Roqe

A feature interview with Afghan-American actress, Azita Ghanizada. In addition to a prolific and successful career in TV and film, Azita is the founder the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition. She joins Jian to discuss conscious casting, changing the white norms of Hollywood, and her personal strength in transforming life as a political refugee born into a conservative Muslim family of modest means, into a pursuit of her career passions at the highest level in the West and advocating for others. Plus the Roqe Thursday Team convenes for stories about going to the gym during covid, prepping for a photo shoot, and the Letters of the Week.

An interview with musician, performer and Persian TRAP Music pioneer, Danny Asadi. Danny joins Jian on a wide-ranging musical chat to discuss how he invented his sound, inspiring trips to Iran as a teenager, his personal fusion of East and West, becoming an online sensation, and his billionaire ambitions.

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A feature interview with actor, dancer, inventive artist and creative sprite, Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam. Shahrokh joins Jian to talk about everything from career highs, to the energetic art of performance, to acting in different languages and the history of Persian dance. He also tells us why he would rather be a crow (the bird) than human. Plus, the Thursday Roqe Team reconvenes to discuss dogs, skunks, adventures and Persian words. And of course, the Letters of the Week.

A feature interview with Iranian-American comedian and actor, Max Amini. In a wide-ranging conversation Max opens up to Jian about navigating comedy in difficult times, a knack for improvisation, the challenges of being an oddball American kid in revolutionary Iran, and his ongoing commitment to working hard and spreading positivity.

Interviews with human rights activist, Hadi Ghaemi, legendary writer and feminist, Shahrnush Parsipur, and screenwriter and director Cyrus Nowrasteh. Plus the Roqe Thursday team convenes for option and Letters of the Week.

An in-depth interview with legendary songwriter/composer Farid Zoland about compensation, copyright, and hoping to finally be paid what he deserves. The man behind dozens and dozens of hit songs in Persian music by icons like Googoosh, Dariush, Ebi and Hayedeh, joins Jian to talk about how he has received little to no significant compensation and recognition for a catalogue of melodies that most Iranians know by heart. The interview is conducted in both English and Farsi (with English subtitles).

An interview with Iranian-American communications strategist, radio host, and national chair of Iranians Count, Bita Milanian, about the campaign to have people of Iranian descent in the United States sign up for the 2020 census. Plus classical guitar virtuoso Lily Afshar joins Jian to recount her journey from a kid in Tehran to the top stages of the world as a master classical guitarist. And the Roqe Team convenes with banter about squirrels, chicken wing mehmoonies, and the Letters of the Week.

An interview with popular Iranian-American politician, Jimmy Delshad, the former two-term Mayor of Beverly Hills, California. Jimmy joins Jian for a funny and touching interview to share his story of being a Jewish kid from Shiraz who arrived in America in 1959, his pioneering campaign to become Mayor, his recent bout with Covid-19, and his reflections on the diaspora and community divisions in 2020. There are jokes along the way and insights from his eight decades of life.

An interview with Behdad Esfahbod, widely regarded to be a tech genius, the creator of Persian text on the internet, and a former employee at Google, about his recent harrowing trip to Iran and detention at the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Also, Iranian-American comedian Melissa Shoshahi joins Jian on her Travel Ban comedy show. Plus the Roqe Roundtable with special guest psychotherapist and author Alireza Taheri, and the Letters of the Week with the Roqe team.

An interview with legendary Iranian-American journalist, Homa Sarshar. Homa joins Jian to reflect on her 55 years as a writer, reporter, producer and broadcaster.