Dubai looks to attract global media talent
DUBAI MEDIA CITY PROPEL EMIRATE’S AMBITIOUS STRATEGY
Having spearheaded Dubai’s growth as a regional leader in the media sector, Dubai’s media business clusters are set to further boost the emirate’s ambitious strategy for the media and content industry, the chief of the media business districts said.
Dubai’s efforts in the media landscape, both locally and regionally, have resulted in the emirate being selected as the Arab Media Capital 2020. Media outlets and professionals here only need to adapt themselves to the transformations in the media landscape and grab new opportunities to overcome the challenges, said Majed Al Suwaidi, managing director of Dubai Media City (DMC), Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City — members of Tecom Group.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News ahead of a mega media festival ON.DXB next month, Al Suwaidi delved into the strategy aimed at attracting media talent as well as empowering them to create content, especially in Arabic.
“We have been working very hard to put Dubai on the media map and as part of the strategy that was set 20 years ago by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”
2,100 companies
Established in 2001, the DMC is home to 2,100 companies and 34,500 employees, including many Fortune 500 companies from around the world. Renowned global media firms such as CNN, Thomson Reuters, and the BBC have their regional headquarters in DMC.
The significance of the media sector comes from the volume of the advertising market in the UAE, which amounts to $2.05 billion (Dh7.527 billion).
The latest Arab Media Outlook estimated that the media market in the UAE in 2018 to be about $2.2 billion (Dh8 billion).
The UAE has the highest level of spending media per capita compared to the rest of the region.
Local talent
Al Suwaidi said the strategy focuses on supporting Arab youth for new content creation and attracting local talent and investment in various sectors,
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ON.DXB is scheduled to be held on November 21-23.
“It will support growth and evolution of the region’s film, game, video and music sectors and the technologies driving them,” Majed Al Suwaidi said.
Established in 2001, Dubai Media City (DMC) is home to 2,100 companies and 34,500 employees, including many Fortune 500 companies. DMC has launched the Gofreelance initiative, which supports freelance talent. DMC’s amphitheatre is widely regarded as a premier venue for concerts, festivals and events, attracting over 200,000 of visitors every year. In the past couple of months, DMC has launched several community-related initiatives (such as Thursday Lunch Jams, Graffiti competitions amongst many).
especially gaming and movies.
Talking about the changing media scene, he said: “The media landscape is changing and it is not similar to what it was earlier. From traditional newspapers and magazines, you have moved to digital, you have got the short form and the long form and you have got social media, so many different aspects to media itself. And this resulted in us also transforming and trying to adapt to the change that is happening to the landscape.”
Al Suwaidi cited smooth online registration processes and high ease of doing business as the plus points of DMC. “Also, our limits are always being challenged and pushed by the leadership and the country.”
On the other hand, he said, Dubai Studio City has been hosting workshops for amateur and professional filmmakers to develop media and film production capabilities in the UAE within production, photography, direction and related fields.
CineMENA platform
Dubai Studio City also launched CineMENA platform, to encourage and foster content creators and local talent in the sector. It aims to encourage the creative community across the Middle East and North Africa to develop more content.
Commenting about the new long term visas and visas for creative people in the UAE, Al Suwaidi said such laws and regulations will further boost the talent flow to the UAE and in turn create further opportunities of growth and new avenues to create more content.
“As we continue to foster and nurture talent in our community, we also work towards attracting regional talent to Dubai through various activities and events. There is a need for these talents to continue developing new skills to adapt to ever-changing market requirements and its fast pace.”