Creator Sessions

Tom & Dia sat down with our new Executive Creative Director, the one and only Kim Jerbo, to talk about his diverse and exciting career trajectory, his approach to the creative process and the dynamics of client-agency relationships across different markets.

Tom & Dia had an inspiring conversation on creativity and the new era of digital marketing with Moadh Bukhash, Chief Marketing Officer of Emirates NBD.   From his unexpected career journey to sharing insights on the evolving marketing landscape, this episode is a must-listen for all creatives and industry enthusiasts.

Majed Al Mansoori, Deputy Executive Director of the Museum of The Future, joined us for a chat about his career growth for the latest episode of Creator Sessions. From youth delegate to engineer to creative marketer and then climbing the ranks at MOTF from Project Manager, Majed has accomplished a lot in just 13 years. 

Welcome to Episode 2 of Create Echo, the mini podcast that’s on its way to becoming your go-to source for anything company, community and industry-related. In this episode, Kate gives us updates about TikTok's Creator Programme, some new developments over at X (formerly Twitter), and more.

Meet marketing maven Katie Golding, Chief Marketing Officer of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG). We had a blast chatting with her on the podcast about everything from her passion for trail running, women’s empowerment in the region, and many anecdotes from her illustrious career.

Introducing: Create Echo

In the final Emirati Women’s Day episode, Tala invited artist and illustrator Aysha Al Hamrani to the podcast. You may know her as @mnawrah online, and her charming illustrations have been featured in everything from cosmetic campaigns to children’s books. They spoke about Emirati culture, Aysha’s highly self-reflective journey as an artist from the days of yore on Flickr & MySpace, and where she is today as a pioneer in her domain.  Find her on Instagram: @mnawrah Fellow artist and friend Maitha Hamdan’s Instagram: @maithahamdan

In the second episode of our special Emirati Women’s Day series, Tala had a fascinating conversation with Aida Al Busaidy—a woman who’s worn many hats (or should we say sheilas?) in her career.  Aida’s impressive journey through the marketing and communications sphere has spanned close to 2 decades and has taken her from journalist to TV presenter to managing campaigns against 30 markets in consumer marketing, featuring everyone from key opinion and community leaders to celebrities. She’s not only the AVP of Consumer Advocacy at Dubai Economy and Tourism but also founded and runs two consultancy firms. She’s a columnist at Harper’s Bazaar too.  Her illustrious career has been recognised through her nominations in the prestigious Ahlan Hot 100 People to Watch in 2011 and Promise of a Generation in 2015. She was also recently recognised as a “Marketing Game Changer” by Campaign Middle East last year. Aida is also a very passionate advocate for women’s rights and social issues. Find her on Instagram: @aidaal

It’s Emirati Women’s Day and this is episode 1 from our three-episode series to celebrate this special day. Here, Tala Mukaddam sat down with Mariam Al Meraikhi, the Communications and Media Consultant for the UAE Year Of team, for a chat about Year of Sustainability, COP28 and Mariam’s own journey in her life and career. Mariam has many titles to her name outside of Consultant, including CEO and co-founder of Astrocloud Studios, National Experts Program Fellow, and UAE 51 National Day committee member. She’s also a passionate sustainability advocate, artist, and storyteller. Find her on Instagram: @mariam.meraikhi Follow UAE Year Of: @UAEYearOf

In this episode of the Creator Sessions, Tom & Dia visit Coca-Cola Arena with General Manager, Mark Jan Kar, in the 17,000-capacity venue to talk about everything from absurd rider requests from artists to how the live entertainment landscape has evolved and changed leading up to the establishment of the impressive arena. About Mark:  Mark Jan Kar is the General Manager at Coca-Cola Arena, spearheading the team in bringing some of the biggest acts and live performances from across the world to Dubai’s home of live entertainment. Having held a number of positions within the senior management team at Coca-Cola Arena, Mark joined as Commercial Director in November 2018, and shortly after took on the role as Head of Commercial and Live in June 2021, overseeing all elements of commercial business and live shows at UAE’s first multipurpose indoor events venue – before being appointed to General Manager in 2021.

For this episode, we were joined by Richard FitzGerald , CEO & Founder of Augusts Media. He’s the man behind all your favourite Lovin’ platforms!

We got three of our production superstars—Dia Hassan, Shona Royston and John Hassan—together for a chat about the rise of new tech in production.    They spoke about the potential and challenges around AI, VR and AR, and the best tools you need in your production tool belt.   Tune in and keep an ear out for our next episode!

We gathered some of our performance, strategy and social experts for a fun chat about what’s coming up in their fields.    Is influencer marketing the way forward? Are dedicated content creators the key to personalising brands? And how can we all stay on-trend when things keep shifting so rapidly?   What did you think? Message us on IG (@creategroup.me) for a chat!

Ever wonder how AI will shape the creative process over the next few years? Earlier this month, we let AI behind the wheel of our social channels in a week long experiment, every visual posted, every word you read—it was all AI. So we invited a few of the creative minds behind the project to talk us through the process and share their thoughts on how AI is already having an impact on the industry. Tune in to hear how it went.

How is the metaverse changing how we communicate with our audiences? How can brands add value in this space? Tune in to our latest episode with the founders of illusorr.com, the world’s first meta-architecture and technology company. We chat about creating cross-platform, virtual brand experiences, what the metaverse means for the #tourism industry, and how it can impact the future. What did you think? Message us on IG (@creategroup.me) for a chat!

We sat down with Trevor McFarlane, founder of Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research (EMIR), to record a new episode of the #creatorsessions podcast.  Trevor brings his wealth of knowledge, regional understanding, and mind-blowing insights to this episode. We discussed: the origin story of EMIR the global economic environment driving factors of positive economic growth in the GCC challenges and opportunities for business leaders in the market About EMIR: Emerging Markets Intelligence and Research is an advisory firm that serves senior business leaders of multinational companies, local family trading conglomerates, SMEs, and government. Driven by a belief in the value of local, high-profile connections and a deep understanding of regional markets, EMIR is a firm that delivers actionable intelligence, connections, and content to over +1,000 decision-makers.

Tune in with our incredible guest Manal Rostom, the founder of Surviving Hijab, the first Egyptian woman to summit Everest, and a prominent marathoner and mountaineer who has achieved many firsts for Arab women. In this episode, Manal shares the most honest and raw experience of her summit - the overwhelming anxiety, discrimination, and imposter syndrome (as well as the beautiful moments and the incredible support of her community and guide). Find out what got her though as she pushed to the top. We hope you enjoy this conversation, it definitely had us on the edge of our seats! About Manal: Manal Rostom is an Egyptian athlete and women’s rights activist who has achieved many firsts for Arab and Egyptian Women. Being the first Egyptian to have completed five out of the six world marathon majors, Rostom is always up for the next challenge. She recently made history by becoming The First Egyptian Woman To Scale Mount Everest and is the founder of world-renowned social media platform @survivinghijab

Look who joined us in the studio, it's our special guest, client, and friend, Anja Petrovski, PR & Marketing Director of VW Middle East.   Anja joined us on the podcast to share valuable experiences and her approach to: Personal growth Leadership & Mentors  Empathy and Trust  Workplace Culture  Agency/Client Relationship  We hope you enjoy the full conversation. More about Anja: Anja has built a reputation, and a strong following, for authentically championing empathetic leadership, personal growth & work-life balance - being a mother and a business leader. If you’re not following her on LinkedIn, you should be! As the PR & Marketing Director of VW Middle East, we’ve had the pleasure of working together for a while now, but this was a great opportunity to learn so much more.

We know how to pick 'em! Tune in with our very special guest, award-winning entrepreneur and culture evangelist, Lucy d'Abo to learn more about how Lucy and her team at Together are helping companies across the region to shape their culture and move forward in this new normal that we are all navigating since the start of the pandemic. We discuss and share experiences around: - Leadership and building a business, going through a sale and starting again - we love hearing about those aha moments that lead people to exciting places - What's happening in workplace culture in the region as well as global trends - Why investing in the best culture is critical for success and longevity We loved this conversation and definitely wanted to pick Lucy's brain for more! Let us know what you think.  

Welcome back to the podcast with a very special guest, Futures Strategist, bestselling author and one of our favourite people to chat to about mind-blowing