Narimon Safavi

Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge

Narimon “Nari” Safavi is a Chicago-based Cultural/Media Entrepreneur who has also been a Commentator, Analyst, and Advisor for WBEZ-NPR Chicago, especially the radio program Worldview.

He is also the founder and CEO of Generative Miltulogue, a company that exists at the intersection of creativity and technology, exploring its socioeconomic impact. Nari passions are economic development through culture, dialogue through the arts, and the epistemology of business strategy.

Born in Tehran, Iran, to an Azeri-Iranian family, Nari studied Chemistry & Philosophy at the Illinois State University. His most recent project, Generative Multilogue, was implemented at the Art Expo Chicago in April, 2022. It was a taboo-breaking dialogue of creative women from the Middle East and has been covered by BBC among other media outlets and may evolve into a documentary for PBS SOCAL.

Nari was also a co-founder of the Pasfarda Art & Cultural Exchange, whose mission is to build cultural bridges and foster dialogue between the U.S. and Iran. Previously, Nari has been involved in creating ethical diamond mining projects/business models in several West African countries, one of which was financed by Tiffany & Co.

He has served on the boards and councils of the Gene Siskel Film Center, Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, the DC-based Citizens for Global Solutions, a lead NGO for the formation of the International Human Rights Court in Hague, Netherlands, as well as Chicago Public Media.

His essay on Iran, a contribution to the anthology called "What's Next?" edited by the economist David Hale, was published as a book by Yale University in May, 2011. In 2013 , Nari had the honor of being appointed by the director of the National Endowment for the Arts to a panel assessing U.S.-based art organizations. He regularly appears on Persian, Spanish and English language programs affiliated with media outlets such as NPR, PBS, BBC and Telecinco.

Nari’s public speaking engagements have covered topics ranging from Iran to private sector social responsibility and philanthropy, to art and film criticism and cultural policy.

He is fluent in both Persian and English and proficient in the Turkish and Spanish languages. His newest project, COSMOPOLIS will be an incubator for cultural/media entrepreneurship that create global linkages, with a probable launch in 2024. Nari has lead delegations of cultural diplomacy between the U.S and Iran, including one for the Commonwealth Club.

In his spare time, among other hobbies, he loves to divulge into culinary endeavors! He is the Global Cooking Smackdown Champion of WBEZ with his recipe of Ghormeh Sabzi - borrowed from the tenth century Persian/Moslem renaissance man, Avicenna (Ibn e Sina).

Previously, Nari had the honor of discussing various Bitter Jester Music Festival participants on the radio, including recent American Idol Contestant and former two-time BJMF Grand Champion Kaeyra. He looks forward to becoming a judge this summer and hearing more incredible Bitter Jester talent live in Highland Park!