‘We will nurture local talent in Saudi Arabia and develop the country’s creative thinkers’. The CEO of Rotana Media Group, Mr. Turki Al Shabana, told an audience of leading CEOs and government officials at the Asbar World Forum about its new initiative to support young Saudi graduates in the field of media production.

Rotana is well-known for its support of the ongoing development and growth of the Arab TV and filmmaking industry, and it remains committed to empowering and enabling a new generation of Saudi producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors.

Working with a predominantly young and talented Saudi workforce, the media group has turned ideas into reality for the country’s aspiring entertainment industry. For example, Rotana produced the first Oscar nominated Saudi movie Wadjda, which was released in 2012, and supported the inaugural Saudi Film Festival. These are exciting times for Saudi as it moves towards opening more cinemas and expanding its media production – and Rotana is playing a key role in helping young people to build and grow their skill set in this field.

Mr. Shabana was a special guest at the Asbar World Forum in Riyadh, where he proposed Rotana’s latest idea – to support and develop young Saudis who are pursuing a career in media production.

 Speaking at the forum, Mr. Shabana said: “Every year, Rotana receives a significant number of creative ideas and projects from young Saudi talent. While many of these ideas have great promise, most of them lack any basic foundation.  “Therefore, the Rotana Media Group wants to work with the General Organization of Small and Medium Enterprises to improve and develop these ideas into solid, successful films of the future. We believe that this will help to attract significant investment for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” -End-

About Rotana Media Group:

Rotana Media Group is a diversified media company in the Middle East. It is the world's largest producer of Arabic music and a key distributor and producer of Arabic movies, with a library comprising more than 1,600 movies. “Rotana Studios” is likewise considered the biggest producer of Arabic Blockbusters. Rotana also owns a bouquet of leading free-to-air TV channels in both HD and SD including, Rotana Cinema, Rotana Aflam, Rotana Classic, Rotana Khalijiyah, Rotana Drama, LBC, Rotana Clip and Rotana Musica, broadcasting the latest Arabic movies, series, and music videos globally. Rotana's content is also digitally distributed.

Furthermore, Rotana has radio stations, a chain of cafes and its own digital magazine. It also operates a leading regional advertising sales arm (Rotana Media Services), responsible for advertising sales on its TV channels as well other media businesses in the region. Rotana Media Group employs over 560 employees located across the Middle East. HRH Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, the major shareholder of the Rotana Media Group, is also the beneficial owner of approximately 4.9 percent of 21st Century Fox and 1 percent of News Corporation’s Class B Common Stock.

© Press Release 2017