In 2020, the media and the entertainment market was valued at USD 30,349.4 million and as per reports, it is expected to reach USD 47,029.82 million by 2026. The same reports also suggest that the industry could see a CAGR growth of 7.4 percent during the 2021-2026 period. With over 3 million internet subscriptions in the UAE, as per findings till March 2021, mobile penetration is further driving digital advertising growth in the MENA region. With more than half of all global ad investments devoted to digital promotion, the MENA region alone is expected to contribute around USD 7.9 billion by 2024.
The voiceover industry is a niche industry with artists recommended for a wide range of projects, including audiobooks, commercials, documentaries, educational videos, corporate promotional materials, apps, toys, announcements, and phone prompts, as well as fictional media like animated films, dubbed series, video games, and radio dramas.
In our tryst to further unravel the influence of audio and visual promo across the MENA region, we came across a voice in Dubai. The voice that we have all heard at the Dubai Expo 2020. We tried chasing down the face behind the voice that we heard for Etisalat, Majid Al Futtaim, Dubai Metro, Emirates Airline, Dubai Opera, Rixos Hotels, Nature Valley and many more. We finally tracked down the man, who is popularly christened as ‘Voice of Dubai’. This is an exclusive interaction with Ahmad Haffar, the 28-year old Lebanese, who is the Managing Partner for Mind Loop Studios.
Starting his career as a music coach, producer and composer, Ahmad Haffar shares with us his insights on the growing potential of the media industry in the GCC region
1. Tell us the inspiration behind Mindloop Studios. Tell us about your company, your team, the target clients, some of the most notable works and a few of the current projects.
Mindloop studios is a staple in Dubai for audio production since 2001. Established by my business partner, Ahmad Ghannoum, we currently handle a major portion of voiceover work, advertisement music, branding music, sound design/sound effects for major brands and many more in the Middle East. Our team consists of 8 people, the head of both production and audio headed by an incredibly hungry and talented team with over 10 years of experience, each. Our list of premium clientele includes Etisalat, Du, EXPO, RTA, the UAE Gov., DEWA, Playstation, Emirates Airlines and many more. We have produced most content people enjoy and will continue to do so.
As for our current projects, we are working on the branding music for Sobha Realty, the new major campaigns for Dove, Mashreq Bank & the UAE 52 Year national day, alongside a lot of other surprises. We work with passion, dedication and true talent at competitive prices, considering our size.
2. Share some important chain of events in the past 10 years that pushed you towards entrepreneurship.
I have gone through some of the biggest tragedies in my life in these past 10 years. I am the sole survivor of a fatal car accident that took place in 2012 in Tripoli, Lebanon, which resulted in the deaths of my best friends, Ahmad Dib & Mohammad Al Omar. This accident caused my heart to stop for 46 seconds and yet I managed to come back to life without medical attention, hailing me as a true survivor. Later I went into a state of coma for 1 month and 3 days. After taking 9 months to heal my physical wounds, I came to the UAE at the age of 19 and a half.
After coming to the UAE, I worked as a freelance music producer for brands, a voiceover artist and all things audio. After I became the Managing Partner for Mindloop studios, we have won over 6 awards in my name and another 5 in Mindloop studios’ name since 2017. I have been the youngest person to be featured on the cover of Arabian Business Magazine in 2020. I have also featured on the cover of Friday Magazine, Runway Dubai, Khaleej Times, Gulf News and now, have the honor to be on IBM. Being a school dropout, without a degree, I have trained and perfected my skills and knowledge in music, voice-over and the language of English. We are currently working on building the region’s first school that teaches experience in the creative media field of Audio, Video, Photography and Voiceover.
3. Share your insights on the media industry in the Middle East and in Africa. We would also like to learn your views on the global event management industry.
There is definitely more insight on event management on a global level with the introduction of the METAverse alongside the growing spectrum of both quality and entertainment. As for the media industry in the Middle East and Africa, I am happy to say that the power of audio and music for brands is finally catching wind within this region, which is empowering brands to standout in a brand new manner. We are on the forefront of this innovation as we continue to grow these services beyond their normal means and adapt them to the modern era.
4. Kindly share your thoughts on the future aspects to look forward to as an investor, entrepreneur, musician, artist, performer, and business influencer in the Gulf region, African region, European region and in Asian countries.
The Middle East is finally ripe for growth, I invite every investor, entrepreneur, artist and manager to join us in this ever-growing field of incredible ideas and executions. When you have a painting that’s half full, it is your duty to continue the drawing, to the best of your abilities. Not all of us are as talented as Picasso, but most of us are more than good enough with exemplary dedication and discipline. Africa and Asia are following suit with the European standards on this evolution, as well.
Exclusive Email Interaction with Ujal Nair
