RABÔT FEMALE PORTRAIT SERIES. MEET SAMIRA AND CHARLENE
We’re celebrating female creatives based in Los Angeles who are inspiring to us at RABÔT.
Meet Samira Ibrahim and her mother, Charlene Ibrahim, photographed on film by Jasmine Rutledge.
Samira is an 2x agency founder, strategist, storyteller, marketer & art professional.
With an extensive background in PR & Marketing, Samira utilizes her deep understanding of culture, cyclical trends, narrative, consumer buying behaviors and the relationship between what we think we know and what we see, to shift traditional paradigms.
Samira has worked with leading luxury brands and worldly talent. She’s produced compelling collaborations, built marketing campaigns, curated rooms and led PR & communications strategies with fine and visual artists & clients that have included The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Interscope, June Ambrose, Getty Research Institute and more.
Samira's practice stems from a decade-plus career of being in the business of identity; turning dreams into dogma, distilling personality into plans and launching conversations into the cultural canon.
Currently Samira is the CEO of PR & Marketing AMALIA consulting & Art Development Agency GOLIATH.
Charlene grew up in Riverside, CA, and is the baby of 5. She has 2 sisters and 2 brothers. She graduated high school and moved to Los Angeles to further her education at LAIOB Corps in the Secretarial Field. She met Samira’s dad in Santa Monica in November ‘83. They swiftly married May ‘84. Samira was born at Santa Monica Hospital in 1990. They then moved to the UK in July 1991. Her brother, Julius, was born in the UK at Frimley Park Hospital in 1994.
Q: How has living in Los Angeles fostered your career?
Samira - "LA is a unique environment! There’s a collaborative spirit here that I love. A confidence and “why not?!” attitude that I hadn't encountered in this way before I moved here. Sometimes delusional and that’s ok (!!) but my career and businesses have benefited from the vibrant creative underbelly. A lot of interesting & brilliant people are here."
Q: What drew you to PR? What excites you about working with brands and talent?
Samira - "Driving PR, Marketing and Partnerships across Entertainment, Fashion, Music & Art really stemmed from both a love of media mixed with a deep curiosity of culture, cyclical trends, narrative, human buying behaviors and the relationship between what we think we know and what we see.
Life moves fast, we live in a bizarre paradox and I love being a witness and a contributor to key cultural moments that create impact in different spaces and with different types of people. People are fascinating."
Q: How was the transition moving from California to London, and then back to California again?
Charlene - "Leaving the family was hard, as my mother’s health was not good, but she said go with Kelwin, my husband, I will be okay. I wanted my children to have an English accent! I always knew I would return home upon retirement. We did come home for holidays throughout the years. I lost my mom in ‘95. Dad was getting on and it was time to come home. Spending time with him before passing was everything. Family is everything."
Q: What inspires you about each other?
Samira - "What inspires me about my mum is her resilience and unwavering optimism. She’s seen some things, and she moves through the world with joy. I can be a bit of a cynic so I really love and appreciate this about my mum!"
Charlene - "Samira is my first born and so much like her dad. They are both Scorpios. Loving, caring, thoughtful, kind, hard working, she has set goals and accomplished so many of them. I am very proud of the woman she has become. She takes care of her mum – love her to bits, so very blessed each and every day – thank you Lord."
