Shabnam Rezaei has travelled all over the world, and exposure to different ways of life has given her a passion for multiculturalism.
Rezaei was born in Iran and lived there until her and her family left during the Iran-Iraq war, and that’s where her travels began.
“I lived through the revolution there, and then went to Vienna, where I went to an international school, and all my friends were from different parts of the world,” explained Rezaei.
In Vienna, Rezaei learned how to speak English, German, French and bits of Croatian in addition to her native Farsi.
“It was really eye-opening to see what one language can do in terms of endearing you to someone who doesn’t speak any other languages,” she said. “It opens up a whole other world.”
After Vienna, Rezaei pursued more academic interests.
In 1995, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with two degrees – a B.Sc. in computer science and a BA in German language and literature.
Then she earned an MBA at New York University while working for Exis Consulting, a financial-services consultant, where she eventually became a global sales manager.
She’s also worked for Deloitte & Touche LLP and MISYS Banking Systems, a financial-software service provider.
But it was a lifelong passion for different cultures that led Rezaei to Vancouver in 2005 with husband Aly Jetha (see p. 21) to found Big Bad Boo Studios Inc. The production company develops cartoons for children that educate viewers about multiculturalism.
In her travels, Rezaei learned an important lesson about the world that she wanted to teach to children, and she said that’s what Big Bad Boo allowed her to do.
“Really, in the end, you come to the conclusion that people are the same wherever you go.” •
