Daphna Ziman is an inspiration to us all. The creative CEO has made a stellar reputation supporting the artistic and fashion communities as the president of Cinemoi, a cable network dedicated to lifestyle and fashion content. Not only is she also a writer and film director but she also founded Unicorn Records and SSD Records that was the first punk and new wave label in the world! When she isn’t busy growing her creative businesses she gives her heart resources as an advocate for discarded children in the foster care system. She sits down with Social Life Magazine to talk about what inspires her and drives her to help others.
Congratulations on the success of Cinemoi! Explain what the network is and how it came about?
Cinemoi is the most stylist channel- “Jean Paul Gaultier”
Cinemoi originated in Europe as a French network. I fell in love with the international name and the quality and integrity of the channel. When I decided to launch it in the United States on September 17, 2012. At that point, I was concerned about reality television programming and other low-level content that I felt were degrading the impact that America has always had on the world at large.
I grew up on American television and it was the reason that I came to America. America has been very good to me and I felt that it was important for me to work towards raising the bar in terms of quality and elegance on television in the United States. Also, I wanted to make sure that we created a network that addressed the needs and interests of women.
As a child, was it your dream to be a creator?
Yes. As a child, I used to write poetry and plays and cast my friends as the characters and then invite the neighborhood to the plays that I produced.
Walk us along your journey to success. Did you take traditional routes or was it more organic?
My journey was very organic. As a teenager, I believed that everyone was following trends and I wanted to find a way to promote individualism. That’s why early on I started Unicorn Records and launched SSD Records as the first Punk and new wave record company in the world. It was definitely my way of confronting society and promoting individuality.
Hedi Slimane spearheaded this season’s fantastical fashion films in replacement of a fashion show with his castle presentation of Celine. Do you think that film will replace traditional catwalk in expressing brand philosophy?
I think that the horrendous covid pandemic has pushed us all into finding new ways of presenting fashion.
Considering fashion, music, art, and film are the universal languages. It enabled us all to combine all of those elements into a new way of presenting fashion to the world. I am thrilled that we are able now to present fashion in a multi-dimensional way.
What are your personal hopes and dreams as a filmmaker and where do you want to steer Cinemoi?
As a filmmaker, my dream is to be able to present unique stories from every corner of the world that inspire and aspire humanity to embrace social responsibility. That is precisely where I wish to steer Cinemoi into becoming a cinematic, evolved window of elegant and conscientious media.
So many of us celebrate philanthropy. You are known for working with at-risk children. Do you have a personal story that triggered your care?
Yes. Today our foster children are taken from their homes for no fault of their own because of abuse and neglect. They are thrown into a system where they are moved from home to home, school to school and ultimately they are left to their own devices at 18 years old without being prepared to cope with the world. The knowledge that these children end up institutionalized and discarded from our society is very personal to me. 78.8% of all inmates in the penitentiary come from the child welfare system is very personal to me. I believe that all of us are gatekeepers to the future of our children and therefore it is our fiduciary responsibility to do what we can to make these children’s lives just a little better.
