Dubai Studio City, a regional platform for companies within the broadcasting, filmmaking, media production and entertainment sectors, in collaboration with in5, an enabling platform for entrepreneurs in tech, design and media developed to help nurture ideas and businesses to the next phase of growth, has launched a competition inviting content creators to showcase their talent through innovatively produced videos. The closing date for submissions is 25 January 2018.
Supported by UTURN, the leading Arabic entertainment network on YouTube, the contest allows local content creators to promote their projects and attract a wider fan base. The videos can cover a wide range of categories, such as music, drama, comedy, vlogging, gaming, animation, news, beauty, fashion, sports and reviews.
The creator of the best video will walk away with a three-month membership at in5 benefiting from its training and mentorship programmes as well as community-wide networking events and opportunities to connect with investors and industry experts – giving the winner a unique platform to grow and develop.
in5 also provides state-of-the-art facilities including fully-equipped production and recording studios, screening rooms and editing suites to give students, entrepreneurs and startups, as well as media content creators the opportunity to develop their ideas and produce engaging content. Furthermore, the winner will receive all-inclusive production support from UTURN and an exclusive opportunity to be featured on its platform.
Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Studio City, said: “The MENA region boasts one of the largest video audiences worldwide. According to Arab Media Outlook 2016-2018, in the UAE alone, 50 per cent of daily Facebook users watch at least one video a day. With the increased demand for online video content, there is plenty of room for creative ideas.”
He added: “At Dubai Studio City, we work relentlessly to create a more content-driven ecosystem through fostering talent, innovation and entrepreneurship among filmmakers, producers and content creators. We are proud to launch this competition and look forward to seeing what the region’s talent pool can offer in terms of video creation. Nurturing creativity at an early stage and providing a holistic ecosystem is key. In5 was established to harness the potential of students, entrepreneurs and startups in the region through providing them with five key benefits – training and mentorship, networking, a business set-up framework, access to investors, as well as cutting-edge prototyping labs, studios and creative workspaces.”
Kaswara Al-Khatib, Chairman and CEO at UTURN, said: “Since its inception, UTURN has been on a mission to empower the next generation of social media content creators to join the ranks of Arab YouTube stars such as Omar Hussein, Bader Saleh and Shoaib Rashid. Our collaboration with in5 reflects our commitment to discovering and supporting local talent. The MENA region is replete with gifted young people, and we believe it is our responsibility to mine this talent effectively for the future of the industry.”
Interested participants can upload their submissions on any video-sharing website and email the link to pitchnight@uturn.me.
An expert judging panel will shortlist 20 entrants. The winner will be announced during a live screening event at the in5 Media premises.
