About

I am a passionate storyteller and communicator with extensive experience in creative production and direction. I’ve pursued media projects based in or about geographic contexts including Kenya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. I’ve focused on topics such as press freedom (or lack thereof), social media’s role in fueling change, youth experiences in refugee camps, and natural disaster response among grassroots communities. I began my career as a digital and broadcast journalist, serving on the editorial teams at Global News in Canada and Al Jazeera English in the US, covering events such as the 2012 Olympics and 2012 US Presidential Elections, as well as issues such as global nuclear disarmament, technology challenges in Africa, and Kurdish identity in Turkey.

Over the last ten years, I have been providing communications counsel in the corporate and public sectors across a variety of industries including banking, energy, big tech, government, and disaster management. My clients and employers included Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Suncor Energy, Enbridge, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Amazon, City of Toronto, Region of Peel, U.S. Government, and Focus Humanitarian Assistance. I led communications and marketing, media and PR, creative production and direction, and thought leadership strategy for c-suite executives, as well as channels strategy for internal and external audiences. In 2024, two marketing videos I produced for Amazon were awarded silver Tellys, which honor excellence in video and television across all screens including digital.

I have directed and produced several independent film projects, including a documentary about award-winning Pakistani mystic and folk musician Sanam Marvi, and a documentary about India’s grassroots digital organization Youth Ki Awaaz. I am most interested in telling in-depth storytelling through first-hand voices and experiences that don’t typically make news headlines.

I have an interdisciplinary educational background in international development, media, and communications, with degrees from the New York Film Academy in the US, the London School of Economics in the UK, and York University in Canada. I’m always on the lookout for like-minded creatives and visionaries, so reach out at tanya@tanyapanjwani.com if you’re interested in collaborating.