Houtan Yaghmai
- Producer
- Executive
Houtan Yaghmai was born in August of 1985 in Tehran, Iran. His family
made the decision to leave Iran in 1988, in search of increased
opportunities in North America. They initially settled in Toronto,
Canada, amidst a large support network of family members and other
Persians. This support system allowed Houtan to maintain his deep
connections with Iranian culture and further his passion in
understanding the plight of many Iranians post-revolution.
Houtan left Canada to attend college in California at the University of California, Riverside, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration. Always told he was a good advocate and that he had an affinity for argumentation, Houtan began law school at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, in August of 2010. During his academic career at Thomas Jefferson, Houtan was granted a Jeffersonian Fellowship for his outstanding academic achievement. He has also served in numerous leadership capacities, including as Treasurer for the Student Bar Association and for the law school's Middle Eastern Law Students Association. Deeply committed to entertainment and the protection of creativity, Houtan focused his legal studies on issues related to intellectual property, and entertainment law. He has served as a staff law clerk at Thomas Jefferson's Arts and Entertainment Law Project at the Small Business Law Center, where he has acted as a legal advisor on intellectual property and business-related issues to low-income artists, actors, dancers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and related non-profit organizations. He graduated from law school in May 2013, and took the July 2013 California Bar Examination. Once licensed, he will focus on entertainment law and other related fields of law. Outside of his educational pursuits, Houtan has provided consulting services to a number of independent film projects.
Houtan is currently (2015) working on a feature documentary titled "Alam High School" about an iconic school in Mashhad, Iran, that opened in 1969 and was closed down following the Islamic Revolution and turned into a prison for political dissidents. He is also producing a late-night TV talk show titled "Minutes with Max Amini (2014)" for stand-up comedian and actor, Max Amini and developing a legal video department for his production company, SamanMedia.
When he is not busy film-making, Houtan is a dedicated Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and a budding pianist. He loves to travel and is a polyglot, fluent in French, in addition to Farsi.
Houtan left Canada to attend college in California at the University of California, Riverside, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration. Always told he was a good advocate and that he had an affinity for argumentation, Houtan began law school at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, in August of 2010. During his academic career at Thomas Jefferson, Houtan was granted a Jeffersonian Fellowship for his outstanding academic achievement. He has also served in numerous leadership capacities, including as Treasurer for the Student Bar Association and for the law school's Middle Eastern Law Students Association. Deeply committed to entertainment and the protection of creativity, Houtan focused his legal studies on issues related to intellectual property, and entertainment law. He has served as a staff law clerk at Thomas Jefferson's Arts and Entertainment Law Project at the Small Business Law Center, where he has acted as a legal advisor on intellectual property and business-related issues to low-income artists, actors, dancers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and related non-profit organizations. He graduated from law school in May 2013, and took the July 2013 California Bar Examination. Once licensed, he will focus on entertainment law and other related fields of law. Outside of his educational pursuits, Houtan has provided consulting services to a number of independent film projects.
Houtan is currently (2015) working on a feature documentary titled "Alam High School" about an iconic school in Mashhad, Iran, that opened in 1969 and was closed down following the Islamic Revolution and turned into a prison for political dissidents. He is also producing a late-night TV talk show titled "Minutes with Max Amini (2014)" for stand-up comedian and actor, Max Amini and developing a legal video department for his production company, SamanMedia.
When he is not busy film-making, Houtan is a dedicated Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and a budding pianist. He loves to travel and is a polyglot, fluent in French, in addition to Farsi.