Tag: Zara Janjua

Scottish comedian scoops two Funny Women Shortlist nominations

‘Great presence, energetic style, full of talent’ – BBC Studios

‘ A confident, engaging and extremely likeable host’ – Dabster Productions 

‘Zara is a compelling storyteller and powerful speaker who clearly wants to make a positive impact on the world.’ – Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Women of The Future

Scottish-Pakistani comedian shortlisted for the Comedy Writing Award 2021 and Comedy Shorts Award 2021

Scottish-Pakistani comedian Zara Janjua has been shortlisted for two Funny Women Awards this year. She is one of 10 comedians listed for the Comedy Writing Award, sponsored by Sky Studios and is also up for the Comedy Shorts Awards, sponsored by NextUp Comedy.

Funny Women is an important industry platform for women looking to break into comedy. So far, over 4,000 gob-smackingly talented comics have taken part in 17 competitions, and their alumni include, Sarah Millican, Zoe Lyons, Sarah Pasco, Katherine Ryan, London Hughes, Desiree Burch, Kerry Godliman, Rachel Parris.

Comedy writer, Zara Janjua entered a pilot for her sitcom ‘Doulas’, a story about a Scottish-Pakistani Muslim news presenter who is having baby with a sperm bank. The former STV News presenter turned to comedy in 2016 and won a spot in the BBC Comedy Writers Room, ITV 50:50 Female Pilot Club and was recently awarded a runner-up prize for comedy writing with the David Nobbs Memorial Trust.

She said: “I am genuinely thrilled to be on the shortlist for these two awards, alongside some incredibly talented women. The awards are an exciting platform for women and help to create opportunities for us in the industry.”

In 2018 a study revealed that less than 11% of comedy on TV in the UK is written by women.

Zara said: “I wanted to be part of the solution and break into the boy’s club. The industry is dominated by white, middle-aged, privately-educated men. The lack of diversity means there are so many untapped pockets and untold stories out there.”

Zara’s entry for the Comedy Shorts Award ‘Match of the Yesterday: Euro 1314’ was a collaboration with Mid-Brow and was released during the Euros ahead of the Scotland-England game. She plays a medieval news presenter during the Battle of Bannockburn. It is available on the BBC iPlayer.

Finalists will be announced on September 14th and award ceremony takes place on September 24th at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London.

Winners receive cash prizes, mentorship from Funny Women and the Comedy Shorts winner will also receive a funded development prize.

Scottish-Pakistani comedian ‘Highly Commended’ at Women of The Future Awards

Scottish-Pakistani presenter, comedian, journalist, writer and producer, Zara Janjua has been named one of the UK’s most talented up-and-coming women, winning ‘Highly Commended’ as a finalist for Women of The Future Awards in the Media Category.

Zara is a ‘multi-hyphen’ TV professional and human rights advocate who champions diversity, equality and women’s rights. She works on a 50:50 model, dedicating half her time to philanthropic media projects.

She has worked for BAFTA, NTA and RTS award-winning TV shows including This Morning on ITV. The stand-up comic has presented BBC comedy shows, daytime and news on STV. She is also in the BBC Comedy Writersroom and was shortlisted for the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award 2020.

Zara Janjua said: “I am delighted to be highly commended as a finalist for this incredible award. It means a lot to have my work recognised by such an impressive panel of inspirational people.”

The media panel included Julie Brown, CFO & COO, Burberry Julia Pasaron, Editor, I-M Intelligent Magazine and John O’Brien MBE, Managing Partner EMEA, One Hundred, Omnicom Group.

Zara promotes multiple income streams for women. After going full-time self-employed four months before the pandemic hit, Zara continued to successfully expand her career and build her business. She has developed courses in virtual/livestream presenting and ‘Dynamic Directions’ to help others discover flexibility and opportunities in their life and is now writing a book about it.

Zara said: “With unemployment at record levels, and women disproportionately affected, I want to help people discover passions and create opportunities in their lives.”

Zara debuted as a filmmaker last year, with a documentary about marginalised and disabled women in Nepal. She fronted an award-winning campaign for Solace Women’s Aid about domestic violence in lockdown and has presented multicultural events for NatWest and a podcast about inspirational businesswomen for The Royal Bank of Scotland.

Zara added: “Throughout my career I have been supported by talented women who have helped me to develop and given me confidence to realise my ambitions. It’s important for me to pass that kindness on and use my skills to create positive change.”

Zara is looking forward to travelling to Tanzania in September for her second philanthropic filming project as she scales the highest free-standing mountain in the world – Kilimanjaro, for CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland).

The online awards ceremony took place on Thursday, February 4 and were attended by HRH The Countess of Wessex, Miriam González Durántez, International Lawyer and Founder of Inspiring Girls International, Sara Davies MBE, Founder and Creative Director of Crafters Companion.

Finalists will become part of the network and will have the opportunity to attend the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, undertaking courses in Leadership, Negotiation and Career Strategy.

The Women of the Future Awards, founded by Pinky Lilani CBE DL in 2006, were conceived to provide a platform for the remarkable female talent in the UK.

The awards recognise the inspirational stars of tomorrow across diverse sectors. HRH The Countess of Wessex is the Global Ambassador, Cherie Blair is patron and Baroness Gabrielle Bertin is Chair of the Awards judging panel.

The Women of The Future Awards are supported by The Financial Times, Oxford University, CNBC and The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

Podcast champions Scottish Voices for International Women’s Day

Scottish Pakistani Journalist, comedian and women’s rights advocate Zara Janjua launches inspirational podcast series featuring star-studded line-up for International Women’s Day 2020.

The second series of the Ask For More podcast features some of Scotland’s top business women alongside celebrities including Kaye Adams, Sharleen Spiteri, Kirsty Wark, Judy Murray and Jenni Falconer.

Each episode highlights key issues affecting women in life and in business, focussing on topics from ‘resilience’ and ‘philanthropy’ to ‘profile’. It aims to motivate and inspire listeners to be ambitious and achieve their goals.

Former STV presenter Zara Janjua said: “The best way to get motivated is to surround yourself with positive voices and to hear from people who have fulfilled their dreams. The more success is enforced, the more achievable it becomes.”

The 34-year-old ‘multi-hyphen’ presenter-producer-writer-comedian added: “This podcast offers a platform to share our experiences and speak honestly about our successes and our failures.

“Women are engineering a new future to better fit the shape of our lives. We are a nation of independent thinkers and it is time to regroup and navigate this world together.”

The first episode features tennis matriarch Judy Murray and CSR champion Diana Borland. They discuss how to create change and make an impact in the world with philanthropy.

Judy Murray said: “If we could all identify someone that we could put an arm around and mentor, to share advice and be a sounding board to, I think that would help an awful lot. It is lack of confidence in ourselves that stops us from taking that first step.”

Loose Woman anchor and Radio Scotland presenter Kaye Adams features on the ‘resilience’ themed episode alongside Marketing Executive Niki Hutchinson.

Kaye Adams said: “As women, we have a certain way of communicating, telling stories and sharing experiences that I think is quite special. I think it’s good to see that represented.” 

She added:“When I was younger I took myself a bit more seriously which actually was just nerves. You’re so worried about how the world sees you and how other people see you – you’re much more self-conscious.

“In radio you are on your own with the microphone. You can’t really be produced to the same level and you don’t have anything really to rely on apart from your wits and your voice.”

The second episode releases tomorrow (Monday 9 March) and features Lynne Kennedy MBE and BBC comedy star Ashley Storrie.

Ashley said: “I’m making a conscious effort now to praise other people and tell them how proud I am of them – especially other female comedians.

“I remember when my mother was coming up in comedy, there was often a feeling that other people’s success was somehow another person’s failure and I never want to be like that.

“I’ve made friends now from people who I barely knew just saying I’m so proud of how well you’ve done. As women we need to do more of that.”

Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, the podcast was first launched in November 2019 following the Rose Review by CEO Alison Rose. It aims to inspire women to start and grow businesses.

Subscribe now to the Ask For More Podcast on:

Acast: https://play.acast.com/s/askformore

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-in-business-ask-for-more/id1487065308

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1DALMZwfAmuWWPexHChYQZ?si=K8GscaPsTwyRSdS9rr0Mlg

Join The ‘Ask For More’ Facebook Group