About Us
.png/:/rs=w:365,h:365,cg:true,m/cr=w:365,h:365)
About
Experience
Experience
District Bear Media is a woman-led, minority owned, fast-emerging digital media production company focusing on television, film, books and podcasts based in Redondo Beach, CA.
.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:4.76%25,w:56.25%25,h:100%25/rs=w:365,h:365,cg:true)
Experience
Experience
Experience
The company was founded by Atia Abawi and Conor Powell, both former network news correspondents. Together they have more than 20 years of experience working in TV and digital media production.
They’ve used their experiences covering violent conflicts, humanitarian crises and domestic political unrest to create gripping and powerful cont
The company was founded by Atia Abawi and Conor Powell, both former network news correspondents. Together they have more than 20 years of experience working in TV and digital media production.
They’ve used their experiences covering violent conflicts, humanitarian crises and domestic political unrest to create gripping and powerful content for some of world’s largest media brands. District Bear Media knows how to work under pressure and in challenging environments. Even if your project doesn’t involve life or death situations, we will treat it as seriously and with intent.
Mission
Experience
Mission
District Bear Media believes in the importance of amplifying diverse voices, lives and experiences. We believe that building a world with empathy and understanding that holds those in power accountable is critical in achieving a successful future.
Our Team
Atia Abawi
Conor Powell
Conor Powell
Atia Abawi is an award-winning journalist, author, analyst and speaker.
For nearly two-decades she worked as a foreign correspondent and International Affairs Analyst. She started her network career at CNN, then NBC News and Al Jazeera English.
Atia’s first book, “The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan” was published in
Atia Abawi is an award-winning journalist, author, analyst and speaker.
For nearly two-decades she worked as a foreign correspondent and International Affairs Analyst. She started her network career at CNN, then NBC News and Al Jazeera English.
Atia’s first book, “The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan” was published in September 2014 by Penguin. Her second book, "A Land Of Permanent Goodbyes", was released in January 2018 to critical acclaim. The story is based on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Her 3rd book, “She Persisted: Sally Ride” was released in March 2021 and is part of the inspiration children book series created by Chelsea Clinton.
In 2022, Atia began her television writing career and is represented by The Gotham Group.
She has won numerous awards for both her journalistic achievements and written, including The George Foster Peabody Award and The duPont-Columbia Awards.
Conor Powell
Conor Powell
Conor Powell
Conor Powell is a successful podcast host and writer, film director, multimedia producer and veteran TV journalist with more than a decade of experience covering major news stories and creating gripping and powerful content.
He spent nearly ten years in Afghanistan and Jerusalem reporting and producing for Fox News.
After quitting Fox N
Conor Powell is a successful podcast host and writer, film director, multimedia producer and veteran TV journalist with more than a decade of experience covering major news stories and creating gripping and powerful content.
He spent nearly ten years in Afghanistan and Jerusalem reporting and producing for Fox News.
After quitting Fox News in 2018, he began freelancing with CNN as a reporter and producer. And has created, written and produced several successful podcast series, including iHeart Radio’s The Lords of Soccer: How FIFA Stole the Beautiful Game and Long Shots: A Very Political Podcast
District Bear Media Clients
Client History
Sample projects
Zeteo
District Bear Media, in partnership with Zeteo, produced and directed the acclaimed and award-winning 40-minute investigative documentary Who Killed Shireen?. The film sent shockwaves through the international community by exposing an official cover-up and uncovering the identity of the Israeli soldier responsible for the killing of the veteran Palestinian-American journalist. The highly impactful investigative feature marked Conor Powell's debut as a film director.
In 2026, the film received the Hinzpeter Yu Young-gil Award.
iHeart Radio
District Bear Media supported the production of Lords of Soccer: How FIFA Stole the Beautiful Game, a premier investigative documentary series for iHeartPodcasts. DBM's veteran foreign correspondent Conor Powell served as the host, producer, and lead investigator for the 12-part series, driving the deep-dive reporting into the multi-million dollar bribery scandals and systemic corruption that corrupted the world's most popular sport. Our team managed critical production elements to deliver a gripping, high-caliber audio narrative that seamlessly blends sports drama with hard-hitting investigative journalism.
International Women's Media Foundation
International Women's Media Foundation
Atia Abawi, CEO of District Bear Media, hosted and moderated a vital panel discussion in Los Angeles for the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), the only global organization dedicated to protecting press freedom by championing and providing holistic safety training for female and nonbinary journalists.
Abawi led an in-depth conversation featuring prominent exiled Afghan journalists. The discussion provided a critical on-the-ground perspective regarding the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, the collapse of independent media, and the severe threats facing female journalists reporting under the Taliban regime.
Jubilee
International Women's Media Foundation
District Bear Media provided comprehensive production support for Jubilee Media’s hit digital series, Checkmate. This fast-paced, high-stakes game show brings liberals and conservatives together to debate culture, policy, and the Constitution, featuring a live, real-time fact-checking buzzer system.
KAST
District Bear media works in partnership with Kast Media on multiple podcasts and projects - including The Opportunist. DBM's handles all aspects of podcast production from producing, researching, reporting, managing and editing.
KT Studio
District Bear Media Parters with KT Studios on multiple podcast series including the following:
Murder 101
Death Island
Piketon Massacre
Idaho Massacre
Incel
Vox Media
CineBeau Productions - Sam Fischer Music Video, 'This City'
World Channel
District Bear Media managed the production of a high-profile tribute video honoring famed technology journalist and author Kara Swisher for her induction into the Women in Technology International (WITI) Hall of Fame. Collaborating with CineBeau Productions, our team oversaw the end-to-end production management, creative direction, and technical execution required to celebrate Swisher’s legendary, three-decade career of accountability reporting in Silicon Valley.
World Channel
CineBeau Productions - Sam Fischer Music Video, 'This City'
World Channel
Atia Abawi, CEO of District Bear Media, hosted and moderated the "Meet the Makers" panel discussion for PBS Doc World, featuring the filmmakers behind the four-part documentary series Afghanistan: The Wounded Land. Drawing on her extensive background as a veteran foreign correspondent, Abawi led an insightful conversation with directors Mayte Carrasco and Marcel Mettelsiefen, alongside Afghan leaders. The discussion examined the generational impacts of six decades of endless conflict on Afghan society, diving into the documentary’s unique approach of telling the nation's history strictly through the eyes of those who lived it.
CineBeau Productions - Sam Fischer Music Video, 'This City'
CineBeau Productions - Sam Fischer Music Video, 'This City'
District Bear Media managed the end-to-end production logistics and on-set operations for CineBeau Productions on the set of Australian singer-songwriter Sam Fischer’s music video. Filmed at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, our team orchestrated complex location logistics, crew coordination, and strict timeline management, safeguarding the high-profile talent and crew while ensuring the fast-paced shoot remained completely on schedule.
Tent Partnership for Refugees
Atia Abawi, CEO of District Bear Media, hosted and moderated the launch of the Refugee Mentorship Program for the Tent Partnership for Refugees, mobilizing major global corporations to pledge professional mentorship and employment resources for newly arriving refugees.
Vulture Festival
Vulture Festival
District Bear Media managed a team of 5 videographers, editors and photographers to captured and organized the digital media contented for the 2021 Vox Media Vulture Festival in Los Angeles.
More than 20 festival panels were recorded, edited and prepared for Vox Media’s social media pages.
Contact Us
We believe that a business with a great media team can make an impact on the world. Take the first step: contact us, and together, we will help you get your message to the world.
District Bear Media LLC
