A company focused on supporting regional talent gain the recognition it deserves 

United Arab Emirates, 13 October 2022: Industry veterans, Emad Morcos, former OSN Chief Content and Commercial Officer; Amanda Turnbull, previous General Manager at Warner Bros Discovery Middle East, Africa and Turkey; and Amel Farag, former Head of Content Commercial Strategy at OSN, announce the launch of Rise Studios. With over seven decades of experience between them, the leadership team for Rise Studios is driving investment into local content and talent to place homegrown productions on regional and global platforms. 

The entertainment company is building out a diverse and collaborative ecosystem from both in front of and behind the camera, drawn from the Middle East and North Africa. This new venture is deeply committed to nurturing editorial and operational talent, ensuring the region’s potential is further unlocked and connected with leading regional and global platforms. With knowledge fueled by data-driven insights and commercial expertise, Rise Studios develops bespoke content for movie chains, streaming platforms, free-to-air television, digital and social media channels. 

First to join the group are Egyptian scripted series and movie specialist, Partner Pro, and advertising creative house ASAP headed by renowned film director Sherif Arafa and Amin El Masri; along with Lebanese and UAE based factual reality specialist Different Productions, headed by Mazen Laham; and Watan Network headed by Bassel Khair. Also within the ecosystem is Black Typhoon headed by Omar Hussein, which is funded for the specific development of original content in Saudi Arabia.  

Partner Pro produced the regional hit Finding Ola and is in pre-production for a second season of this popular Netflix show. Different Productions is set to launch Dubai Bling with Netflix on the 27th October 2022, having successfully launched Chopped with DubaiTV and Say Yes to the Dress with Discovery and Starzplay Arabia. Watan Network is one of the largest multi-channel networks in the Arab world with over 5 billion combined views monthly and 14 billion watch time minutes per month on YouTube, Facebook and Snap. Black Typhoon is an established Saudi Arabian producer whose founding team have over 10 years of experience creating content for platforms including UTurn, OSN and MBC. 

“We are excited to join this collaborative ecosystem of like-minded professionals with the aim of producing even more groundbreaking content that will ultimately result in further growth and expansion for our business,” commented Amin El Masri, Executive Producer for Partner Pro. 

“Joining this group of industry professionals that will connect our talent with the right platforms, plus tapping into the core business function support that Rise offers, will enable us to focus even more on creative development and longer-term content planning,” added Mazen Laham, Managing Director and Founder for Different Productions. 

“We are very excited to join the Rise Studios family; we have built our core business around digital content consumption and see this relationship as a natural progression.  We understand how important it is to viewers to consume content across all screens and are keen to grow Watan Network further with the addition of new content verticals and Originals for platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Snap and TikTok.,” commented Bassel Khair, Executive Manager for Watan Network.  

“As the Saudi film industry undergoes rapid growth, it is imperative that we create hyper-local content and tell stories from the rich heritage and traditions of the Kingdom. Looking forward to this partnership and how we can tell the best of stories to an audience eagerly waiting for premium quality content,” added Omar Hussein, Founder of Black Typhoon.

Rise Studios leverages its funding to create owned intellectual property (IP) that reflects the regional zeitgeist and delivers the type of content that audiences are looking for. The company is backed by Great Mountain Partners (GMP), a global investor with an exceptional track record of investments specifically in the media and entertainment sector. GMP is known for viewing its investments with longevity and is part of the expansion journeys for acclaimed media groups including Concord, Confluential Films, AiMi and A24. 

“We believe that stories can be told differently and champion rich regional narratives that resonate locally and travel globally, leaving lasting impressions. Through collective commercial expertise and data intelligence, we pinpoint the right content for the right platforms, while discovering, supporting, and giving regional talent the recognition that it deserves,” commented Emad Morcos, Chairman for Rise Studios. 

“We are excited about partnering with Great Mountain Partners for this venture as a specialist media and entertainment investor, with immediate access to an ecosystem of IP producers from across North America and Europe,” commented Amanda Turnbull, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder for Rise Studios. 

To find out more about Rise Studios, please visit the website.