Rassa Montaser is a catalyst. She is an intuitive researcher, a human rights defender, and a generator on behalf of democracy and our environment.
Rassa started at the age of 14 as an intern to a Superior Court Judge in Washington, DC., thirty minutes away from her home in Maryland. The following year, Rassa began working as an assistant to a political fundraiser for six years until her second year of University. After working closely with then-Senator John Kerry (the former Secretary of State), Senators Fritz Hollings, Bob Kerry, Chris Dodd, and the late Teddy Kennedy, she completed her BA in Electronic Media with minors in Art History and British Media & Culture from George Washington University, The Courtauld Institute of Art and London Metropolitan University.
Soon thereafter, Rassa moved to New York. There she produced international runway shows at KCD Inc., in close collaboration with fashion designers of various brands – Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Jil Sander, Gucci, Cartier, Chloe, Karl Lagerfeld, Louis Vuitton, and Anna Sui, amongst others. Working closely with designers segued her passion for working with and developing the trajectory of emerging and established fine artists. With her team, Rassa curated and generated valuable opportunities in all its forms with a wide range of multidisciplinary artists, progressive brands, non-profits, galleries, and museums. Her company offered a cross-spectrum synergy whilst keeping core identity, values, and long-term integrity intact. These partnerships opened a thoughtful alliance and mutually beneficial environment of cultural exchange.
Rassa supports advocacy and fundraising efforts for a number of environmental and human rights organizations. She began her work as a humanitarian in November 2016. Rassa has served on various Steering Committees for Human Rights Watch and participated in discussions at the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit, 20th Anniversary and the United Nations 75th Anniversary, Uniting Business LIVE Summit.
As of 2020, Rassa started to stand for her rights against corporate power, United Talent Agency (specifically UTA Fine Arts and UTA Artist Space) for exploitation and abuse suffered as well as fabricated deflections (since giving voice to this injustice) on behalf of indigenous people and our natural world. She won a partial victory in 2024 with the shuttering of UTA Artist Space. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has labeled UTA a nepotistic entity.
Parallel to this, Rassa has been fighting the authoritarian regime of Saudi Arabia (on behalf of indigenous people and our natural world) for exploitation and abuse. She, however, will not back down from both fights and continues to demand for accountability on behalf of herself and for others.
