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About

Izzy Abidi

Industry Expert

Izzy Abidi is a media lawyer, business affairs executive, and founder of Freshly Ground Stories, specialising in cross-border dealmaking, co-production strategy and the business of storytelling.

Izzy Abidi is a media lawyer, business affairs executive, and founder of Freshly Ground Stories, specialising in cross-border dealmaking, co-production strategy and the business of storytelling.

A former Netflix Business Affairs and Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) executive, she has led dealmaking, brand partnerships and co-production strategies across MENA, Europe and the US, working with brands, studios, platforms and independent creators around the world having been based in Los Angeles, Istanbul, London, Amsterdam, and the Gulf. Named among the world's top media lawyers on ACC's 2022 Global 30s list, she has worked with institutions and international festivals such as Red Sea, Locarno, El Gouna on industry literacy and deal architecture. Izzy is also an alumna (2019) of Netflix’s award-winning Production Legal Lab in Hollywood, covering the contract negotiation approach for each stakeholder from script-to-screen across features, series and non-fiction. Through Freshly Ground Stories, she works with storytellers, media organisations and creative industry institutions to bridge the gap between creativity and the global industry across international market.