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      Hi! Welcome to my site.

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I am a creator in the worlds of film, television, music, and theatre.

 

Most recently, I am the composer & lyricist behind BEETHOVEN: LIVE IN CONCERT, a new rock musical about Beethoven's revolutionary life. We had a first concert performance in 2023 at The Green Room 42, and our first staged developmental production at Fort Salem Theater in April 2024, where we were awarded the Al Budde Playwright Scholarship. In June 2022, my play BEANS AND RICE won Best Supporting Actress at the New York Theater Festival.

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As writer-director, my most recent short film, BENSON'S PLAYGROUND, premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2020 and was award-winner and finalist in a dozen international festivals. My documentary on Syrian refugees living in Germany, I AM SYRIA, screened at Harvard University and at campuses across the Northeast. My feature and television screenplays have been recognized internationally, most recently as a finalist for the Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting.

 

In addition to scoring my own films, I recently scored Christopher Grant's NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE, starring and produced by Tony-nominated Crystal Lucas-Perry; I also contributed an original musical number to the upcoming feature CONCESSIONS, starring Michael Madsen, Steven Ogg, and Josh Hamilton.​

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I spent the summer of 2024 aboard the MSC Seashore, playing a Dueling Pianos show across the Caribbean; I had a five month residency in the Mediterranean in 2021. I 2022-23, I performed a weekly piano bar residency at the Green Fig in Midtown Manhattan. Last year, I was resident Music Director of  Yaya Theatre Academy in Shenzhen, China!

My name's Jad.

I'm a Writer, Actor, Composer, and Humanitarian.

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Click here to see more 'Beethoven'

NEW YORK THEATER FESTIVAL - BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - SARAH SINCLAIR
OFFICIAL SELECTION - NEW YORK THEATER FESTIVAL - 2022 - Copy
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Click here for my Writing/MD Resume

Click here for my Performance Resume

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RECENT WORK

RECENT WORK

Sarah Beth Pfeifer (The Lightning Thief)

joins Beethoven at Fort Salem!

'Concessions' Feature Film

 featured in Deadline:

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The Broadway star joined our upstate premiere in April.

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The indie film is Mas Bouzidi's directorial debut.

A short I scored will premiere at Micheaux Film Festival:

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Christopher Grant's 'Never Can Say Goodbye', starring Crystal Lucas-Perry.

MY WORK

BEETHOVEN AT FORT SALEM

CONCESSIONS: FILM SCORE

MSC SEASHORE: CARIBBEAN

GREEN FIG DUELING PIANOS

BEETHOVEN AT GREEN ROOM 42

NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE

2024

2023

​LOSING HOPE: PILOT

THE GREAT CAROLINA HOTEL

BENSON'S PLAYGROUND

2020

MSC SEASHORE: MEDITERRANEAN

BEANS AND RICE AT NYTF

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2022

2018-19

SOMETHING STUPID

BEANS AND RICE

AN IMPERFECT CURE

TUESDAY NIGHTS

WAITING FOR JERRY

2012-17

I AM SYRIA

OFFICE

IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

BELWATCH

OPUS 12

GOIN' DOWN ABOVE AND UP UNDER

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Beans And Rice (2022)​

  • BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (Sarah Sinclair) - New York Theater Festival

  • PREMIERE, New York Theater Festival

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The Great Carolina Hotel (2020)​

  • FINALIST, Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting

  • SEMI-FINALIST, Goldman Award, SWN Screenplay Competition

  • 8/10 EVALUATION, The Black List

  • 7/10 EVALUATION, The Black List

  • 7/10 EVALUATION, The Black List

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Benson's Playground (2020)

  • FINALIST, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival

  • FINALIST, BEST STUDENT DIRECTOR (MALE), IndieX Film Fest

  • FINALIST, BEST STUDENT SHORT, New York World Film Festival

  • FINALIST: The Cutting Room Int'l Short Film Festival, JellyFEST Film Festival 

  • SEMI-FINALIST: New York No Limits Film Series, Student LA Film Awards

  • AWARD OF RECOGNITION: LEAD ACTOR (Paul Albe) - IndieFEST Film Awards

  • AWARD OF RECOGNITION: FILM SHORT, IndieFEST Film Awards

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Golden State Film Festival

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Int'l New York Film Festival

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, New York Lift-Off Film Festival

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Tisch Fringe Festival​​​​​

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Losing Hope: PILOT (2020)

  • SEMIFINALIST, 2021 Scriptation Showcase Script Competition

  • QUARTERFINALIST, 2021 ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition

  • QUARTERFINALIST, Page Turner Screenplays 4th Annual First 15 Competition

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Something Stupid (2019)

  • PREMIERE, 2019 Brandspankin' New Works Festival

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Tuesday Nights (2018)

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Sight & Sound Showcase Fall 2018

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Waiting For Jerry (2018)

  • BEST COMEDY SHORT, Avalonia Festival II

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Motion Pictures Int'l Film Festival

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I Am Syria (2017)

  • OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE, Docs Without Borders Film Festival

  • GOLD AWARD, International Independent Film Awards

  • BRONZE AWARD, Spotlight Documentary Film Awards

  • NOMINATED, RALPH F. BOYD AWARD, Schenectady Human Rights Commission

  • DR. JOHN YOUNGBLOOD MEMORIAL BOOK AWARD IN THE FINE ARTS

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The Phantom Of The Opera (2017)

  • NOMINATION - BEST ACTOR, Proctors High School Musical Theatre Awards, 2017

  • WINNER - BEST MUSICAL, BEST SET CONSTRUCTION, BEST TECHNICAL EXECUTION

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OFFICE (2017)

  • OUTSTANDING FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE, NHS Short Cuts

  • SILVER AWARD, International Independent Film Awards

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, 3rd Annual Web Series Festival Global

    • AWARD OF EXCEPTIONAL MERIT: WEBISODE PILOT | ORIGINAL SCORE

    • AWARD OF MERIT: SCRIPT/WRITER | COSTUME DESIGN

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, WRPN.TV Global Webisode Competition

  • CERTIFICATE OF MERIT, Niskayuna HS Art Department

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It's Not What It Looks Like (2017)

  • BEST FICTION/STORY, Rod Serling Film Festival

  • OUTSTANDING DIRECTING, Media Arts Festival 2017

  • OUTSTANDING COMEDY, Media Arts Festival 2017

  • OUTSTANDING DIRECTING, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING COMEDY, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING ACTRESS - HANNAH DAVIS, NHS Short Cuts

  • SILVER AWARD, International Independent Film Awards

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Orlando Film Festival

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Ballston Spa Film Festival

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, The Set NYC Short Film Screenings

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Why God? (2017)

  • BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, Ballston Spa International Short Film Festival

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Doodle (2017)

  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, Ballston Spa International Short Film Festival

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Opus 12 (2015-2016)

  • MOST PROMISING NEW YOUNG FILMMAKER, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING ACTOR - ETHAN SCHALEKAMP, NHS Short Cuts

  • OUTSTANDING ACTRESS - HANNAH DAVIS, NHS Short Cuts

  • RIT INNOVATION & CREATIVITY AWARD, Niskayuna HS

  • CERTIFICATE OF MERIT, Niskayuna HS Art Department

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