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twofour54, the commercial arm of Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi, will participate in the Middle East Film & Comic Con (MEFCC) 2014, one of the region’s biggest entertainment industry events, where its Creative Campus will sponsor and lead three days of workshops, meet creative talent, and demonstrate animation techniques.

“This imaginative environment is one of the best platforms for twofour54 to connect with locally based talent and grow our creative network,” said Maryam Al Mheiri, Chief Operating Officer at twofour54. “twofour54 has established itself as one of the Middle East’s leading gateway to creative industries and our vision is to enable the development of world-class Arabic media and entertainment content – by Arabs for Arabs.”

“We promote creativity and we are open to new ideas in film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing. Our Creative Campus is the perfect place for Arabs to find out about exciting opportunities and get the guidance and support they need to succeed. Our participation in this event last year resulted in two successful projects, Karouma and Aladdin the bounty hunter,” continued Al Mheiri.

Creative Campus and its partners – the Cartoon Network Animation Academy, the Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft, and SAE Institute – are joining efforts to deliver engaging and interactive sessions to young animators, game developers and movie-makers. Entertainment enthusiasts can attend free interactive sessions and learn practical new skills.

The workshops include So you want to become a game developer, The ins and outs of Motion Graphics, by SAE, Visual Effects for Films and Commercials when Dreams become Truth by Cartoon Network’s Hashem Al Shaer, Showcasing your Creative Work to the World: How to Create your Portfolio by creative lab and 3D Character Creation for Games by Gaming Academy’s Aydin Uluc, Comic Book Illustration by ComicCon Des Taylor.

Activities at twofour54’s stand will include demonstrations of digital illustration, 2D animation, and CG animation by students and graduates of the Cartoon Network Academy. Visitors will also be invited to play board games and take part in a UDK Deathmatch, a fast-paced game of Unreal Tournament a virtual world, conceived and created by students at the Gaming Academy.

At the stand visitors will have the chance to enjoy two successful projects that were conceived at last year’s event: “Karouma” and “Alladin the Bounty Hunter.” “Karouma” is an animated short film about a nine-year-old boy with special needs. The story teaches that our differences make us who we truly are. “Aladdin the bounty hunter” is a comic book– a twist on the story of the famous “Aladdin and the magical lamp” in which Aladdin is a bounty hunter who hunts criminals who use jinns for crimes.

Visitors to the stand will have the opportunity to learn more about twofour54 creative lab, a community – currently with over 6,500 members – where creative talent can get guidance, inspiration and advise on how to transform ideas into real businesses.

twofour54 will be set up with Creative Campus partners Cartoon Network Animation Academy, Gaming Academy in partnership with Ubisoft, and SAE Institute at stand 12 – Creative Campus in Zabeel Hall 1 at the World Trade Centre between 10am and 10pm from 3 to 5 April.

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