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EVENT SHOWCASE CABSAT 2020 SCHOOLED NYUAD students rub shoulders with Anthony Geff en XXXXXX XXXXX Xxxx x xx xxx x xx xx xxx xx Download the free DS app and be the pp fi rst to read d ththhee latest isssuuee oon your mmoobobbililile deviviceeesss. yy EVENT SHOWCASE CABSAT 2020 SCHOOLED NYUAD students rub shoulders with Anthony Geff en 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production company” or “how to make a video with your iphone and still make it go viral”. That’s bogus, and will only confuse you further. Once you call Zainimedia on the scene, we’ll meet, preferably at yours as we soak up the environment and understand the essence of your requiements. If things go according to plan, we write a small synopsis, tackle the brief. And once we are both satisfied, kick off production. A well-produced cinematic film that tells YOUR story will take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks to produce. We strive to release the film as soon as we can speedy approvals help in the process.CONTENTS MARCH 2020 5 UPDATE MICHAEL GARIN JOINS TWOFOUR54 AS NEW CEO; SMALL- HD LAUNCHES RUG- GED NEW MONITOR; SMALLHD LAUNCHES RUGGED NEW MONI- TOR; CHOUIERI SE- LECTS JW PLAYER FOR OUTSTREAM VIDEO AD-SERVING; MBC’S AROUS BEIRUT TURNS OUT TO BE A MAJOR SUCCESS; BLACK DRAGON CAPITAL SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE GRASS VALLEY 18 COVER STORY FIMMAKER TAMER MOSHEN TALKS ABOUT THE ARAB FILM INDUSTRY 24 IN FOCUS ANTHONY GEFFEN HOSTS NYU AD FILM STUDENTS FOR A TERM 30 EVENT CABSAT 2020 42 5 MINUTES WITH JIM LOUDERBACK, GENERAL MANAGER, VIDCON ABU DHABI 14 NEWS ANALYSIS NAB 2020 to go ahead in Las Vegas amidst Coronovirus fears as LA authorities give backing 18 COVER STORY Tamer Moshen talks about his journey as a fi lmmaker and the impetus for creativity while breaking norms into the unknown 24 IN FOCUS Film students from NYU AD have an excursion of a lifetime at Anthony Geffen’s London studios 30 EVENT SHOWCASE Suppliers You Should Know and key facets of CABSAT 2020 42 5 MINUTES WITH Jim Louderback, general manager, VidCon Abu Dhabi 05 18 24 42 30 10 24 www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 3 SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE WWW.ITP.COM /SUBSCRIPTIONS WWWWWWW W.W.W.W.W..WW ITITII P.COM/SUBSCR IPTIONS DON’T MISS AN ISSUE! CH-1CH-2 Published by and © 2020 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC MEDIA PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve EDITORIAL Editor: Nikhil Pereira Tel: +971 4 444 3419 email: nikhil.pereira@itp.com Editorial Assistant: Saher Suthriwala ADVERTISING Sales Manager: Thomas Lambert Tel: +971 4 444 3637 email: Thomas.Lambert@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra, Jessica Samson PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Co-ordinator Manoj Mahadevan Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles CIRCULATION Distribution & Warehouse Manager Praveen Nair Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Events Manager Teri Dunstan ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. www.digitalstudiome.com4 / MARCH 2020NEWS UPDATE TwoFour54 Abu Dhabi appointed Michael Garin as the fi rm’s CEO, who served as Image Nation’s CEO from 2011. Garin, who has more than 50 years’ experience as a media executive, will oversee the fi rm’s strategy and operations as well as managing and forging key international partnerships. Following the formation of a board of directors for TwoFour54 in July 2019, and the appointment of HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak as chairman and the then CEO HE Maryam Eid AlMheiri as vice chair, the CEO position became vacant. Al Mubarak said: “Michael has been a key contributor to the development of the media industry in Abu Dhabi for more than a decade, playing a key role in its success through his work with Image Nation and Abu Dhabi Media, among other roles. Al Mubarak also thanked AlMheiri for her “dedication and leadership as CEO of TwoFour54”. “Under her guidance, the media zone has achieved multiple milestones, and is today home to more than 500 media fi rms,” he added. TwoFour54 and Image Nation already work closely on numerous projects, including Inheritance, the world’s fi rst Arabic soap opera. Garin leaves Image Nation Abu Dhabi where he served as its CEO from 2011 MICHAEL GARIN JOINS TWOFOUR54 AS CEO EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT THIS MONTH IN THE TV AND FILM PRODUCTION INDUSTRY 06 UPDATE 16 EDITOR’S LETTER 18 COVER STORY 24 INFOCUS 30 EVENT SHOWCASE Michael Garin swaps Image Nation for TwoFour54 www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 5 IABM, the international association for broadcast and media technology has appointed Lisa Collins to the position of head of member engagement. IABM membership has doubled to over 600 members in the last six years and now spans broadcast and media technology sector, market, geography and company size from start-ups to SMEs to organisations. There has also been diversity in the types of member company categories ranging from traditional hardware powerhouses and niche specialists to agile modernist, Big IT and Software Powerhouses — each with diff ering requirements and priorities. Lisa Collins has held the position of head of marketing for IABM since 2011. Over the last six months, in parallel with her marketing responsibilities, she has conducted in-depth conversations with a large proportion of the IABM membership during which it became IABM APPOINTS HEAD OF MEMBER ENGAGEMENT COLLINS’ CURRENT POSITION WILL ENSURE IABM MEMBERS MAXI- MIZE ROI FROM THEIR MEMBERSHIP ROOMI’S STORY DESIGN AND ANIMATION EXPERIENCE HAVE BEEN CUSTOM BUILT VR APP EDUCATES AND REASSURES INJURED CHILDREN Ahealthcare app featuring virtual reality was unveiled at Arab Health 2020. The ‘Roomi’ app, produced by Primer VR and sponsored by Symed, is designed to comfort, educate and reassure injured children aged between 6 to 12 years that are awaiting treatment for broken bones or muscular damage. Combining the use of VR in hospitals and doctors’ clinics, with an at-home AR app for continued recovery, Roomi and friends provide an engaging way to inform young patients about upcoming procedures to apparent that many members weren’t aware of the range of services the association off ers. Collins said: “In my new role I will be able to give my full-time attention to ensuring all our members around the world get the very most out of their membership, and I will also be listening closely to their changing requirements. The Global Engagement Survey, we have just launched will also feed in valuable new ideas to further benefi t our members and strengthen our role in the wider industry.” The ‘Roomi’ app features VR and AR medically vetted to aid young patients in the healing process, relying on empathic characters and accurate information portrayed in a vivid immersive world. The Primer VR roadmap for Roomi includes expanding the technology through trials and clinical study. The company is committed to healthcare content that harnesses the power of VR and AR to alleviate pediatric patient anxiety as well as educating children about upcoming procedures and existing conditions. Further, the platform is being developed to encourage improved recoveries through an engaging AR portal which patients can use at home while they heal. Roomi is being applied to the medical institutions including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. SMALLHD LAUNCHES RUGGED NEW MONITOR 4-INCH PRODUCTION MONITOR BOLSTERED WITH ALUMINUM CHASSIS SmallHD has unveiled the a bright and rugged 24-inch production monitor, designed for optimal performance in any production envi- ronment, from a crowded studio to an intense outdoor shoot. The 2403HB features an aluminum chassis, for durability across unpredict- able on set conditions. It’s 25% lighter than the previous 24-inch high bright model, which means easier setup and relocation. The screen has a brightness of 1600nits lending itself for for outdoor productions. The 2403HB will begin shipping in spring 2020, priced at $2,999. Lisa Collins help to reduce their fears and anxiety. Roomi’s story design and animation experience have been custom built and are NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.com6 / MARCH 2020 Ryan Beebe. DMS, the offi cial digital arm of Choueiri Group, has signed with independent video technology company, JW Player to serve outstream video advertising across all of Choueiri Group’s partnering publisher websites in the Middle East. The new partnership will off er Choueiri Group and DMS increased control of the monetisation of their outstream video advertising. JW Player pioneered video on the web over a decade ago and continues to innovate as the world’s largest independent platform for video delivery and intelligence. Media companies including Fox, VICE, Insider, and Univision, in addition to hundreds of thousands of creators of all types and sizes, rely on JW Player to deliver and monetise their content across all devices. JW Player’s global footprint of over 2 billion unique devices creates a powerful data graph of unique Robycam Germany, based in Bingen am Rhein, Germany, has changed its name to Birds Camera Solutions. Birds Camera continues its business activities unchanged and continues to off er a range of cable camera systems as rentals for productions. In addition, the range of systems has been expanded to include smaller cable camera systems. A new addition to the system portfolio is the Birds Cam System, which is particularly suitable for smaller venues or studios because of its compact winches and camera head dimensions. The company currently off ers a range of systems deploying the Birds Cam, Robycam Compact and Robycam 3D, CHOUIERI SELECTS JW PLAYER FOR OUTSTREAM VIDEO AD-SERVINGARABSAT ROBYCAM RENAMED TO BIRDS CAMERA IN-TEXT VIDEO ADVERTISING TO GIVE PUBLISHERS MORE FLEXIBILITY AND CONTROL BIRDS CAMERA CONTINUES BUSINESS UNCHANGED OFFERING RANGE OF CABLE CAMERA SYSTEMS for the viewers.” DMS’s chief operating offi cer, Michel Malkoun added: “Working with JW Player’s technology provides our team with increased fl exibility over our outstream video advertising revenues, enabling us to speak with buyers directly and give them more choice of inventory among the premium independent digital inventory we have in the Middle East.” smaller aerial camera system, we have renamed the company to Birds Camera Solutions. The name change underpins our growing range of cable camera systems. No matter what production in what location, our customers can rely on our services to always provide the right solution to shoot exceptional images.” consumer insights and generates billions of incremental video views. DMS’ large sales team will now be able to off er direct and programmatic video advertising to buyers and agencies in the region. Adverts will be served directly into both horizontal and vertical video ad units in the text on the site, without the need for video content. Speaking about the development, Ryan Beebe, SVP global sales at JW Player comments, “DMS is using our video player technology to build its own outstream video advertising infrastructure, complementing its reputation as the region’s most progressive online video powerhouse. Its large sales team can tap into its long-standing relationships and scale up the number of video ad units within the text to cater to fl uctuations in demand and sell it directly to advertisers and their agencies throughout the Middle East, whilst creating a native experience which all can be used in a wide variety of locations and productions. For customers, everything stays unchanged. Both the team with two managing directors Stefan Breder and Philip von Senden, as well as contact details, remain the same. Breder said: “With the addition of the NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 7 NEW CANON CAMERA CAPABLE OF 8K VIDEO IN THE WORKS Canon Middle East has re- vealed that development of the EOS R5, a full frame mir- rorless camera, is currently under- works. The EOS R5 will have features such as high-resolution, 8K video and image stabilisation. The new camera, that’s built on the EOS R platform, will have 12fps using the mechanical shutter and the elec- tronic shutter off ering 20fps. Canon says this combination of speed will appeal to everyone from wedding to wildlife photographers. The EOS R5 will also have a better image stabilisation system newly developed by Canon. Binoj Nair, the Marketing Director B2C Business Unit, Canon Middle East said: “The EOS R5 belongs in the hands of photographers, fi lmmakers and ultimately, storytellers. With its 8k video capability, we’re thrilled to witness this innovative mirrorless device capture outstanding content. The EOS R System stands as the new fl agship Canon mirrorless camera, delivering timeless quality and equip- ping users with the means of bringing remarkable stories to life.” MBC4’s new romantic drama Arous Beirut doubled the channel’s primetime audience on its debut in September, according to IPTV return path audience measurement from mena.tv. The Arabic drama series, based on the Turkish format, has built on its initial success and continues to grow in popularity. It is now delivering a TV viewership in the UAE roughly three times the average primetime audience for MBC4, again based on mena.tv data. “We’re really excited to see how our audience has fallen in love with Arous Beirut” commented Lina Matta, channel director for MBC 2, MBC 4, MBC Max & MBC Variety. “It’s only the beginning of the exciting line-up viewers can expect from MBC4 over the coming year”. The drama is one of several high MBC’S AROUS BEIRUT IS A MAJOR SUCCESS DRAMA IS ONE OF SEVERAL HIGH QUALITY ORIGINAL AND SCRIPTED FORMATS AIRED OUTSIDE THE RAMADAN PROGRAMMING NEW SONY SMARTPHONE TO DOUBLE UP AS BROADCAST TERMINAL SONY IS, THROUGH THIS DEVICE, LOOKING TO ENTICE CONTENT CRE- ATORS AND BROADCAST PROFESSIONALS Sony has vetted the appetite of audiences around the world with the Xperia Pro 5G. Sony is, through this device, looking to entice video creators. The fi rm’s current fl agship is the Xperia 1 II featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 6.5-inch 21:9 4K HDR OLED display. The Xperia Pro will support high-speed mmWave 5G tech and pack an HDMI port with the phone potentially capable of receiving 4K video signal. The phone’s display would lend itself as a monitor for content creators, capture device and even quality original and scripted formats being produced and aired outside the traditional Ramadan season. Its success is bound to encourage more broadcasters to look at audience opportunities for outside the traditional Ramadan. The show doubled the channel’s primetime audience according to a mena.tv. report. omnidirectional communications and ultra-fast mmWave speeds. Sony said: “Xperia PRO supports professional broadcast video transmission workfl ows by visualising and confi rming communication status.” Meanwhile the HDMI port will increase connectivity to any DSLR camera or pro camcorder and “transmit broadcast video data during shooting to a server or cloud via 5G connections.” a broadcast terminal. The latter will be aided by 4-way antenna and “low permittivity materials” that allow for 360-degree A new smartphone from Sony lends itself to broadcast engineers. NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.com8 / MARCH 2020 Louis Hernandez, Jr was the former boss of Gras Valley competitor Avid. Black Dragon Capital has completed an agreement with Belden Inc. in which it will acquire Grass Valley, a leading supplier of broadcast and media solutions for the production and distribution of high quality content worldwide. The deal, which will be fi nalised during Q1 2020, will transfer full control of all Grass Valley assets to Black Dragon, which plans to leverage Grass Valley’s intellectual property and talent to drive innovation and lead the industry’s migration to a software-based future. There are no immediate changes planned to Grass Valley’s operational management structure and Tim Shoulders will continue in his role as BLACK DRAGON CAPITAL SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE GRASS VALLEY PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM, LED BY FORMER AVID BOSS LOUIS HERNANDEZ JR., PLANS TO ACCELERATE MIGRATION TO SOFTWARE-DRIVEN BROADCAST SYSTEMS in an ideal situation to lead the market through these changes. Under Belden’s leadership, the Grass Valley solutions portfolio has expanded and the business has developed a discipline that puts them in the upper quartile of the market in profi tability. Black Dragon’s experience leading companies through digital transitions will allow Grass Valley to accelerate the next step in its evolution, bringing more innovative products to market faster.” In his time as CEO of Avid, Hernandez spearheaded the ground-breaking strategy to transition the company’s core product off erings to solutions that enabled smooth and simple content sharing and distribution workfl ows. president. Black Dragon’s founder and CEO, Louis Hernandez, Jr. commented, “We see tremendous opportunity for transformation in the media technology market and believe that Grass Valley is NEWS UPDATE www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 9 Next >