Written by Aram Mahserejian Edited by Kimberly Henry

May 14, 2021

For a successful entrepreneur who has centered their work around branding like Dena Mekawi, it would be easy for an interview to devolve into a rundown of her accomplishments. But my conversation with Mekawi, who cares so much about the art of storytelling, was never about her resume. 

Rather she shared an intimate story of how her experiences as a first generation Egyptian American taught her the power of storytelling and the impact it can have in the corporate world. Through media, consulting, and her new website, “Style and Resilience,” Mekawi has worked to improve representation across multiple industries, now setting her sights on the gaming industry.  

Raised in an Egyptian household on Staten Island, Mekawi grew up feeling like an outsider, conflicted between her life at home and the one she wanted to create in her community.  “Navigating values that your family teaches you, but then living in America, for me there were a lot of insecurities and…disconnects.  [There] was also a lack of representation in the kind of narratives that I saw growing up.” 

Mekawi knew she wanted to showcase her more inclusive vision of the world but struggled to find the right medium and platform to communicate it. She competed in the Miss Arab USA pageant in 2013, wrote for Oprah Magazine, and found her stride as a representative for the UN’s Department of Global Communications. “[The UN] was the starting point …on the path to my self-identity and self-discovery; it was a platform and a place where my voice was heard on a large-scale.”

While at the UN, Mekawi spearheaded many youth initiatives, most notably a sustainability fashion show. After doing so much work behind the scenes, Mekawi finally had the opportunity to stand and be recognized for her contribution, and was even introduced by the Oscar Award-winning actor, Michael Douglas. After years of struggling with her identity, Mekawi says, “It [became] way easier for me as I started speaking from my own truth, and my truth is my power, and no one can take that away from me.”

After being introduced by an A-list actor to speak at the UN, anyone could be forgiven for leaning back and enjoying the win. But Mekawi had different plans. The night of her speech, she sat down with her dad to re-watch the performance and look for improvements, a tradition between the father and daughter. “He would kind of prep me so I can be better for the next time.” The values that her father and family instilled, those that at times created conflict as she tried to find her place as a youth in America, are the same ones Mekawi leans on now as a woman driving her career forward. “[A] lot of … my persistence and what I do as an entrepreneur stems from within my parents and my family,” Mekawi said with a hint of nostalgia.

After her time at the UN, Mekawi branched out independently, creating her company, Style and Resilience, which offers companies consultation services to develop their social media strategies. Through Style and Resilience, Mekawi met Chance Glasco, known for his co-creation of the Call of Duty franchise.  Delighted and amazed by Mekawi’s work ethic, Glasco soon invited her to join his new game development studio, Thunder Pixel Games, as a co-founder.

With multiplayer games like Fortnite overtaking the gaming market in recent years, Mekawi saw Thunder Pixel Games as an opportunity to empower underrepresented voices.  The chance to be part of Thunder Pixel Games, a diverse company in an industry largely dominated by white men, was irresistible to an ambitious female social entrepreneur like Mekawi.  

Still, making the jump from fashion, media, and brand consulting to the gaming industry was a big career risk. But it was a risk Mekawi knew she had to take to grow her own company and brand. “When you’re starting out, you have to be known for that one thing, and you have to stick to it and become an expert in it. But you know later on there’s going to come a time in your life where you’re going to be able to diversify your portfolio.”  

Mekawi has encouraged her team to focus on pop-culture-themed games filled with enticing stories relevant to a broad audience, similar to games such as It Takes Two or Broken Age. As an avid storyteller herself, Mekawi is excited to bring her unique perspective to the world of gaming and tell stories other developers might look over. “[There] aren’t many women at the top leadership level in the gaming space.” With Thunder Pixel Games, Mekawi can encourage the gaming industry to expand to include not only underrepresented narratives but untapped opportunities.

To keep in touch on IG: Dena Mekawi 

Website: Style & Resilience