Jobs abound in media shake-up

In the last six months, we have seen a massive shake-up within the Middle East broadcast industry. A substantial number of job opportunities have opened up in Abu Dhabi thanks to new initiatives from twofour54 as well as the launch of several private broadcast entities.

Abu Dhabi is aggressively moving forward not just in terms of providing state-of-the-art facilities with industry standard end-to-end solutions for the generation and delivery of content but also by partnering with global entities and attracting the best human resources to help make the UAE capital a centre of media excellence.

The opportunities in Abu Dhabi have created massive job opportunities for skilled personnel in the broadcast industry and we have seen a substantial migration of people to the capital especially from Dubai.

No doubt, several people have been recruited from international markets but it is those who have worked in the Arab world and genuinely helped take local broadcasters forward in terms of both the technology and the business that are now in huge demand.

It is also all a well known fact that these broadcast chiefs tend to take their best men with them wherever they go.

In the meantime, the migration of several key people from Dubai-based entities has created new opportunities for others within the emirate. We have never seen so many broadcast heads jump ship within such a short period of time. The trend called for some investigation and while it is far from comprehensive, we have compiled a list of some of the key exits and entries in the Middle East broadcast industry.

But there is more to come. We hear that Orbit-Showtime, which merged in early summer, will consolidate its operations by the end of the year. Job losses are to be expected but at the same time, huge media projects in other parts of the Middle East may help absorb many skilled personnel.

The media industry in the Middle East is undergoing seismic shifts and while we do not know what the future holds, we see huge opportunities for skilled personnel.

Vijaya Cherian is the editor of Digital Studio.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Talent creation
Posted by crate, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 15 October 2009 at 07:11 UAE time


Mr. Simon. You certainly don't sound like "indigenous" talent. Your name seems to suggest you are "imported" yourself.
Dubai is a pioneer in many ways. Nobody denies that. Not even AUH.
Hey! But who said there was no place for newcomers? And who said newcomers can't splurge and make a splash about what they have? You have a problem with that?
In a recession, do you know how much good Abu Dhabi has done for the UAE by opening up its coffers?
If RAK didn't market itself before, it's not for lack of money. It's for lack of wanting to spend any of their money on any initiatives.
But for argument's sake, there were many sceptics such as yourself who questioned the success of DUbai Media City when it was launched. That time, the likes of you didn't think they were pioneers. You thought they were just a bunch of idiots who had no idea what they were doing. I think AUH has built upon the idea of DMC and taken it forward. They went beyond a smart office concept to work towards creating "Arabic content" and I think their efforts are genuine. If you don't think they are doing anything worthwhile, please don't waste your time reading articles on twofour54 or waste more time leaving comments that air your ignorance about the AUH govt's initiatives.

It's sad that talent takes a backseat over money
Posted by Simon, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 13 October 2009 at 13:00 UAE time


There's been much talk about Twofour54. Now while the following comments may seem like a case of "sour grapes", I would like to just offer some thoughts non the less.

- To me it looks like twofour54 has the money for extensive PR and is "buying" not just media, but also journalists.
We have to realize that the UAE had/has more creative talent much before the AUH initiative. This is not a Dubai v/s AUH debate.. the Rak freezone, areas of Burdubai and Sh.Zayed road have more original talent than what twofour54 seems to have imported.

Its a clear case of Money winning over talent.
It is unfortunate that the pioneering spirit of Dubai Media City, Studio City, etc is being overshadowed by "money power"
A similar analogy is the Metro.. no one wants to pioneer.. when the risks are taken, then others want to follow and make a louder noise.

Time will tell, whether originality will eventually emerge, and local talent will be given a chance to be nurtured, or the imported "talent" will just make quick bucks and leave.

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