Yazan Abu Al Rous
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Amman, Jordan

Media Development · Programme Leadership · Institution Building

Yazan Abu Al Rous

Building institutions, programmes, networks, and learning ecosystems that help people and organizations grow.

A media-development practitioner, programme leader, fundraiser, trainer, researcher, and institution builder with over a decade across the Arab world. I design, fund, and lead programmes and organizations — and build the partnerships and research behind them. Comedy, through Amman Comedy Club, is one successful manifestation of that work.

Decade leading donor-funded programmes100M+ cumulative reachSole author · Jordan media-market study
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Yazan Abu Al Rous
100M+
Cumulative reach
across programmes & campaigns
2,000+
Trained & capacity-built
across programmes & workshops
40+
Partner organizations
built & coordinated (from 11)
10+
Countries
reached across the MENA region

Organizations I've worked with

Employers & long-term roles

ARIJ Network

Clients & consulting assignments

Jordan Media InstituteHayat FundMADRAJCFI (Canal France International)

Funders & strategic partners

US Embassy JordanWorld Learning / MEPIThe Second City
01

Programme Leadership & Media Development

A decade leading and funding regional programmes

Full-cycle programme leadership — design, partnerships, fundraising, delivery, and closure — for the region's leading media and civic funders.

01

ARIJ Network ↗

Business Development, Partnerships & Programmes

2017 — 2022

Led business development, partnerships and programmes for the Arab region's leading investigative-journalism network. Grew the ARIJ Annual Forum from ~350 to ~790 participants and nearly tripled its funding; expanded partner organizations from 11 to 40+; and helped extend ARIJ's investigative-journalism curriculum to 70+ Arab universities. Conceived and secured funding for several initiatives — from idea through the full fundraising cycle — including 100WATT, "I Will Not Stay Silent", and the Arab Fact Checkers Network, which continue to run today.

02

Media Diversity Institute ↗

Project Manager / Digital Campaign Strategist (Consultant)

2022 — 2025

Led a regional programme countering hate speech on social media across the MENA region.

03

International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) ↗

Programme Manager — Google News Initiative Media Startups Lab (MENA)

2022 — 2023

Programme Manager of the Google News Initiative (GNI) Media Startups Lab for the MENA region, supporting 16 media outlets across 10 Arab countries; also delivered the "Stand up for Facts" media-literacy consultancy and IJNET satire-journalism work.

04

Hazal Jad ↗

Founder & Project Director — an ACTN programme funded by Free Press Unlimited

2025 — 2026

Created and led ACTN's own youth-led satirical-infotainment programme for media literacy in Jordan. Hazal Jad is ACTN's IP, delivered under a grant secured from Free Press Unlimited; also contributed to FPU's guide on trauma-sensitive reporting for MENA journalists.

02

Institution Building & Entrepreneurship

Institutions I founded, funded, and grew

Designing, funding, and sustaining organizations from zero. Amman Comedy Club is the most visible of them.

01

Amman Comedy Club & ACTN ↗

Founder & Director · Chairman of the Board of Managers, ACTN LLC

2019 — present

Built from zero into the Arab world's first dedicated comedy-training institution, incorporated as the Arab Comedy Talents Network (ACTN LLC): training curricula and systems, registered IP (Amman Comedy Club + Jordan Comedy Festival trademarks), and partnerships with the US Embassy, The Second City (Chicago), and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Flagship programmes include Comedy Lab 1 and 2 and the Digital Infotainment Academy.

02

Jordan Comedy Festival

Founder & Curator

2022 — 2024 · three editions

Created and curated Jordan's owned comedy festival, hosting performers from five Arab countries across panels, workshops, and shows.

03

Manhaj AI ↗

Founder & Trainer

2026 — present

A founder-led professional-development venture that uses AI as the entry point — helping people and organizations apply AI to learning and productivity.

03

Training & Capacity Building

A training portfolio across five domains

Certified Trainer (ILM) with Training-of-Trainers credentials, designing and delivering workshops, programmes, and curricula — for clients including the Jordan Media Institute, Hayat Fund, Zakat Foundation of America, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, ICFJ, and MADRAJ.

01

Leadership & Management

Project ManagementProgramme ManagementTeam LeadershipStrategic PlanningEntrepreneurshipEmployability SkillsCharacter Building
02

Fundraising & Sustainability

Proposal WritingBudget DevelopmentDonor ComplianceMedia SustainabilityPartnership Development
03

Media & Civic Engagement

Media LiteracyCounter-MisinformationCivic ParticipationResponsible CommunicationSatire Journalism
04

Content & Creativity

Stand-up ComedyImprovisationSatire WritingSketch DevelopmentStorytellingContent Creation
05

AI & Productivity

AI for LearningAI for Professional ProductivityAI-Assisted Workflows

Selected programmes & lectures delivered

  • "Practical Intelligence" (الذكاء العملي) — University of Jordan lectures (2025)
  • Comedy & creative-expression workshops — Al-Ahliyya Amman University
  • Project Management Fundamentals — Hayat Fund for Education (2025)
  • Introduction to Satirical Journalism — Jordan Media Institute (2025)
  • Character Building & Employability Skills — Zakat Foundation of America (2025)
  • Journalist–comedian satire workshops — Konrad Adenauer Foundation (2019–2025)

Selected clients & partners

Jordan Media InstituteHayat Fund for EducationZakat Foundation of AmericaKonrad Adenauer FoundationICFJMADRAJ
04

Research & Publications

Published research and writing

Citable analysis and writing on independent media, media literacy, and journalism.

01

Jordan Independent Media Market Study ↗

Sole Author · Samir Kassir Foundation

2022 + 2025 · European-funded

A published, citable mapping of Jordan's independent-media sector — funding models, audiences, advertising, legal environment — cited in EU proposals.

02

ARIJ Universities Curriculum Study

Author

2021

Authored ARIJ's "Approach to Universities" study (a 200+ professor survey across 30 universities) that underpinned expansion of the investigative-journalism curriculum to 70+ Arab universities.

03

IJNET Arabic ↗

Author · International Journalists' Network (ICFJ)

Articles on media business development, sustainability, and satire journalism for the International Journalists' Network.

04

Trauma-Sensitive Reporting Guide ↗

Contributor · Free Press Unlimited

2025

Contributor to FPU's guide on trauma-sensitive reporting for MENA journalists, launched at the ARIJ Annual Forum.

05

Education & Fellowships

Education

Certifications

Certified Trainer (ILM)Training of TrainersCertified Inbound Marketer (HubSpot)
06

Recognition & Speaking

A public, verifiable record

Media & content

Also featured on Al Arabiya · Radio Hala

Speaking & public engagements

Available for advisory, training & speaking

Contact

Let's build something

For programmes, partnerships, training, research, or speaking.

linkedin.com/in/yazanabualrousAmman, Jordan