Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
Yashar Ali Hedayat is best known as an American journalist & columnist who reports on social and political issues.
Personal Life : Parents, Family and Education
- Yashar is a native of Chicago and was born on November 23, 1985.
- He grew up in Oak Park, where his family had migrated to (from Iran) fleeing from persecution.
- His parents are Professor Samad Hedayat and Batool Hedayat.
- Yashar’s father holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and is a professor of statistics there.
- He has a sister who is married.
- As a kid, he attended a private school & often traveled with his parents overseas.
- He was also a victim of bullying because of his Iranian heritage in school.
- Yashar did not go to college, but moved to Los Angeles, California, to work in the entertainment industry & is currently based there.
Career : The Early Steps
- Yashar began his career in the entertainment industry as a production assistant. His first work was the 1999 comedy Never Been Kissed, played by actress Drew Barrymore.
- He switched to the TV industry, later on, assisting in the production of popular television drama series like ER and Chicago Hope.
- His circle of connections helped him to land a job with California businessman Steve Westly who was running for the California state controller in 2002.
- Steve was successful in the state controller election & shifted his focus to the gubernatorial campaign in 2006. Yashar was his chair of finance.
- After Steve lost the gubernatorial election, Yashar resigned from the position to open his own political consulting firm as a side business.
Professional Progress and Net Worth :
- By 2007, Yashar was a registered lobbyist on behalf of a government debt collector. At the same time, he was also the LGBT liaison for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
- His close acquaintance with the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe allowed him to work from his office when he was in Washington.
- McAuliffe became the chairman of Hilary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential campaign and introduced Yashar to her. He served as the national co-chair for the campaign and was dubbed a “Hellraiser.”
- Following Clinton’s defeat to Barack Obama, Yashar went to work for Gavin Newsom through connections he made during the campaign.
- Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco at the time, and Yashar moved overnight to begin working for Newsom.
- Newsom pulled out of the race in 2009, and Yashar worked at the City Hall there instead.
- Later moving to New York, he began writing essays addressing political and social issues, which were even complimented by Hilary Clinton.
- After a year of odd jobs in the fundraising and advocacy sector, he ended up back with Newsom again, who was running for governor in 2015.
- In 2016, he returned to New York to write for the New York Magazine and The Daily Beast.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Yashar considers Terry McAuliffe to be one of his main mentors.
- People who were close to him noted him for his rare ability to make friends.
- American actress and comedian Kathy Griffin disclosed that he was the first person she has ever direct messaged.
- Yashar declares his sexual identity as gay.
- There are a few sources online claiming that Yashar is his pen name.
