Dubai - TEDxAjman - Michelle Nickelson - Bella

About The Speaker: Ms. Nickelson began her career in the film industry as an assistant to film producer Jerry Weintraub at Warner Brothers Studio. Being forward-thinking, Ms. Nickelson developed several large investment projects that included raising funds for Manex Entertainment, a two-time Academy Award-winning visual effects company. Manex took home the Oscars for the visually-progressive films, The Matrix and What Dreams May Come. Before that, she was involved in the stock brokerage business at Columbia Finance in Beverly Hills and Dae Woo Securities in Los Angeles — specializing in entertainment companies. Ms. Nickelson produced the first ever world-premier of a Hollywood film in the Middle East. "The Last Legion", starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Aishwarya Rai, premiered in Abu Dhabi in 2007 as a charity fundraiser. She is currently developing the feature film franchise, Antar The Black Knight. Ms. Nickelson is the Managing Director of Mirage Holdings, and is also the Executive Producer of the film trilogy. Additionally, she is working with TV giant Endemol to develop the reality TV football series Second Chance Heroes. She is also working with United Investment Bank, UIB, in the Dubai International Financial City, DIFC, and has launched the first film investment fund from the GCC, MENA CineFinance. Ms. Nickelson is the Fund Administrator and on the Board of Directors of MENA CineFinance. Ms. Nickelson also serves as the Co-Founder and Co-Chairwoman of Women in Film and Television, (WIFT) UAE, which serves both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Through WIFT, UAE she helps organize educational lectures and community related projects to support women in the media industry in the UAE. About TEDx: In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations) This event was held in Ajman, UAE. 31st of March, 2012