Dina Butti is an Egyptian/Canadian TV presenter, content creator and voiceover artist. She is most known as a TV presenter on the United Arab Emirates’ English television channel, Dubai One, where she co-hosted the channel's celebrity program, That's Entertainment, reported for their Expo 2020 Dubai daily live coverage and is currently hosting their evening lifestyle show, DXB Today.
She is also recognized as a content creator, most popular for her #mushmusicals parody videos which reflect on the journey of motherhood. Dina has taken part in numerous campaigns with global brands such as Dyson, Gap, Johnson's, IKEA, Tag Heuer and Nike. In addition, Dina emcees and hosts social media lives, representing companies including Samsung, Virgin Megastore and Etisalat.
She is married to Emirati/American television presenter and producer, Omar Butti, and together they have two sons.
Early life and background
Dina Butti was born as Dina El-Gamal in the capital of Greece, Athens. She spent her life moving around from one city to another, living in countries such as Canada, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, England and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2002, Butti attended Montreal's Concordia University and completed a major in studio arts and specializations in journalism and television. While finishing her studies for television, she produced, filmed, and edited a short documentary about moderate Muslims in Montreal which she submitted into a competition sponsored by Canada's National Film Board. The documentary was selected as one of the winners and was screened on CBC Television and at the One World Film Festival.
Career
During her time at university, Butti worked as an extra for the Nickelodeon television show, 15/Love, as well as for Hollywood films, including King’s Ransom. In 2006, Butti spent her summer interning in Dubai at INTV and ITP. She completed an internship at CNN Arabia where she also landed her first freelance opportunity, reporting at the Dubai International Film Festival and interviewing her first celebrity, George Clooney.
Writing
At the age of 23, Butti was hired by an advertising and publishing agency to launch an international luxury wellness and lifestyle magazine titled Talise for Jumeirah Group. Despite her limited experience in print journalism, she became the editor and principal writer of the publication. Butti secured numerous celebrity interviews for the publication, including Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Karl Lagerfeld.
Presenting
In 2009, Dina auditioned for a show called 20 Something for Dubai One television. Although she was not selected, she was asked to join a new talk show for women as a researcher and writer. The show was cancelled and re-conceptualized into what would eventually become the daily lifestyle show, Studio One. In the meantime, Butti was given her first onscreen gig as a social scout on a weekly show called City Wrap. She eventually secured a full-time presenting position in 2010 when she became a reporter and relief host for Studio One.
As the lead reporter for Studio One, Butti became known for her quirkiness on camera and willingness to take part in the featured activities, including diving with sharks with the Discovery Channel’s Sharkman Mike Rutzen, racing with racecar driver Humaid Al Masaoud, dressing up as Super Girl at Comic Con, wrestling with MMA fighters and co-hosting with hyenas, snakes, and lions sitting beside her. During this time, Butti met and interviewed stars from various fields, including Ronan Keating, Kim Kardashian, WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, comedian Al Murray, UB40’s lead singer Ali Campbell, model Helena Christensen, radio and television host Chris Tarrant, the creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series Jack Canfield, and Bollywood actors Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh and Rahul Bose. Butti also began reporting live from events around town, including the Dubai International Film Festival.
While working on Studio One and Out and About, Butti began doing voiceovers and conducting interviews for the Dubai One Channel's That's Entertainment with celebrities including Gerard Butler, Jason Derulo, The Jacksons, Il Divo, Kajol, Jason Momoa, Chris Daughtry and Akshay Kumar.