Youssef was born and raised in Cairo. He graduated with a bachelor degree in International Development from McGill University in 2011 and moved back to Cairo shortly after. Youssef worked in Research and Development for a year before entering the cinema industry. He has been working for Misr International Films since and is currently managing two of MIF's initiatives: The Panorama of the European Film and Zawya Cinema, one of Egypt's first arthouse cinemas, and most recently Zawya Distribution, an initiative to promote Egyptian arthouse films locally and abroad.