Chris is an award-winning filmmaker and activist. As the founder of Optimist, he directed the documentaries This Is Not Financial Advice (Apple TV) Five Years North (PBS), The Undocumented Lawyer (HBO), Salam Neighbor (Netflix), and Living on One Dollar (Netflix).

Every film Optimist makes is structured with a social impact campaign to change minds, lives, and policies. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Variety, and The Atlantic, and has helped raise over $92 million dollars for poverty alleviation, criminal justice, refugee support efforts, and financial literacy programs.

Chris has been honored as a finalist for the duPont-Columbia award for outstanding journalism; awarded the Muslim Public Affairs Council Annual Media Award; and recognized alongside Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie as one of the top 100 visionary leaders by YPO’s Real Leaders Magazine. His work has won 1 Gold Telly Award, 1 Imagen Award, 4 Shorty Awards, 2 ADDY Awards, 1 Webby Award, and 2 AVA Digital Awards. In 2022, he was honored by HBO as 40 under 40 filmmakers to watch.