Contact us | +971 4 3635663
Sponsored by   Mudabala
Middle East Business Information
 
Loading Loading ...
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 | 12:43 GMT

SAE aims to put Dubai on global multimedia map

Emirates Business 24/7
 
Text Size  
 
21 August 2008
After establishing itself as the centre of innovation in many fields, Dubai is on a quest to become the number one player in the booming multimedia industry.

The emirate's 22 million square feet Dubai Studio CityDubai Studio CityLoading... is an affirmation of its commitment to creating sophisticated infrastructure and services for the local, regional and international media community.

Dubai Studio CityDubai Studio CityLoading... has more than 75 licensed business partners, comprising recognised broadcasters such as NDTV (Arabia), MTV, Spacetoon and Mediapro. However, the multimedia industry is still very new to the country.

Anthony Frantzis, Head of Marketing and Strategic Alliances of SAE Dubai - an institute teaching digital audio video production - is confident the industry is moving in the right direction. "Assessing our association with Studio CityStudio CityLoading... and the overall next phase of development for SAE in Dubai, I'm confident that even if we were to double the capacity of our school we'd fill it," he said.

The institute opened its doors in 2006 and is now at a 90 per cent capacity with well over 300 students. It also speaks proudly of an 85 per cent success rate with placements in Dubai.

"We exceeded both our own projections as well as the industry growth rate," said Frantzis. "In the past, recruitment consultants would go offshore to hire, but they are now realising that skills are being developed locally."

The growth rate at SAE has increased exponentially with each student intake by 30 to 40 per cent. The institute is host to some of the most advanced multimedia equipment in the Middle East, with 30 per cent of investment pumped into technology each year. It has spent an estimated £7 million (Dh48m) on equipment and is the proud owner of a £500,000 multimedia console used in Hollywood - the Neve console. With a price tag of several hundred thousand dollars, it is the Rolls Royce of consoles and the only one in this part of the world, making SAE's technical facilities a digital playground.

Studio CityStudio CityLoading... and SAE both seem determined to dedicate their efforts to the growth of film, television and radio production. When asked where the UAE stood on a global scale, Frantzis said: "There is no doubt the UAE will make significant inroads from a technological perspective, however the real uncertainty is how quickly the development of subcultures in the area, such as music scenes, film, design and fashion, can catch up with the rest of the world.

"The Middle East has some very unique challenges, which will undoubtedly have considerable bearing on this development. But I remain confident," he added.

By Samantha Crawford

© Emirates Business 24/7 2008

 
 
 
Community Comments (0) - Comment on this article
The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect Zawya. Read our Comment Policy.
 
 
 
Loading ...
 
Loading ...
close x
Zawya Comment Policy:
 
  1. Zawya encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You agree that when you add content to this discussion your comments will not:
    1.1   Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
    1.2   Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
    1.3   Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
    1.4   Be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
    1.5   Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
    1.6   Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
    1.7   Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.
  2. The content posted on www.zawya.com is created by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Zawya. Zawya reserves the right to review all comments prior to posting and edit or delete any contribution, but Zawya is not responsible for and can not be held liable for any content posted by members of the public on www.zawya.com.
  3. Zawya is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party sites that are accessible through www.zawya.com. Any links to third party websites from www.zawya.com do not amount to any endorsement of that site by Zawya and any use of that site by you is at your own risk.
  4. By submitting your comment, you hereby give Zawya the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comments worldwide, in perpetuity.
 
 
 
Community Buzz

Stories

 

Companies

Most viewed companies by Community in the last 24 hrs
Company Name Country Industry
Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company Qatar Landlords and Developers
Zuhair Fayez Partnership Saudi Arabia Construction and Design
Mubadala Development Company UAE Investment Firms and Funds
ANC Holdings UAE Multi-line
Al Rajhi Investment Group Saudi Arabia Investment Firms and Funds
Nakheel UAE Landlords and Developers
International Petroleum Investment Company UAE Investment Firms and Funds
Saudi Telecom Saudi Arabia Telecommunications Services
Emaar Properties UAE Landlords and Developers
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority UAE Investment Firms and Funds
 

Projects

 

Blogs

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Quote data provided by © TickerChart
Site is optimised for viewing at 1024 x 768 with Internet Explorer v6 and Firefox v1.5 and above.
Copyright © 2009 ABQ Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved. Please read our Membership Agreement