Woman On Top: Exclusive Interview With Cinémoi Founder, Philanthropist Daphna Ziman

In these times, there is something to be said about a woman who isn't afraid to make waves and take charge.

Daphna Ziman is one of them. She is the co-founder, chief creative executive and president of Cinémoi, a 24-hour exquisitely innovative network dedicated to curated films, high couture and international lifestyle. In addition to being one of the only women in the world at the helm of a media company, she is also a dedicated philanthropist, author and outspoken activist.

We caught up with Ziman to chat about Cinémoi, her impassioned charity work and what it's like to be a woman on top in these times. Check out the exclusive interview below.

1) Tell us about how Cinémoi started?

Cinémoi was a very upscale, quality oriented French channel. When I saw it on my book tour in Europe, it struck me that America could benefit [from] such a well-curated approach. We bought it and expanded it to multigenre, vintage to modern films, fashion, lifestyle and green-curated channel.

2) The Annual CinéFashion Film Awards recently took place in Beverly Hills. What was the most exciting aspect of that event?

The CinéFashion Film Awards emphasizes that art, music, fashion and film are the universal language for peace and unity. The most exciting aspect of the show was to highlight the talents and contributors of artists from across the world, those that have already had an impact on our culture and those emerging artists [who] will impact our future.

3) Recently, you went out to Washington to testify at the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights hearing on the merger of Time Warner Inc. and AT&T Inc. What compelled to you to stand up and speak out?

I was not born in America. I was born in Israel, and I grew up influenced by the American communication media. It is what brought me here: the land of diversity, democracy of voices and innovation. The fact that six conglomerates own 90 percent of the content on our screens today is stifling diversity, gender diversity and innovation in the communication media. That is a blatant move towards oligopoly, which can only hurt the America that I love.

4) A hot topic this past year was women's equality and empowerment. As a successful female business leader, what challenges have you faced in getting to where you are now?

My challenge is our media today, which has been very neglectful in the way women are personified. The fact that only two women (Oprah and myself) are majority shareholders of a media company is a national disgrace. Women are the majority, yet still treated as a minority. Neither their needs nor interest can be severed well when there is no “gender diversity” in ownership of a television channel. We all know that an African-American understands better [in] what African-Americans are interested. It is the same for women. The face that the giant MVPDs [multichannel video programming distributors] are not making bandwidth available to women or other minority and independent channels is entirely a slap in the face of democracy. Considering that the major MVPDs are borrowing the bandwidth from the American people, it is a slap in the face of the American people.

Controlling the media ultimately can result in eliminating “freedom of choice” as well as “freedom of speech.” We only have to look at Taiwan to see the result of six companies controlling the media and trading content between themselves while the public pays higher and higher prices. American media conglomerates must stop the habit of mining in the pockets of viewers while delivering more and more inferior programming in the name of the “bottom line.”

5) In addition to Cinémoi, your other passion is children. Tell us about your charity Children Uniting Nations and your philanthropic work?

I believe that we are all gatekeepers to the future of our children. I have dedicated my life to the most vulnerable children in our world, children who are living out of home care. We find academic mentors and life skill mentors to help give our forgotten children a future that can help them find peace in our society.

6) What advice would you give to women looking to lead a company in the future?

Women are the mothers, sisters and grandmothers in our society. By and large we are caretakers and problem solvers. We need to trust in our abilities and talents and push forward without being thrown off by those [who] are blind to our ability to lead and serve.