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Young Emiratis hold the key to unlocking the potential of the country's media production industries, writes Eric Macinnes.*
At twofour54 tadreeb, we have seen a number of talented Emiratis come through our doors. Some want to ply their trade in front of the camera while others contemplate a career as a director, producer or graphics designer.
Few, however, have considered the possibility of pursuing a future as an independent. Instead, they covet safe jobs in the government-funded media conglomerates that dominate the broadcasting market in the UAE.
In addition, Ramadan saw several big players compete on TV with their top shows. But how many of these were made by Emiratis or produced by independent Emirati production houses? And does it matter?
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The need to train Emiratis for the future media market is now becoming an important goal for the Abu Dhabi government. The logic follows that, at some point, the importing of experienced expat filmmakers will slow down and nationals will create content for local consumption and ultimately, even export it to other parts of the world.
That talent, in my view, is unlikely to come via cushy jobs in the public sector. It will emerge from young media entrepreneurs working with cutting-edge technology and infused with new, fizzing ideas.
At tadreeb, we have a television presenting course led by former Lebanese anchorwoman Zahera Harb. Conducted in Arabic for Arab presenters, it has attracted a number of excellent young prospects but none that I spoke to had even considered the possibility of a future beyond direct employment with one of the main channels.
In the United Kingdom, it is not uncommon for talented television ‘faces’ to create their own businesses – production companies that primarily propose vehicles for that presenter.
In some cases, the production company flits happily between stations looking for the best deal. In others, they agree to ‘handcuff deals’ with big broadcasters; creating lucrative contracts for the individual and the business.
Of course, it’s hard for a new presenter to walk into a TV station and demand such deals but my suspicion is that if they have good ideas, they will not be turned away.
The beauty of the independent producer/presenter is the ability to take risks; and more importantly, for the broadcasters who need local programming, to take risks cheaply.
If young Emirati presenters need inspiration, they need look no further than TV personality Nashwa Al Ruwaini and her company Pyramedia.
What began as a vehicle for her talent is now a regional media powerhouse producing hits such as Millions Poet for Abu Dhabi TV.
There are talented young Emiratis who could emulate that model here in the UAE and there are few obstacles. In fact, an Emirati media entrepreneur will immediately have a number of advantages over expatriates.
Firstly, local talent producing Arab programming for the national media has got to become a major ambition for all media entities in the country and hungry, young media professionals could reap the harvest.
Secondly, local workers do not have the same labour law restrictions as expatriates. They could, in the first instance, create the army of freelance workers desperately needed by the media industry and in the longer term, become the employers of local independent workers.
Thirdly, there is funding out there to help them. Government entities such as Abu Dhabi’s twofour54 have budgets for media businesses and for single projects through its investment arm Ibtikar.
Other government sources such as The Khalifa Fund could help them get started and there’s money in the private sector too.
For example, The Frame, an independent producer has set up a US$135,000 fund for documentary filmmakers.
So, what are they waiting for? The Middle East – and in particular, the increasingly sophisticated UAE market – is ready for a revolution in broadcasting and filmmaking.
The tools of production have never been so accessible and independent producers, directors and screenwriters can launch themselves in a multi-platform world without the tug of the analogue past.
In April, The Thomson Foundation ran a course entitled Media as a Business which was attended by a varied group of young professionals who wanted to be documentary directors, producers, presenters and writers.
As part of the course, we set them a task to come up with TV proposals and at the end of the week, we reviewed them. The quality of ideas was first-rate and the concepts were well fleshed-out creatively and financially but again, few of the delegates had any intention of starting up on their own.
What do we need to do to launch them into the market? How can we persuade them to take an alternate path?
Training is important, obviously. The emphasis must be on professionalising the skills of media graduates and creatives and while government entities are launching initiatives to help on this front, the private sector must equip Emiratis with the technical and production know-how to propel them forward.
In fact, we have recently been mulling an interesting training idea for women media workers in the northern Emirates. There, the need is to give digital media skills to workers who, for cultural reasons, do not like to work in a mixed environment such as a newsroom or a studio.
These women could begin the revolution by becoming, out of necessity, independent producers of content.
What a wonderful beginning that would be — a local industry created from local circumstances.
Eric Macinnes, a TV pro with more than two decades in the field, is the faculty head for The Thomson Foundation at twofour54 tadreeb, Abu Dhabi.
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