UMUT PRODUCTIONS

Cinema • Learning • Storytelling

UMUT EĞİTİMCİ

Umut Eğitimci (Umut Tayyibe Eğitimci Abaoğlu) is a Turkish producer, cinema researcher, and learning & communication consultant whose work explores the intersection of cinema, storytelling, organizational learning, and human behavior.
As the founder of Umut Productions, she develops feature films, documentaries, television, and theatre projects while combining her professional experience in the creative industries with academic research and corporate learning. She believes cinema is not only an art form but also a powerful way of understanding communication, collaboration, leadership, and organizational culture.
Her career began in television production in Turkey before continuing in New York, where she studied Film and Video at The New School. During her time in the United States, she contributed to Turkish media, developed television films, completed an internship at PBS, and produced Off-Off Broadway theatre productions. These international experiences broadened her understanding of storytelling and laid the foundations for the interdisciplinary approach that defines her work today.
Umut holds a degree in Business Administration from Istanbul University and a second bachelor's degree in Sociology. She completed her master's degree in Cinema at Istanbul Commerce University with research focusing on comedy, philosophy, and cinema. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Cinema, where her research explores comedy cinema, film sociology, humor theories, and organizational learning.
Drawing on both her production experience and academic research, she developed The Comedy Lens Method (Komedi Gözlüğü), a cinema-based learning approach that uses comedy films to explore communication, collaboration, leadership, feedback, psychological safety, and organizational culture. Through this methodology, she designs interactive learning experiences for organizations, universities, and professional audiences.
Alongside her production and research work, Umut creates video essays through Umut'la Seyreyle, where she examines cinema, culture, philosophy, and travel from an interdisciplinary perspective. She is also a frequent speaker at universities, festivals, and cultural events, sharing insights on comedy cinema, storytelling, and the relationship between cinema and society.
Based in Istanbul, Umut continues to develop international film projects through Umut Productions while expanding research and learning initiatives that connect cinema with education, organizations, and contemporary culture.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
The Cemil Show (2021), Co-Producer | Feature Film
I Had a Dream (2019), Co-Producer | Documentary
The Magical Call of Oryantal (2007), Producer & Director | Documentary
Student Seduction (2003), Asst. to Executive Producer | Lifetime Television (USA)