About us

The SHOOQ team is composed of seasoned media executives who have long been dedicated to Jewish and Israel-focused storytelling — commitments that have only deepened since October 7th. Their collective mission is to serve as a one-stop resource, helping a wide range of funders bring Jewish-themed media projects to life.

SHOOQ personnel have no ongoing involvement beyond the platform itself — our sole mission is simply to help great projects get made and distributed.

Our Mission

In the wake of October 7th, Israel stood isolated, vilified, and alone. Funding for Israeli television and film projects froze across the globe, while many who had professed friendship toward our Israeli community turned their backs on our creators. At the same time, antisemitism exploded across the globe to levels not seen in generations—spreading across college campuses, social media, cultural institutions, and public discourse—revealing just how vulnerable our community is when others control the narrative. One truth became undeniable: we must tell our own stories—boldly, proudly, and everywhere—and reclaim our history, our identity, and our voice.

That is why we are launching SHOOQ: the world’s first Jewish virtual studio.

SHOOQ is more than a platform—it’s a movement. Across all visual formats — film, television, podcasts and social media, SHOOQ will ignite and amplify Jewish creativity, curating our BEST STORYTELLERS under one roof, fueling multiple projects at once and helping them reach wide audiences.  It is a rocket booster for Jewish identity, a megaphone for Israel’s story, and a powerful tool to fight antisemitism through culture and media.

Without SHOOQ, too many vital stories remain untold, stalled by fragmented funding, limited visibility, and constrained reach.  Many funders have the interest to supporting media projects but lack the curation pipeline and access to a wide range of high level projects.  SHOOQ is built to serve as a development studio to all funders in this space. Whether you are a U.S. streamer, an Israeli studio, a Jewish media fund, High Net Worth individual or a philanthropist or philanthropy – the platform helps bring high quality projects directly to you, amplify your funding capacity with additional aligned capital, and assist in tracking impact and financials —all with the goal of getting high-quality projects made.

With SHOOQ, we unlock a future in which Jewish voices shape culture, inspire pride, and help shift the global narrative through powerful, world-class storytelling

This is not just media. This is our story. This is our movement. This is SHOOQ.

The Shooq Team

Management

Ari Pinchot and Jonathan Rubenstein have been producing and financing film and television projects—both independently and in partnership—since 1999. Beginning with feature documentaries, Ari’s credits include The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, Paper Clips, War Child, Crossover, Follow Me: The Jonathan Netanyahu Story, and Start-Up Nation.

Together, they have produced and financed some of Hollywood’s most successful independent films and series, including Everything Must Go (starring Will Ferrell), The Ides of March (directed by and starring George Clooney), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (starring Forest Whitaker), Infinitely Polar Bear (starring Mark Ruffalo), The God Committee (starring Kelsey Grammer), and Heavenly Table (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). They also serve as Executive Producers on the upcoming HBO series He Wanted the Moon, developed with Brad Pitt and Tony Kushner.

Their current slate includes projects with Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Blake Lively, and John Legend, among others. They are also developing several iconic legacy IPs into multi-platform media franchises.

Platform Designer

Digital Ink is a creative team that provides web design, graphic design, and digital marketing to mission-driven organizations.

They’re thoughtful, reliable, creative problem-solvers who design and build from scratch with custom website and marketing campaigns focused on furthering missions.

For more about Digital Ink, visit www.digital.ink.

Advisory Board

Guided by Industry Veterans Committed to SHOOQ’s Mission

Ben Silverman

Ben Silverman

Chairman and Co-CEO of Propagate Content

Emmanuelle Chriqui

Emmanuelle Chriqui

Actor, Producer

Micah Green

Micah Green

Co-President, CEO 30 West

Tanya Cohen

Tanya Cohen

Co-CEO, Made by Us Studios

Sharon Harel Cohen

Sharon Harel Cohen

Owner, West End Film Sales

Anthony Bregman

Anthony Bregman

President/CEO, Likely Story

Atar Dekel

Atar Dekel

Head of Global Drama and Co-Productions, Keshet International

Limor Gott Ronen

Limor Gott Ronen

Executive Producer

Jay Sanderson

Jay Sanderson

President of American Jewish University/Award-winning television Producer

Victoria Cook

Victoria Cook

Lawyer, Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz

Leslie Schapira

Leslie Schapira

Writer

David Lonner

David Lonner

Manager, The David Lonner Co.

Adam Berkowitz

Adam Berkowitz

Founder, Lenore Entertainment Group

Jane Sinisi

Jane Sinisi

Owner, Palisades Studios

Andrew Herwitz

Andrew Herwitz

Film Sales Company Owner

SHOOQ Platform FAQ

For Funders

SHOOQ is a curated platform dedicated to supporting Jewish-themed storytelling across film, television, podcast and digital media. We connect funders, creators, and industry professionals to bring authentic Jewish stories to a global audience.

Projects undergo a curated review process led by SHOOQ executives who enter them into the platform’s matching system to identify funders whose interests, criteria, and funding goals align with the project.

Funders can support individual projects through SHOOQ’s matching process.

The SHOOQ platform operations can be supported through grants to the Jewish Funders Network.

SHOOQ assists funders in tracking their investments and/or grants, including requirements for clear reporting on how funds are allocated, progress updates on supported projects, and access to performance metrics once projects enter production or distribution.

Both. SHOOQ supports a diverse portfolio—some projects aim for commercial release and returns, while others prioritize cultural impact and community engagement.

Yes. Funders fill out a detailed criteria that outlines specific genres of interest, stage of production, funding amount, etc. aligning their portfolio with their personal or company goals.

SHOOQ is led by industry veterans with extensive experience in production, finance, and global Jewish storytelling. Our advisory board includes producers, writers, and executives with deep ties to the entertainment and/or philanthropic worlds.

We track both quantitative data (audience reach, festival recognition, streaming performance) and qualitative outcomes (cultural resonance, educational use, community engagement).

For Creators

We welcome submissions from writers, filmmakers, showrunners, content creators, influencers and podcasters whose work explores Jewish identity, Israel, history, contemporary experiences, etc. through media.

SHOOQ supports projects projects in a wide range of media, forms, stages and needs.  SHOOQ is not focused on documentaries as there are sites and organizations that already serve that demographic.

Creators can submit through the SHOOQ Creator Portal, providing a logline, synopsis, sample materials, and creative team bios. Submission guidelines are clearly outlined on our site.

Each submission is reviewed by our creative team and matched with potential funders through our algorithm.  Not all projects will be featured on the site.

Yes. Creators maintain their intellectual property.

Absolutely. While SHOOQ’s mission centers on Jewish storytelling, our reach and collaborations are global. We welcome creators from any country whose work aligns with our vision.

Not for creators. Our industry and data support are tailored toward Funders exclusively.

Projects are featured on our platform and successes will be highlighted in our publicity.

General Questions

“SHOOQ” draws from the Hebrew word for marketplace or exchange, reflecting our mission to create a vibrant hub where Jewish stories, creators, and supporters come together.

In response to growing challenges facing Jewish representation in global media, SHOOQ was launched to ensure that authentic Jewish voices, stories, and perspectives have the resources and visibility they deserve.

No. SHOOQ celebrates the diversity of Jewish life and thought worldwide, supporting projects that reflect the full spectrum of experience and expression.

Unlike typical financing portals, SHOOQ represents funders in the Jewish media landscape, providing curation, consulting and transparency. We don’t just list projects — we help funders understand, assess, connect, and launch them into the global market with strategic industry guidance.

SHOOQ operates as a non-profit, mission-driven platform that is dedicated to the creation of quality and marketable Jewish projects across a wide landscape. All funding goes directly toward the upkeep and ongoing activities for the site.

We define “Jewish storytelling” broadly — from overtly Jewish subjects to stories infused with Jewish values, characters, or themes like resilience, identity, moral complexity, and community.

Yes. We partner with studios, production companies, distributors, Jewish funds, high net worth individuals and philanthropic institutions to maximize the reach, quality, and sustainability of our projects.

Join our newsletter or follow us on social media for updates on new projects, funded projects, events, and creator spotlights.

We maintain strict confidentiality standards. Project materials and financial information are only shared within approved, secure channels.

You can reach us directly through our Contact page. For submissions or partnership proposals, please use the designated forms on our site.