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: Free Zones in the UAE |
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twofour54
[twofour54] |
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TwoFour54 debuts Abu Dhabi studios
Twofour54’s sparkling new Abu Dhabi ‘intaj’ facility
was opened Sunday Sept 27 at a VIP-rich event,
promising to bring a fresh approach to Middle East
production and post-production demands.
Tony Orsten, CEO at twofour54 (named after Abu
Dhabi’s 24 deg North, 54 deg East geographic
coordinates) said the studios were not just to
create extra hours of new MENA content, important as
that is. “Today’s launch introduces the final
component of twofour54’s content creation community,
which is designed to facilitate the development of a
sustainable media industry in the MENA region.”
He explained that some 450 people had already
‘graduated’ through the company’s ‘tedreeb’ training
academy helped by its partner organisations such as
the BBC and Thomson Reuters.
At twofour54’s heart is a 6-studio complex,
available on a ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ basis, and complete
with edit suites, post-production facilities, sound,
graphics, and all the other elements expected by
today’s demanding producers. The six studios are
headed by a 650 sq m beast, a pair of 280 sq m
spaces (both already fully hired) and two 60 sq m
‘babies’, each and every one fully equipped with
Sony HDC-1500 HDTV cameras, and the sort of
technical provision that would make any studio
manager green with envy. “And not a tape machine in
the building,” said Orsten.
But there’s more. Just 3 miles away at Khalifa Park,
adjacent to the city’s National Theatre site,
twofour54 has another complex of buildings,
including an impressive Penthouse studio being
readied for CNN’s new Middle East operational hub.
From this set of buildings some 20 channels can be
ingested and played out to fibre or satellite –
again all in HD if needed, and Orsten said they are
very much aware of 3D in the production matrix.
But perhaps even more important than the bricks,
mortar, glass and thousands of miles of fibre, is a
fresh approach to permitting freelance staff into
the Emirate. Nearby Dubai, itself no slouch as far
as media development is concerned, charges
freelancers a 24,000 Dirhams (about $6500) annual
fee. Orsten, while not putting a price on the
anticipated charge for Abu Dhabi hinted that it
would be “very competitive” and formally announced
at the end of October. Freelancers can then get a
UAE residence visa and will be eligible to work at
twofour54 or any of company’s partners – including
Abu Dhabi TV, CNN, Atlas TV, C-Sky Pictures, or the
other partners already in train but not yet
announced. |
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Courtesy Rapid
TV News
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Hot
properties in UAE - Freehold |
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