New York City Metropolitan Area
Emmy Award winner Shefik is a technologist and media executive with experience spanning Fortune 500 enterprise environments, global broadcast systems, and large-scale digital media platforms. His work includes roles across NBCUniversal, IBM, TIME, Condé Nast Digital, and more. At Condé Nast Digital, he developed projects for brands including GQ, Vanity Fair, WIRED, Epicurious, and Concierge, as well as advertising initiatives for clients such as Chase Sapphire, Continental Airlines, Buick, Smirnoff, Stacy's Pita Chips, and Valspar Paint and Coatings. He also has academic experience at Columbia Law School, supporting a structured, systems-oriented approach to complex technical and institutional problem solving. At NBC Sports, Shefik conceptualized, architected, engineered, and led Drupal-based development of critical application systems supporting major global sporting events, including the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. His work also supported over 5,000 positions for high-profile sporting events broadcast and streamed across NBC, USA Network, Telemundo, and Peacock, including Super Bowl LVI, NFL Sunday Night Football, MLB Sunday Leadoff, U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, NASCAR, Kentucky Derby, IndyCar, Tour de France, Premier League, USFL, WWE Raw, and Big Ten programming as part of NBC Sports and NBCUniversal's operations and technology team. Shefik operates at the intersection of enterprise engineering, media production systems, and audience-scale distribution. As a senior-level Software Engineer and Web Architect, he designs, builds, and scales enterprise CMS and media infrastructure systems enabling content creation, distribution, and user engagement across broadcast and digital ecosystems. His expertise includes PHP architecture, backend engineering, performance optimization, and scalable platform design. In parallel, Shefik led media production initiatives across radio, video, and live programming environments reaching large audiences. This dual background enables him to bridge technical infrastructure with content strategy and audience delivery. Shefik's core competencies include enterprise CMS architecture, media production systems, broadcast workflows, and high-traffic digital platform development serving millions of users. He operates in high-visibility, mission-critical environments tied to global organizations and institutional stakeholders. He is focused on enterprise platform engineering, where systems, content, and audience scale converge.
NASA International Space Apps Challenge provides the opportunity to engage directly with NASA's data, along with Space Agency Partner data. During the hackathon, teams use this data to address challenges written by NASA Subject Matter Experts, and more. • Appointed by the global team of NASA Space Apps to lead the engagement within a 40-mile radius of Yonkers, New York (as well as virtually from anywhere in the world), and originate NASA Space Apps Yonkers. This resulted in NASA Space Apps Yonkers having the 3rd highest number of registrants in the United States, and the 2nd highest number of registrants compared to Canada. In 2025, a total of 114,094 participants registered across 167 countries and territories, with 511 local events. • Spearheaded community engagement that prompted for the first-time in history to have NASA International Space Apps Challenge take place on October 4–5, 2025, in Yonkers, New York. • Solidified partnerships with key entities, such as YWCA Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano (Yonkers, New York), Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins (President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader at New York State Senate) (35th Senate District), City of Yonkers Department of Veterans' Services, Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan, Royal Ghassanid Academy of Arts and Sciences, "Planet of the Tapes" (LL Cool J's Rock the Bells Radio / SiriusXM), Sarah Lawrence College, Yonkers Public Library, Yonkers Public Schools, Yonkers Downtown Business Improvement District, and more. • Acquired sponsorships from notable brands, such as Burger King, Costco Wholesale, Starbucks, Dunkin', Panera Bread, ShopRite, and Stop & Shop. • Formed a consortium of international collaborators, inclusive of NASA Space Apps Benha (Egypt), NASA Space Apps Chiquinquirá (Colombia), NASA Space Apps Freetown (Sierra Leone), and NASA Space Apps Seoul (South Korea). • Established and managed a team of organizers, ambassadors, and mentors, which consisted of around 50 volunteer members.
Lead the development and execution of innovative media initiatives that advance the organization’s mission of empowering filmmakers, content creators, and creative entrepreneurs in underserved communities. Oversee cinematic storytelling, digital content strategy, multimedia production, and emerging technology integration across film, streaming, live events, and community-based media programs. Direct end-to-end production workflows for branded content, public service campaigns, documentaries, cultural programming, and digital experiences aligned with Harlem Film House initiatives, including the annual Hip Hop Film Festival, the streaming network myFRESHtv, and innovation-driven storytelling platforms. Collaborate with creatives, industry partners, and organizational leadership to expand audience engagement, strengthen digital ecosystems, and elevate impactful narratives through forward-thinking media solutions. Drive creative innovation through AI-enhanced workflows, digital transformation strategies, and cross-platform content development, while supporting Harlem Film House's commitment to access, opportunity, and sustainable growth for independent storytellers and media entrepreneurs. In this capacity, also supporting Harlem Film House's strategic partnership with LOOK Dine-In Cinemas for the 11th Annual Hip Hop Film Festival, helping expand its reach and integrate innovative exhibition and distribution models for independent and culture-focused filmmaking.
Harlem Film House, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, produces film and music festivals, operates year-round workshops, theatre productions, and live events, while also offering business consulting to filmmakers and content creators in underserved communities around the world. • Host, "Conversations from the Culture" Top directors from Europe, East Africa, South Africa, West Africa, and New York City sit down with Sir Shefik to discuss film and politics. Comprised of key selections and finalists of the annual Hip Hop Film Festival, the series is exclusive to the festival. Harlem Film House, is the production arm of Hip Hop Film Festival. It is the only film festival that shares the profits from the festival with the filmmakers selected to participate. Although the festival is titled "Hip Hop", that does not necessarily mean all films will be about hip-hop. Rather, the term is used in reference to the filmmakers who grew up in the elemental culture of hip-hop and the wide-ranging narratives they project to the screen, as a result of being incubated by such culture. Over the years, Shefik interviewed hundreds of filmmakers and industry executives, both virtually and in-person at Hip Hop Film Festival. The festival partners and sponsors include NBCUniversal, Chase, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library), Revolt, and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. • Producer and Host, "In Our Time with Sir Shefik" An open-door dwelling of news, politics, and entertainment from the LGBTQIA+ perspective. There are no holds barred, as guests are challenged during interviews, taped live. Discussions flow organically, as conversations are communicated with transparency. Shefik booked all guests and determined the subject matter of each episode, covering deep conversation topics, such as fatal violence and murder against the transgender and gender non-conforming community, human trafficking prevention, intersex awareness, and more.
The Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan is in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan is officially recognized by the government of the Republic of Lebanon. Sir Shefik represented the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan at the United Nations for the following: • Informal Briefing for the Second World Summit on Social Development (November 25, 2024) • High-Level Meeting on the 25th Annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25, 2024) https://www.royalghassan.org https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/consultativeStatusSummary.do?profileCode=626227
Royal Ghassanid Academy of Arts and Sciences is a high academic institution based in Bonn, Germany, with representation in Lebanon, Jordan, Brazil, United States, and Canada. Its purpose is to congregate acclaimed scholars and artists worldwide to promote culture in all its manifestations and expressions. Another main goal is to bring education to poor countries, especially in the Middle East. It is under the auspices and protection of the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan, which is accredited by the United Nations with Special Consultative status since 2016. Royal Academy is under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, Ph.D., Th.D., an internationally recognized scholar with over 100 books published.
Dr. Arun Gandhi (April 14, 1934 — May 2, 2023) was a South African-born Indian-American author, socio-political activist, and son of Manilal Gandhi, thus the 5th grandson of nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi. In 2017, Dr. Gandhi published "The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons From My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi". Dr. Gandhi considered himself to be a Hindu and expressed universalist views. Like his grandfather, he also believed in the concept of nonviolence (Ahimsa). In 1996, Dr. Gandhi co-founded the "Season for Nonviolence" as a yearly celebration of the philosophies and lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The "season" begins with the anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, ending on the April 4 anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It is anchored by a mission, statement of principles, and commitments by participants towards living in a nonviolent way. As of 2016, Dr. Gandhi resided in Rochester, New York. He died at the Sunanda Gandhi Home for Girls in Kolhapur, India, on May 2, 2023. He was 89. https://learnleadserve.com
Founded in 2000, Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities, and economic growth. Woodstock Film Festival provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences, while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York's Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide. Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar-qualifying festival in the short film categories: Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film. • Currently screening and evaluating submitted films (narratives and documentaries) for the 25th Annual Woodstock Film Festival.