Shabnam Rezaei

{{short description|Iranian-American children's show creator and producer}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Shabnam Rezaei

| birth_name =

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| nationality = Iranian-American

| other_names =

| occupation = Children's television screen writer and producer

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| known_for =

| notable_works = 16 Hudson
The Bravest Knight
1001 Nights

}}

Shabnam Rezaei is a children's television creator, director, producer and co-founder of Big Bad Boo Studios and VOD service Oznoz.{{cite news|title=Empathy Through Storytelling with Shabnam Rezaei, Big Bad Boo|url= https://bccreates.com/empathy-through-storytelling-with-shabnam-rezaei-big-bad-boo-studios/ |work=BC Creates Magazine |date=25 February 2021 |accessdate=28 January 2022}} She created the TVOKids Original series Galapagos X, starring Odd Squad actress Millie Davis as Orchid, Gavin MacIver-Wright as Quinn Croc, Battlestar Galactica star Alessandro Juliani and Riverdale star Nathalie Boltt as the power-hungry mogul Doc Croc.{{cite news|title= Mediacorp Goes Green with Big Bad Boo's 'Galapagos X'|url= https://www.animationmagazine.net/2022/12/mediacorp-goes-green-with-big-bad-boos-galapagos-x/// |work=Animation Magazine |date=18 December 2022 |accessdate=8 March 2024}} Shabnam is the director and producer of Hulu Original series The Bravest Knight, the first children's series with an LGBT protagonist.{{cite news|title=Hulu Orders Big Bad Boo Toon with LGBTQ Lead|url= http://kidscreen.com/2018/02/08/hulu-orders-big-bad-boo-toon-with-lgbtq-lead// |work=Playback Online |date=8 February 2018 |accessdate=1 July 2019}} The all-star cast includes T. R. Knight, Bobby Moynihan, Storm Reid, RuPaul, Wanda Sykes, Wilson Cruz, and Christine Baranski. The Bravest Knight won the 2020 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.{{cite news|title="The Bravest Knight," "Star Wars: Doctor Aphra" win 2020 GLAAD Media Awards |url= https://www.diversetechgeek.com/2020-glaad-media-award-winners// |work=Playback Online |date=12 October 2018 |accessdate=2 March 2018}}

In 2019, Rezaei directed the short film Balloon Girl, which was a finalist in the PBS Online Film Fest. Set in Stadtpark, Vienna, the short film was part of the worldwide, London-based Hope Works Project, a series of short films to inspire kindness, understanding and hope in children around the world.{{cite news|title=Big Bad Boo's 'Balloon Girl' One of 25 PBS Online Film Fest Finalists |url= https://www.animationmagazine.net/2019/07/big-bad-boos-balloon-girl-one-of-25-pbs-online-film-fest-finalists// |work=Animation Magazine |date=11 July 2019 |accessdate=8 December 2022}}[https://www.hopeworksproject.com/ Hope Works Website]

Rezaei is the creator of the animated preschool series 16 Hudson,{{cite news|title=TVO greenlights 16 Hudson |url= http://playbackonline.ca/2016/10/12/tvo-greenlights-16-hudson/ |work=Playback Online |date=12 October 2018 |accessdate=2 March 2018}} which features a family with two dads, and families from various backgrounds such as Ireland, India, China and Iran. The series is based on Lili & Lola a mini-series created by Rezaei in 2015.{{cite news|title=Big Bad Boo gets TVO deal for new preschool series|url= https://kidscreen.com/2015/03/27/big-bad-boo-gets-tvo-deal-for-new-preschool-series/|work=Kidscreen Magazine |date=27 March 2015 |accessdate=31 January 2022}} 16 Hudson currently airs on TVOKids, Ici Radio-Canada Télé, Knowledge Network, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery Kids, TFO, Oznoz, Vme Kids, and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal with Season 2 introducing a refugee family.{{cite news|title=Drawing on the Immigrant Experience: Big Bad Boo's '16 Hudson' Introduces a Refugee Family |url= https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/drawing-on-the-immigrant-experience-big-bad-boos-16-hudson-introduces-a-refugee-family/ |work=Animation Magazine |date=17 February 2021 |accessdate=2 March 2021}}

16 Hudson won the Mipcom Diversify TV Award in 2021 in Cannes, France, beating out Disney Junior's Mira, Royal Detective and the CBeebies' JoJo & Gran Gran in Preschool category.{{cite news|title='It's A Sin', 'Dreaming Whilst Black' Among Winners at MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mipcom-diversify-tv-excellence-awards-winners-1235030901/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=13 October 2021 |accessdate=18 October 2021}} In 2022, Lili & Lola was nominated for the Mipcom Diversify TV Award in the Preschool category.{{cite news|title= MIPCOM: 2022 Diversify TV Award Winners Revealed |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mipcom-diversify-tv-awards-2022-winners-list-1235244597/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=18 October 2022 |accessdate=22 October 2022}}

In 2022, Rezaei greenlit her climate change series Galapagos X with public broadcasters TVOKids and Mediacorp Singapore among other commissioning partners.{{cite news|title=Mediacorp Goes Green with Big Bad Boo's 'Galapagos X' |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2022/12/mediacorp-goes-green-with-big-bad-boos-galapagos-x/ |work=Animation Magazine |date=18 December 2022 |accessdate=21 September 2023}}