Philo4Thought Hellenic Professional Mentoring Initiative is pleased to present this month's featured Hellenic Young Professional! The goal of our publications is to provide positive, successful role models who will inspire the next generation of young professionals. Preliminary criteria for YPM candidates is that they are actively engaged in an entrepreneurial initiative or have made a successful career for themselves, thereby serving as strong role models to the next generation of young professionals. Candidates are typically of Hellenic origin and part of a humanitarian (educational, sociological, scientific, etc.) or environmentally-conscious field. Given the gradual expansion of our readership, we currently interview candidates who embrace a specific Hellenic philosophy best described in a word: Philotimo (φιλότιμο). The most important qualifications all our candidates share are the spirit and compassion to persevere, and the heart to share their knowledge and experience with others.

​

Chris Semertzidis (Film Production, CUNY Hunter College; Liberal Arts Associates, Queens Borough Community College, 2012) is Founder and CEO of XS Studios in Astoria, New York, which focuses on production for content creators (including weddings, special events, and corporate event photos and videos)

​

Having grown up in Astoria and spending summers in Greece, Chris has been in the center of Hellenic culture his whole life. As a teenager, Chris attended the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, where he sang and performed, releasing two albums. In his college years, he launched Greek in the City, a YouTube channel dedicated to all things Greek and Greek American, which currently has over 11,000 subscribers!
 

Join the Action! In light of the current COVID-19 global health crisis, Chris is working closely with Annet Artani and several local and national Hellenic groups to produce the first-ever NYC Virtual Greek Parade in lieu of the live parade which was canceled due to the crisis. We commend all participants and supporters for making this virtual event possible. Join us and watch the Virtual Parade on Greek in the City on Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 1 pm: http://www.youtube.com/greekinthecityny.

​

CREDIT & RECOGNITION: Many thanks to Chris Semertzidis for sharing this story with us!

​

LinkedIn Profile