"Rep"

 In her most personal investigation yet, Noor examines how the media’s representation of Muslims impacts American culture and society

NEW YORK – April 4, 2022 – Noor Tagouri, an award-winning journalist, producer, and podcaster, along with her production company At Your Service (AYS), today announced the launch of “Rep” in partnership with iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac.  This bold, wide-ranging investigation examines how the depictions of Muslims have and continue to influence the greater population by looking into the relationship between politics, pop culture, public opinion, and how they build belief systems. The iHeartRadio Original Podcast will premiere Monday, April 4th during Arab American History Month. Episodes will be released each Monday through June. The first episode is available now on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard.

Through in-depth interviews, multimedia clips and retrospective moments with thought leaders such as award-winning author, motivational speaker and educator Ilyasah Shabazz; Rep. Ilhan Omar and her daughter Isra Hirsi; Hip-Hop artist and community leader Brother Ali; singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) and political staffer Huma Abedin, Noor examines the misrepresentation of Muslims in U.S. media and how this impacts American culture.

As a consummate storyteller and journalist endearingly known as “Podcast Noor,” she deconstructs and analyzes the stories Muslims tell each other, the stories others tell about Muslims, and how these stories shape reputations. 

“My intention with ‘Rep’ is to challenge the concept of the value of representation,” said Noor. “This series is about questioning what we’ve been told about ourselves and our community to understand what it means to be an individual who ‘reps’ themselves. I believe that if you really know yourself, and I really know myself, we will always be able to find pieces of ourselves in each other. And suddenly, our world begins to make sense.” 

Identity and the importance of proper representation are at the center of all Noor’s and AYS’ work. AYS was founded in 2019 with a different approach towards storytelling. Noor’s guided storytelling sessions which she discovered and debuted with her show “Podcast Noor” led to the unique style of the Rep series. Noor practiced this particular form of storytelling for over a year before turning it into an investigative series.

“Our difference is in our perspective: a journalist’s approach to the world and its stories,” said Adam Khafif, co-founder of AYS and Executive Producer of Rep. “Through a lens of service for the narratives often unseen, AYS prioritizes intention and integrity. By passing the mic and amplifying those conversations, the natural outcome is intention-driven work that serves our shared community with stories that connect us.” 

For Rep, AYS assembled a team of esteemed producers and creators such as Zaron Burnett and Jason English, both serving as Executive Producers; Mumu Fresh, a singer/songwriter, and rapper who wrote and composed the theme song; senior producer Emilia Brock and more. As the creator and producer of the renowned history podcast Black Cowboys, Zaron brought a precious and unique perspective to this project and first hand experience on how the stories we hear shape us. 

“My dad didn’t want slavery to be my only image of Black people in American history, so every night he filled my dreams with these incredible stories of Black cowboys,” said Burnett."

“Rep” will be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network, which is home to more than 750 original podcasts with over 430 million downloads each month. iHeartRadio Original Podcasts span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime—and everything in between—making iHeartRadio the largest publisher of podcast content in the world. 

Fans can visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to “Rep” on their favorite device.

Follow Noor on social media:

Facebook: Noor Tagouri

Instagram: @noor

Twitter: @NTagouri

YouTube: Noor Tagouri

About Noor Tagouri

Noor Tagouri’s innovative storytelling spans across media. At 28, Noor is an award-winning journalist and producer, a touring speaker for over 10 years, and has told stories in every medium from radio and print, to documentaries and brand campaigns. In 2019 Noor founded At Your Service Imprint, a consulting and production company telling representative stories as a form of service. With a finger on the pulse of people’s concerns, Noor’s storytelling is recognized for her innovative approach to fostering relationships across lines of difference.