Dubai Studio City Smoothes Way for Paris Hilton Reality Show in Dubai

Dubai Studio City (DSC), the dedicated film production cluster and a member of TECOM Investments, announced today that it has smoothed the way for a season of Paris Hilton’s My New BFF to be shot on-location in Dubai in the coming month.

DSC facilitated the government approvals and locations approval through the Dubai Studio City’s Location Approval Services (LAS) department, as well as arranging sponsorship for show.

Viola Communications has been engaged to handle day-to-day production of the show, which is based on a format that has proven successful in both the US and the UK. In this version Paris will visit Dubai and invites potential best friends to compete in tests of loyalty, endurance and girl politics to find her perfect Best Friend Forever (BFF).

Jamal Al Sharif, Executive Director, Dubai Studio City, said: “A secure operational environment, remarkably attractive locales, incomparable logistical advantages and an expanding local talent base have made Dubai the preferred destination for film and television production.

“The decision to film the latest installment of Paris Hilton’s reality show in Dubai is a testament to our success in establishing Dubai as a preeminent and unique location for television production by facilitating the creation and development of an environment and world-class infrastructure to foster the growth of the television, film and music industries in the region.”

(LAS) department is the exclusive authority for issuing all shooting approvals in Dubai, LAS industry data collected over the past three years shows a strong and growing demand for production services., The department achieved a 33 percent growth from 2007 to 2008, receiving 1100 applications in 2008.

Mary Ghobrial, Project consultant, Viola Communications said: “TECOM Investments has been extremely supportive since the beginning of the project. The Dubai Studio City team has been instrumental in acquiring government approvals as well as the locations approval. They also greatly assisted us in finding sponsors for the programme Dubai is now a very attractive destination for the film industry.”

Spread over an area of 22 million sq ft, Dubai Studio City has 14 fully equipped sound stages, a 3.5 million sq ft back lot for outdoor shooting, commercial offices, pre-built studios, a business centre and post-production studios. The first phase of the development includes three sound stages – one 15,000 sq ft unit and two units of 25,000 sq ft each.

Dubai International Financial Centre Gets Full-Service Immigration Office for Convenience of Member Firms

A VIP delegation from the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Administration (DNRA), paid an official visit to the full-service immigration office at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which caters to the needs of the growing DIFC community.Marwan Lootah, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at the DIFC Authority, welcomed the top-level delegation, which was led by Lt. Col. Awad Alowaim, Assitant Director for Management and Finance.

Members of the high-ranking DNRA delegation included Lt. Col. Khalifa Matar Mubarak, Assistant Director for External Centres Sector, as well as Khalid Adullkarim, Director of Finance and Investment; and 1st. Lieutenant Salem Bin Ali Head of Naturalization & Residency – DIFC.

Marwan Lootah, DIFC Authority Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, said: “We have created a lifestyle option at the DIFC, making it a preferred destination to live and work in for the global financial industry.

“Today, the DIFC is ranked the world’s fastest growing international financial hub. We have 20 of the world’s top 25 banks and 6 of the world’s 10 largest asset managers. Attracting top institutions from across the world has been helped in a major way by the ease of doing business from the DIFC. The partnership with the DRNA has brought another added convenience to the DIFC Community,” Lootah added.

LT. Col. Awadh Al Owaim Director of General Dep. Of Human Resourses & Finance at Department of Naturalization & Residency– Dubai (DNRD) said, "This visit comes in line with strengthening the strategic partnership and finding ways for collaboration with DIFC. He stressed the Department’s efforts to expand its corporate and community relations to execute one of the strategic plan goals that the Department pursues and to reinforce the integral and strong role between DNRD and its major strategic partners so they can achieve security system for the community in the Emirate of Dubai.

Lt. Col. Khalifa Matar Mubarak Asst Manager of External Centres Sections praised the efforts of staff in specialised areas at DIFC and pledged to overcome any obstacles facing them. He asserted his endeavour to enhance DNRD work at DIFC through creating a distinguished work environment to raise the performance level and support the sense of professional dedication of staff.This strengthens DNRD role, according to Balqoubaa, and its responsibilities in community through its contribution to the development of its political systems and internal communications and sustainability of the high quality and excellence in achievement.

Dubai Emerging As Compelling Destination For Film Production And Broadcast Industries

A secure operational environment, remarkably attractive locales, incomparable logistical advantages and an expanding local talent base have made Dubai and the UAE the most preferred destination for pre- and post production activities of global television and film companies.

Probably, the most telling factor above all these is the presence of Dubai Studio City, a film and broadcast industry-dedicated free zone cluster and a member of TECOM Investments. The cluster is an all-encompassing destination that offers enabling facilities for design, visual effects and music composition in addition to pre-built studios, sound stages, training academies and a business centre.

Jamal Al Sharif, Executive Director, Dubai Studio City, said: “As a destination that offers a wide range of compelling locales for film shoots, Dubai appeared on the radar of global studios and major producers following the tremendous success of Dubai Media City – the first project in TECOM Investment’s media cluster.

“By 2005, when Dubai Studio City was launched as a logical evolution of the media sector’s growth and an additional component of the TECOM cluster, global film and broadcast industries were increasingly looking at Dubai as an alternate destination. The state-of-the-art infrastructure at the free zone especially generated substantial interest among the global filmmakers.”

DSC’S single-window Location Approval Services (LAS) department expedites and facilitates the approval process for all film shoots and photography activities in Dubai and the UAE. Providing a full bouquet of enabling services including location scouting, visa, travel, accommodation arrangements and access to talent, the LAS department achieved a 33 percent growth from 2007 to 2008.

The enabling advantages offered by Dubai and key entities such as Dubai Studio City have been strongly endorsed by some of the film and TV production companies based in the emirate.

Tim Smythe, CEO, Filmworks, says: “For over 10 years, Filmworks has serviced numerous feature films from the US, Middle East and India, including the Warner Bros. film Syriana and Universal Pictures’ The Kingdom. We have recently completed principal photography for City of Life, which is the first multi-lingual feature film to be written and directed by Emirati Ali F. Mostafa and produced with UAE funding, intended for both local and international release. City of Life allows us to showcase Emirati talent internationally and create and sustain our own home grown film industry.”

Dubai already offers a vast talent pool – both on-screen and off-screen. Through training programmes and partnerships, Dubai Studio City aims to ensure this talent pool of professionals and freelancers continues to grow steadily.

Not surprisingly, the current global economic crisis has provided more opportunities for film and broadcast production companies in the region to turn around the slump in market moods with enhanced creative solutions.

Georgina Hockley, General Manager, Bareface Production, points out: “Creativity and innovation are keys to the success of any business, especially in the creative industry during the current difficult phase that has made conditions tough for businesses all over the world.

“Moreover, economic difficulty not only demands businesses to be innovative, but also resilient and resourceful. Bare Face is one of the very first stills production companies to operate in Dubai and this gives us a number of advantages. Our solid supplier and partner network allows us room to be creative with our offerings to our clients. In addition, we also think of these ‘down times’ as times to introspect, and devise internal development plans to ensure that we will come back stronger in serving our clients once economic conditions get better.”

Underlining the fact that Dubai is by far the best equipped location with the latest technologies, talent and expertise that may somewhat still be lacking in other parts of the region, Georgina Hockley adds: “This in turn means that it remains more cost-effective than other places and also the most convenient in terms of saving clients’ time, effort and resources.”

Dubai’s efforts are already beginning to pay off. Interestingly, an increasing number of projects come from well-developed film and entertainment markets such as Egypt, India, the US and the UK. Filmmakers from other regions’ emerging industries have also shown their preference for Dubai as a location for pre- as well as post-production activities.

Ian Ross, Producer, Central Films, says: "Most of our clients make us compete against Beirut in Lebanon or Cape Town in South Africa for shooting TV commercials. While Beirut has the advantage of lower production costs and Cape Town offers more varied locations, we still win clients with our whitest-sand beaches, great sand dunes and desert, stunning mountain roads and strikingly modern skyline and city landscape. Clients especially like the very safe environment as well as the much shorter flights from Europe and the Far East."

Looking forward, Al Sharif of Dubai Studio City, elaborates: “This year has ushered in a mixed bag of challenges for the world and it is imperative that we at Dubai Studio City leverage our strengths and turn the challenges into new opportunities. However, in the current economic climate, prudence is the watchword and markets should be assessed carefully, so that every emerging opportunity is capitalized at the right time.

“In terms of talent, industry knowledge and world-class facilities, we are confident the Dubai Studio City community is well positioned to adapt to the new economic landscape that works to the overall benefit of the media in the region. We expect five-to-10 per cent growth in 2009, despite the adverse impacts of the global financial crisis as we believe the entertainment business goes on during the good and the bad times.”

Currently, companies from Europe, the US and the Far East including countries such as India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan are the most interested in choosing Dubai as a location for their productions.

Spread over an area of 22 million sq ft, Dubai Studio City will feature 14 fully equipped sound stages, a 3.5 million sq ft backlot for outdoor shooting, commercial offices, pre-built studios, a business centre and post-production studios. The first phase of the development includes three sound stages – one 15,000 sq ft unit and two units of 25,000 sq ft each.

DED Organises Workshop For Canadian Business Council

The Department of Economic Development (DED) organized an informative workshop for more than 30 members of the Canadian Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The initiative is the first in a series of meetings that DED is conducting with various business councils, and is aimed at enhancing bilateral relations and expanding the scope of businesses in Dubai.

Ahmed Ibrahim, Director, Customer Relations of the Business Registration and Licensing Division at DED, presented an extensive brief on the business registration process including how to choose the type of a business activity to practice, apply for a trade license, determine all related activates to be included within the chosen business license and determine the appropriate business legal form for individual establishments, commercial companies, civil companies, private/public joint stock company and limited liability company.

Mr Ibrahim explained the terms and conditions for operating economic activities in Dubai and the conditions for selecting and approving trade names.

Mr Mohammed Shael, CEO, Business Registration and Licensing Division at DED, received the visiting members. He said that Dubai’s dynamic economic environment encourages investors to choose the emirate as a preferred destination for businesses. He said that the pioneering initiatives and projects have positioned Dubai as the economic hub of the Middle East region.

“The DED focuses on enhancing the economic development of the emirate, increasing its competitiveness and reviewing laws for the benefit of the business community,” added Shael.

“The UAE and Dubai have long-standing trade and economic relations with Canada and the visit today will go a long way towards strengthening it,” said Mr Shael.

Dubai Airports Launches New Facility For Executive Flights Centre

Dubai Airports has officially launched the all-new Executive Flights Centre (EFC) – the premier VIP terminal and executive travel facility at Dubai International.

The announcement was made on November 16, the opening day of Middle East Business Aviation conference and exhibition (MEBA 2008) at a press conference. The event also witnessed the unveiling of EFC’s new brand identity, which follows the re-branding of Dubai Airports and its associated entities late last year.

Located close to Dubai International’s Terminal 2, the new VIP terminal for EFC includes a 5,500 square-metre two-storey main building, a 3,700 square metre hangar, a 3,700 square metre ramp area for aircraft parking, and a special VIP car park for long term parking. The new facility makes EFC the largest dedicated business aviation terminal of its kind in the Middle East.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said: “This development is part of our strategy to cope with the rapid growth of the business aviation sector in Dubai and in line with the greater objective of making Dubai the most preferred destination for international business and tourism.”

Hailing the Middle East’s business aviation sector as the fastest growing in the world, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said Dubai has immense potential to continue leading the regional industry and sustain the existing growth-rate.

He added: “The larger, state-of-the-art EFC facility translates into additional capacity and the latest in technology to enable us to serve our customers better.”

Commenting on the new EFC terminal, Jamal Bin Krishan, Head of Executive Services at Dubai Airports, said the demand for EFC services has been increasing at a rapid rate, especially over the recent years. “In 1988, the year that EFC was opened, 208 flight movements were recorded. Last year, the total number of flight movements at the EFC terminal reached 9,432, while this year the figure already stands at 7,050 for the first three quarters of 2008,” he said.

EFC is very popular among celebrities – from showbiz figures to sport stars, businessmen, as well as large corporate entities, for the VIP treatment, prompt service and privacy the terminal offers.

EFC terminal has its own dedicated immigration and customs sections – it is the only terminal in the Middle East to boast e-Gates for quick immigration clearance; its very own Dubai Duty Free outlet, a fully equipped business/conference centre, eight luxury private lounges, and a limousine service between aircraft and the terminal. Customers arriving into Dubai at EFC can also book for a wide range of exotic cars.

The terminal’s ramp area can accommodate up to 22 small-sized private jets such as the Lear Jet or Hawker; or between eight to 12 medium sized jets such as the Challenger or Falcon. It can accommodate up to three large sized jets like the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the 727 or the Airbus 319.