When management tried to censor our team and shut us down, we didn\'t walk away, we pivoted. We launched a digital final issue that went viral, proving a massive public appetite for our work. That defiance led us to co-found Mada Masr, which became the country\'s leading independent outlet. That was my first lesson in organizational strategy. I wasn\'t just reporting; I was building an organization.From there, I moved into strategic communications for organizations like TIMEP, Just Vision, and 350.org. My journalism toolkit, finding the \"so what\" and connecting with audiences, became essential for building global influence. I saw firsthand that when you align a human story with a solid strategy, you get results: policy shifts, narrative changes, real public affairs impact.Eventually, I led editorial and fact-checking strategies for podcast houses like Wondery and TED, working on entire seasons reaching 10M+ monthly listeners. That taught me to think in \"long arcs,” or taking massive, complex topics (climate change, voter rights, renewable energy and arts & culture), and making them feel more intimate and human. My career has been a progression of zooming out: Print was the granular word, podcasts were the narrative arc, and Strategic Communications was the campaign level. Today, I work at the biggest picture, helping organizations move beyond the news cycle and build something that lasts. Now based in New York, I work with experts, companies and organizations that have something important to say and need help making sure it lands with the press, with the public, and with the people who have the power to act on it. As a board member of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA), I also work to strengthen the ecosystem that makes this kind of work possible.If that sounds like you, send me a message or find me at leyladoss.com. Coffee (virtual or in NYC) is always welcome. Core Expertise: PR Strategy • Media Relations • Narrative Design • Crisis Management • Coalition Building • Podcast Production • Fact-Checking • Trilingual: Arabic, English & Italian (Native)

Experience

1. Communications Strategist

   Independent Consultant

   Jan 2017 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Supporting media organizations, experts, policy institutions, non-profit organizations and private-sector clients with high-stakes communications, media relations, and narrative strategy across international public affairs, foreign policy, and sustainability.

Education

• SOAS University of London

  Master's Degree, Near and Middle Eastern Studies (Law and Politics)

  2014 — 2015

• Columbia University

  Master of Science - MS, Journalism

  2020 — 2021

• University of California, Berkeley

  Digital Media Skills Graduate Certificate Program at the Advanced Media Institute

  2017 — 2017

• UCL

  BA, Year Abroad, Political Science

  2010 — 2011

• Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism

  Master of Science - MS, Journalism

  2020 — 2021

• University of Toronto

  Honours Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction), Double Major: Political Science, Media Studies

  2008 — 2012

Skills

• News Writing
• Online Journalism
• Research
• Digital Media
• Newspapers
• International Relations
• Video Journalism
• Editing
• Social Networking
• Social Media Marketing
• Storytelling
• Translation
• Human Rights
• Publishing
• Final Cut Pro
• Broadcast Journalism
• Social Media
• Interviews
• Video Production
• New Media
• Public Relations
• Microsoft Office
• Politics
• Photojournalism
• Copywriting
• Journalism
• French
• Video Editing