About Elif Dagdeviren
Summary:
Being in different positions of published, broadcast, and online media and entertainment business for the last 25 years she experienced nationally and internationally, in publishing, producing, content providing, how to be a brand in those fields, how to develop content for the reader/viewer/user.
Elif Dagdeviren had been born in 16.08.1967, in Ankara. She educated in TED Ankara College. Graduated from Hacettepe University, Business Management. Attended to Rutgers College, New Jersey, USA “American Sociology and Languages” and New York, Baruch College, “Bussiness of Music” certificate programs.
She began her career as a translator in Turkish Radio and Television (TRT). Founded a production company with her partners in 1992. Worked as a show host during the establishment of the mainstream TV channel ATV. The same year she started to work for the magazine Aktuel as a journalist. She became the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Turkey six months later. She was the youngest editor-in-chief both in Turkey, and worldwide.
In 1994 she produced and hosted her own TV show called “The Trend is to Watch This Program Now” on ATV. She continued writing articles for the Esquire, Cosmopolitan and Aktuel magazines steadily.
Between 1995-1997, while living in New York she worked for Hurriyet newspaper as an interviewer and journalist. She also worked non-professionally for an album production at Atlantic Records, personally with Ahmet Ertegun.
After 1997 she became the editor-in-chief of the Kelebek newspaper, which is the main supplement of Hurriyet. Besides being the editor-in-chief, she was the main interviewer and columnist of the newspaper.
In 1998, she produced and hosted her own talk show called “With Elif Dagdeviren” for Star TV. Same became an instructor at the Istanbul University, Faculty of Communication and the Marmara University, Faculty of Communication.
Her internet career began in the USA and moved to be a professional business in 1998. She co-founded imedya.com, a content provider company. Then founded and developed netbul.com, the first internet portal of Turkey. Sold it in 2001 to one of the strongest media companies in Turkey. It considered as the first and the biggest sale of such a company those days.
She worked as a consultant and international press coordinator for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul. She hosted and moderated the speeches of the 9th president of Ireland and Bill Gates during their visits to Turkey.
She became a columnist and interviewer for the Aksam Newspaper and partnered to a private school called Academy Hayat which had specialized in new media, movie making, and communications.
In 2004, Elif Dagdeviren co-founded Hermes Films; a production company. They produced a mainstream crime film “Beyza’nın Kadinlari/Shattered Soul” which won some awards worldwide. Then followed “Living and Dying” a Hollywood production with well-known US actors such as Michael Madsen, Bai Ling, Edward Furlong. “Cenneti Beklerken/Waiting For Heaven” was again a co-production which had been directed by one of the most prestigious Turkish directors, Dervis Zaim. “Dondurmamm Gaymak/Ice Cream I Scream” had been nominated for the Academy Awards in 2007 on behalf of Turkey and won so many awards worldwide.
During this time, they started one of the biggest music venues of Istanbul, “Arena Istanbul” and organized so many local and international concerts with the well-known names like Jose Carreras, Julio Iglesias, Dream Theatre etc.
After all those years finally, Elif Dagdeviren established her own company EDGE CCF, a filmmaking, content providing, organization, and consultancy company which puts together all her experiences in media, filmmaking, organizations, and internet.
After establishing EDGE she continued to make films and television productions. “Iftarlık Gazoz (61 Days)” directed by Yuksel Aksu was a huge success in Turkey. She made her live talk show “Sosyal Alem/Social World” on television which was the first TV show based on social media, every Saturday night.
Elif Dagdeviren became the director of the International Antalya Film Festival, a worldwide respected film festival. She started Cinema of Turkey which aimed to be a bridge between Turkish and international film industries. Cinema of Turkey organized many events with the cooperation of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Spain, Moscow, and Turkey. Elif Dagdeviren travels to so many countries to develop business between Turkey and those countries, for the movie and the entertainment industry. She is still consulting to so many cultural events, festivals, social organizations, academies, film companies.
In 2020 she and her life partner Cem Kinay founded Anatolity Sustainable Culture and Tourism Foundation. They are motivated by the greatness and fruitfulness of Anatoly and decided to put all of their years of experience and network into this foundation in order to give back to Turkey more than they received.
She got many awards in journalism and filmmaking and has been a jury member for so many respected film festivals and events.
Elif Dagdeviren is also a professional moderator and speaker about the film industry, production, communications, media, internet and any headlines about women and animal rights. She is the board member of TURSAK, Turkish Cinema and Audiovisual Cultural Institute, member of EWA and EFA.
EXPERIENCES
Journalist and Columnist:
Magazines: Aktuel, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Marie Claire, Eve, Amica, Baz, Black and White, Sole, Hello, OK
Newspapers Sabah, Hürriyet, Kelebek, Akşam
Online: Ajan.net, Netbul, Onedio
Editor-in-Chief:
Cosmopolitan Turkey
Hurriyet Kelebek
Marie Claire Turkey
Companies (Founder, Partner):
imedya.com
netbul.com
Academy Hayat
Hermes Film
Istanbul Arena Concert Hall
The Netfork Social Media Agency
EDGE CCF Elif Dagdeviren General Entertainment, Creative Content, and Filmmaking
MANZA.io Next generation web solutions
Calinos Films Managing Partner in Production
Films:
Shattered Soul / Beyza’nın Kadınları Director: Mustafa Altıoklar
Living and Dying, Director:: Jon Keeyes
Ice Cream Ice Cream / Dondurmam Gaymak Director:: Yüksel Aksu
Waiting for Heaven / Cenneti Beklerken Director:: Derviş Zaim
61 days / İftarlık Gazoz Director:: Yüksel Aksu
Television programs:
“The Trend is to Watch This Program Now / Şimdi Bu Program Çok Moda”, ATV, Life Style. Conceptor,, Producer, Researcher, Presenter.
“With Elif Dagdeviren / Elif Dağdeviren’le”, STAR, Talk Show. Researcher,, Presenter..
“Young Turks / Genç Türkler”, CINE 5, Talk Show. Conceptor, Producer, Researcher,, Presenter.
"Exiled to Love / Aşka Sürgün", ATV, TV Series Actress
“Social World / Sosyal Alem”, Türkmax, Talk Show. Conceptor, Producer, Writer, Researcher,, Presenter.
“Find a Job / Kariyer Edin”, TRT, Game Show. Conceptor, Producer, Researcher,
"Butterfly Affect / Kelebek Etkisi". Kanal 360. Political Talk Show.. Conceptor, Producer, Researcher,.
“The News Show / Heberler”, Türkmax, Fun Show. Producer, Writer, Actress (when needed)
As an Instructor (Journalism, Production, Communications, Online Media):
The University of Istanbul, Faculty of Communication, Journalism Agency, Interview Techniques.
The University of Marmara, Faculty of Communication, Interview Techniques, and Journalism
Istanbul Kültür University, Faculty of Communication, Communications in Media
Academy Hayat. Journalism, New Media, Communications.
Müjdat Gezen Art Center. Head of the Cinema and Television Department, Film Production.
Academy Beyoglu. Film Production (Recent)
Foundations and NGOs:
ANATOLITY / Sustainable Culture and Tourism Foundation, Chairperson of the Board Of Trustees
Metaverse Union / Board Member
TOBB Creative Industries Assembly / Board Member
Oy ve Otesi Association/ Board Member
Habitat Association / Advisory Board Member
TURSAK / Turkish Cinema and Audiovisual Cultural Foundation. Ex-President
The Foundation of Turkish Armenian Business People. Ex Board Member
Bilgi University, Global Challenges Platform. Ex Board Member
EWA, European Women's Audiovisual Network
EFA, European Film Academy
Cultural Events and Organizations (Some):
Arena Istanbul. National and International Concerts.
International Antalya Film Festival Festival Director (recently).
Cinema of Turkey. Founder.
Cinema of Turkey, Academic Meetings: Moskova. With the cooperation of Istanbul University and VGIK (2014). Download booklet.
Cinema of Turkey, Academic Meetings: Madrid. With the cooperation of Istanbul University and Escuela TAI. (2015).
Moscow Film Festival. Curator for the Turkish Films (2015).
Akra Talks. Antalya Akra Otel.
XP Talks. Akademi Beyoğlu.
Turkiye Technology Meetings
My Sister Social Responsibility Project