With Women’s History Month tin March, we would like to celebrate the women “behind the scenes” at DHD Films. We are beyond thankful to have Nadia, Karen, Aubri, and Madi on our team to help expand on our client’s stories and lead this organization into a successful future.
Nadia Lakhani
Nadia initially started working on DHD accounts from our CPA’s office over eight years ago. It has now been five plus years since she officially joined DHD Films as our Accounts Manager.
What is the favorite part of your work week (could be a meeting, responsibility, task, etc.)?
My favorite part of the week is getting an opportunity to attend our weekly leadership meeting with our business coaches, where we are constantly challenged to improve our processes and our systems. Constant improvement is one of my personal favorite core values of DHD Films, because it presents a welcomed challenge to always get better at what you seek to accomplish.
Where is somewhere you’ve always wanted to travel to?
There are two destinations that have been on my bucket list and I’m hoping to travel to these places in the years ahead. First, I would like to visit Niagara Falls from the Canadian side of the border. Secondly, I would like to travel to Cairo, Egypt for a trip with my family.
Karen Ezell
Karen has been with the DHD team since the beginning of 2021. She is the Executive Assistant to the Chief Success Officer, Hussain.
When was a time in your career that you felt you truly made a difference in a team member or client’s life?
My first year of teaching back in 1998, I had this young lady in my math class — she was trouble like no other — she was an athlete, popular, and thought she didn’t have to work in my class. She was super smart and everyone looked up to her, but she was incredibly disruptive in class. One day we had a “conversation” after class and I told her, “Do you know how hard I work to make these classes engaging and fun and that when you disrupt the class, I can’t be the best teacher I want to be and it really hurts my feelings.” The only thing she repeated back was, “I hurt your feelings? I didn’t know we could do that.” So I struck a deal with her: if she would pay attention for one week, not be disruptive, and let me show her how much fun we could have, and if she didn’t like it, I would transfer her out of my class. Long story short, she went on to graduate from UNT with a degree in Biology/Chemistry, went to Texas Tech and got a Master’s degree, then went on to get her PA License. We have kept in touch for the last 20 years and she is now happily married with one beautiful young daughter and a second one on the way. It makes me so happy that this “hard to handle” young lady has matured into an incredible spouse and mother. She’d tell you I forever changed her life.
What’s your favorite restaurant and what dish do you recommend there?
I don’t really have one but I love a great steak; medium rare, Pittsburgh-style, with a baked potato and grilled asparagus.
Aubri Nowowiejski
Aubri is the newest member of the DHD Films family. As the Director of Virtual Events, she advises DHD clients on the best online platform solutions for their events and supports the project development and management from strategy through execution.
If there were no limits, what does your dream virtual event include (musical guests, location, etc.)?
My dream virtual event would be an intimate destination experience. Imagine a virtual vacation! For example, it might include a homemade pasta cooking demonstration led by someone’s grandmother in Italy, paired with a limoncello tasting and a cameo by a famous Italian musician. Let’s add a virtual photobooth with backdrops and stickers that make it appear as if you’re in a piazza in Italy, but really, you’re just sitting on your couch at home. The best of both worlds!
What is your ideal weekend?
My ideal weekend is spent relaxing and enjoying quality time with family and friends. This includes my incredible boyfriend, Justin, and my baby pup, Habibi. I love playing dominos, discovering new hole-in-the-wall restaurants, going for walks in the park, watching baking competitions on Netflix, and generally not having a care in the world (that can wait till Monday!).
Madi Holland
Madi is approaching her third year with DHD Films coming up in August! She’s the one to serve all of DHD Films’ motion graphics needs as well as supporting the marketing department and co-leading company culture initiatives.
How did you learn After Effects?
Since age eight, I’ve been passionate about editing, especially when it comes to adding different graphical elements you couldn’t achieve within the diegetic scene. I’ve worked my way from Windows Movie Maker to Sony Vegas 7 and eventually After Effects (AE) through my teen years. Surprisingly, I was afraid of the After Effects interface when my high school teacher introduced the program to me. I didn’t embrace it at first but after beginning my college career, I quickly made fast friends with After Effects, teaching myself mostly everything I know today.
The best tip I give to AE beginners is to take things at a comfortable pace. Dissecting each feature, effect, expression, etc. at your own speed will directly translate into better results as you continue to learn this dynamic program.
What do you like to listen to while grinding away at a project?
As the person who wrote this blog post, I must say I have impeccable taste in questions. 🙂
While I’m working, you can most likely catch me listening to my favorite streamer, Kitboga, playing in the background! “My Brother, My Brother, and Me,” Jerma985, and any Everything Everything album are also my go-to listening materials while working. Having something always playing helps me reach peak productivity, especially to fill the silence* in my apartment.
*Silence = when my dog, Max, isn’t barking at the dishwasher or some bird outside