August, 2004

Sometimes even large companies need help reaching out to ethnic communities. Five years ago, Mostapha Saout, 35, founded Allied Media Corp. to provide outreach to Arab-American, south Asian and other ethnic communities in the United States. "There was a need from corporations, nonprofits and other entities to reach Arab-Americans, in terms of knowledge of the communities," he says. "When you plan to reach a community, it's more effective if it feels like you're trying to reach them directly."

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Saout attended the University of Paris X in France and earned his master's in business administration in marketing at Seattle University in Seattle, Wash. He later worked on voter registration drives and for the U.S. Census Bureau, which was having difficulty counting people in Arab-American communities.

"During the census, you had to show that it's okay to identify yourself," Saout says. "The message was, it has nothing to do with immigration status and that there's a lot of advantage to it, politically and otherwise."

Because of his knowledge of Arab-American communities in the United States, Saout often finds himself as a commentator for various media outlets, including CNN, National Public Radio, Fox News and CBS News. "Particularly since 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," he says, "there's a disconnect. The question is how our actions are perceived differently." Public speaking has allowed him to explain Arab media and their coverage, tone and perspective, as well as how the United States can present a positive image abroad.

In the meantime, though, Allied Media is Saout's primary concern. His firm's clients have included Western Union, MCI WorldCom, AT&T and the U.S. Treasury Department. They all rely on him to tailor an effective, specific message to his communities, "rather than just put it in regular English."