Creator Sessions

We have a very special guest in this episode, it's Rami Zeidan, Head of Video and Creative at TikTok in the region. Rami (thankfully) agreed to join us on zoom so we could record this talk, safely from our homes. Tune in for a first-hand view of how the platform has been adapting to the changes of COVID, helping communities to feel more connected and helping organizations like WHO and UNICEF to connect with a younger audience in a meaningful way. We also talk through his perspectives on: - TikTok usage and trends since COVID-19 quarantine started - working from home, while running a team, enjoying family time and connecting with new and old hobbies - dive into how, in this situation, Digital/ Tech companies might be more positively affected right now - and the outcomes that we, as communities, might see as a positive impact after COVID-19 If you're listening to this and feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or anxious about where we are heading, we hope you find as much joy and inspiration in this episode a

Dirk Stevens, CEO of TaskSpotting joins Daly in our studio to share his journey from FinTech to starting his business. TaskSpotting (recently acquired by Crowd Analyzer) works with brands to activate consumer-created content, at scale. It’s cool. - Dirk compares entrepreneurship to Breaking Bad (surprising, yet accurate) - We find out how brands can activate "everyday influencers" to test their products in new markets These startup stories are absolute fuel for the brain, tune in and let us know what YOU think!

Uncovering key strategies to become future-ready in business and all areas of life with John Sanei. John is a best-selling author and Singularity University faculty member, with insights that stem from a deep understanding in psychology, tech and disruption. In this episode, we explore how to follow our curiosity and approach the future with all the creativity, flexibility and optimism that it deserves. His latest book is called FOREsight, check it out here: How do we thrive in a fast-changing world in which we are torn between the rigid rules of industrial society and the flexible creativity that the future demands, between the certainty and safety of yesterday and the freedom and anxiety of tomorrow? FOREsight is a collection of 20 scenarios that combine human psychology and futurism to help you connect the invisible dots between the reality we perceive and the abundant, optimistic future we can create. His unlimited fascination with the future has seen him become Africa’s first faculty member at

Catching up with Omar Tom, the brilliant, storyteller, founder, and co-host of the Dukkan Show.  In this episode we talked about the intersectionality of culture and the youth. We tapped into some insightful content creation tips for brands aiming to speak to the varied subcultures across the city. This episode speaks to brands, artists, marketers, influencers and anyone in the creative space. Ideas have been sparked! We can’t wait for you to tune in and listen to these pioneers in their element!   About: The Dukkan Show is a podcast that delivers a sonic experience, showcasing the great conversations friends have when they hang out at their respective dukkan stoop. Dukkan Show is the voice of Neo-Bedouins and the home of the others. The term Dukkan literally means shop in Arabic.

When we heard our friend Brian Keane was in town we couldn’t just let him pass by without sharing some mind-bending stories with Tom and Dia. In this special episode, we talk about the upcoming release of his new book 'Rewire Your Mindset', how to quit self-sabotaging and hit your goals in business and life.  As always the guys some epic adventures and mindset hacks. This episode got us thinking about mental endurance and pushing through our own perceived limits. Please enjoy! If you want to hear more, here are the links to previous episodes with Brian and Tom: Don't let your excuses today become your regrets tomorrow - BKF Podcast UTMB Ultra Marathon Running for 42hrs straight and developing a f*** it mindset - BKF Podcast 

Our Head of Social Media, Daly taking over the podcast this week to sit down with Ahmed Saad, CEO, and co-founder of Crowd Analyzer, the leading Arabic social media listening platform in the Region. This session was extra special being that it’s our first podcast episode in Arabic! Hear how Ahmed quit his job and started his entrepreneurial journey with his business partner Bahaa Galal There were some ups, some downs and funny stories along the way Ahmed and Daly share their thoughts on how company culture is formed And an exclusive scoop on some exciting news for the Crowd Analyzer team! Crowd Analyzer has skyrocketed since it launched, evolving into the first Arabic-focused social media monitoring tool, serving top-notch firms and companies such as Mckinsey & Co., UBER, PWC, and many more. If you're tuning in, please hit us up and let us know if you want more episodes in Arabic! 

Joined by the incredible Mr. Paul Evans, to talk about his journey in entrepreneurship, from Egypt to Dubai, building Solutions Leisure into the multi-million-dollar business it is today. As well as a little taste of his new book “When I Woke Up”, which will be released early November. We hope you’ll be as inspired by this story as we are. It’s about decision making, conviction, not dwelling on losses and pushing forward to be the best version of yourself. If you’re looking for a wake up call, this might be it! For more information about Paul and where you can find the book, check this out: https://www.wheniwokeup.com/my-book/ "The True Story of Paul Evans written by Carolyn Coe – is one man’s inspiring story of starting rough, making mistakes, personal suffering and the raw grit it takes to get back up when life deals the heaviest blows. Told with his authentic humour and frank wit, this is an up front and personal account of a life of full of jaw dropping, gut wrenching and heart warming events that w

We're honored to have Aby Sam Thomas, Editor in Chief at Entrepreneur Magazine, on the other side of the interview for a change.  Tune in to hear how Aby quit his job as a software engineer for a career in journalism.   Finding stories across NYC to interviewing the top Entrepreneurs in the Middle East. This is pure inspiration for anyone looking to make a big change or chase a dream. (Aby - We hope to read all the early NYC stories in your book one day!)

Catching up with Waleed Shah to talk about art, mental health and his campaign 'Rock Your Ugly’, which has been gaining amazing feedback, globally. In this episode: Waleed shares the beautiful and heartbreaking motivation behind his recent #RockYourUgly campaign, the intersection between mental health and body image and the power of human connection through storytelling What are your thoughts? 

This is the most epic tale of how we got started on a 5 man desk in the business centre, to building out a 75+ team, named in Adweek’s 100 Fastest Growing Agencies list! To tell it, we got Tom, Dia and Matthew together to reflect on the agency’s early days and share some of our greatest hits. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we do, this is about taking risks, grabbing opportunities and going ‘all in’!

This week we sat down with a very special guest, most of you know the voice from your morning drive, he is golden, he's also a startup founder and a long time friend of our hosts, Kris Fade. The guys go way back, sharing stories of how it all began, before Create Media and Create Production were born. And we covered just about everything from: - how digital media has transformed advertising channels for Radio hosts and stations - Kris finds his listeners are more engaged and connected than ever thanks to the integration of social media and the show - the key to connecting with 160k plus following on instagram - We loved hearing about what drives Kris to build his businesses - Fade Fit and Fade Fit Kids on top of his full time schedule In case you don't know, Fade Fit Kids snack is a healthy, affordable, nut-free kids snack with no artificial additives. Prior to the show we had a business meeting with Kris and his daughters Noushie and Kikki who you'll hear at the end of this episode in: - possibly t

In this episode with Richard FitzGerald, founder of Lovin’ Dubai, our host Tom Otton and special guest Daly (our head of Social Media) we get into some interesting topics for anyone interested in new media and social media agencies.  Find out why Rich left his role as #socialmedia director in a big media agency, let go of his salary and jumped into life as an entrepreneur in Dubai.  We loved hearing about how Lovin'Dubai was created and how this business continues to evolve with We are Augustus, SmashiTv and Lovin Saudi Rich shares, * how to recognize #trends in new media and how to act fast, #strategically * advice for brands who want a piece of #meme marketing and more * growth hacking and hitting daily views targets to get to where they are We’re left with lot’s to think about for sure. Let us know your feedback, we’d love to hear from you!

This is for anyone looking to adapt their marketing strategies with creative, smart, new insights from an agency and global brand perspective.  We invited / coerced our favorite adventurer and film friend, Charbel to join us for this one, bringing to the table some his experiences as the Head of Marketing MENA at Sony Pictures (by day) and @wheresmybackpack (his after hours instagram life). Both are worth great discussion! We covered;  How to tap into niche audiences by finding new and unexpected ways to engage people, outside of traditional marketing ways.  What really stood out was the takeaways from #sonypictures social media strategies and how it’s being applied to Hollywood productions, across the globe.   How influencers are playing a role in bringing new audience reach to the big screen Check out the Spider-Man content here, as referenced in the show - we're proud to have produced this piece for the opening weekend of Spider-Man Far From Home to a local audienc

Why? Well, if you've been following the last few interviews on our show, you've heard some pretty inspiring stories from guests who started with the same questions / fears holding them back at first, but somehow managed to take the first steps to start their own businesses.  In the previous episodes we've covered how to: calculate risks and protect against the downside fear-setting and many other useful tools Now it’s time to answer these questions: Why does the world need my business? Is this a hobby, or an actual business?   Who exactly is my customer and how am I going to speak to them?   Have I planned the financials and how much am I willing to lose before I stop? In other words, what exactly is the downside?   How do i build an audience before selling your product/service? How do I know when my product is ready to make money?  Truth, we’ve actually snuck in a few extra valuable points as well, have a listen and hit us up!  We want to hear your ques

In this episode, our friend Holly Smith - founder of @smithstpaleo

This is a two part series about Culture. This week on the show, Tom Otton and Dia Hassan dug into some of the important strategies that help create a healthy culture for the workplace. They shared  insights behind our own agency growth and how creating the right working environment and space has helped shape the culture and the way people are interacting.... Bringing more humanity into the workplace and focusing on individuals and team culture as much as performance and metrics, to be able to create a culture of respect... This is where team culture starts. We hope this adds value to you or find some good insights to apply to your own business in some way. Check it out and let us know.

This week on #thecreatorsessions we went deep on mental health in the workplace, specifically talking about 'Imposter Syndrome' and where it comes from... - Have you ever felt like your achievements are just down to luck or circumstance and not down to you?  -That everyone seems smarter than you and that maybe you don’t deserve the job/promotion/accolades/personal relationship etc?  -70% of the population experiences this, it’s perfectly natural, but it’s something that you can and should deal with before it develops into anxiety, or more.  We hope that together we can open up more conversations about workplace mental health, especially in the agency world.

This week on the show we’re talking about the special relationship between brands and agencies, joined by our friend and marketing pundit Stephan Muller aka @stephanrunsdxb Stephan's a smart guy who recently moved over to Porsche as marketing and events manager, following 6yrs with Nike and brings a lot of high-level insight to this discussion.  In this episode: Stephan, Tom Otton and Dia Hassan get real about the marketing challenges they face in the marketing, content and production landscape  Exploring where some relationships are breaking down and what can be improved How briefings with agencies could be structured and immersive  The guys also share some biohacking routines to start your day and what Dia learned from his unsuccessful attempt at 24hrs of silence, while trying to deliver for a big client. It’s smart, it's funny and truly going to be valuable to anyone who’s trying to build themselves up on a professional and personal level.  Check it out!

If you’re trying to build a rocket ship of a brand with a solid growth plan, tune in now... In this episode, we're talking about:   Effective #delegation  Creating leaders across the team  Building confidence   Commander’s Intent - take-away from Jocko Willink’s Dichotomy of #Leadership  Better communication  Clarify & Verify (this is a game-changer, picked up from Tony Robbins at his Business Mastery event)  We hope you find something useful to take away and go smash through new heights!

This week Tom + Dia discuss *old vs new leadership styles*, drawing on valuable lessons from managing different types of teams. If you’re looking for more discussion and #actionable insights around;  *Ownership - Fostering a culture of teamwork and results starts from the top  *Being of Service to your team  *Empathy  *Facilitating - it’s not your job to know all the answers but it is your job to find all the answers