Dana Ballout
Telling Truly Human Stories
Emmy award-winning producer, documentary filmmaker, and podcaster Dana Ballout '05 likes to tell a good story. But what makes a good story? If you ask Dana, it is one that depicts the many facets of humanity: poverty, isolation, and injustice, yet also compassion, hope, and redemption. You can see these elements in her work – beginning in her reporting for The Wall Street Journal during the Syrian Civil War, and later in her compelling documentaries and podcasts such as Trafficked, Groomed, and, The Messenger. As Dana points out, “the darkest corners sometimes contain the brightest stories about human resilience and strength.”
Dana Ballout (far right) on location during the filming of Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (center)
Born in California, Dana moved back to Lebanon in time for the first grade. Looking back, Dana realizes that her upbringing during this pivotal period in post-civil war Lebanon, coupled with her education at ACS, was the perfect training for the empathetic, nuanced reporting for which she has become known and recognized. “My first love was theater. I participated in dramatic productions from first grade all through high school. English and history were my favorite subjects, but after the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005, something changed for me. I became much more politically aware and much more interested in the news.” Dana was elected student council president and was the student speaker at her graduation before heading off to UC Irvine and ultimately, journalism school at Northwestern. “ACS gave me the strength and the confidence to find my voice and to speak up.”
There is also much to be said about the unique perspective of being Lebanese and growing up in an environment of unfulfilled promises and potential in a country so rich in culture, resources, and talent. “I see parallels, for sure, in being Lebanese and having the ability to see and experience a lot of negativity, and still see the positives, still be optimistic.” Her roots in the Middle East also enable her to tell this region's stories in a way that non-Arabs perhaps cannot. Dana explains that “today there is more emphasis on the role of the storyteller, a recognition that shared culture and heritage provide an innate understanding of a story's characters as well as the motivation behind their actions.” Indeed, much of Dana's subject matter is focused on the Middle East, such as her collaboration with Kerning Cultures Network, the first venture-funded podcast company in the Middle East; the award-winning film, The Falconer, the first American/Western feature film shot in Oman using regional cast and crew; and the newly released podcast The Copernic Affair, an investigative series that follows a Lebanese-Canadian professor's struggle to clear his name of involvement in a 40-year-old terrorist attack in France.
Trailer for Dana’s latest project, the podcast The Copernic Affair, released in January 2025
The series for which Dana received an Emmy Award is, to borrow Dana's metaphor, the story that emits the most light and evokes the most optimism. Science Fair, The Series traces the ups and downs of aspiring young scientists, engineers, and innovators as they compete to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair. “I produced Science Fair as a result of wanting lighter stories and hanging out with kids instead of criminals for a change! And it was soooo delightful. Kids have some dark sides, too, but overall, the project was a breath of fresh air and made me feel so much better about our future, knowing we have some brilliant teens who will soon be brilliant adults who will become leaders in science.”
Two aspiring scientists competing to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in a scene from the Emmy Award-Winning Science Fair, the Series.
To find out more about Dana and where to watch or listen to her many productions, go to her website.