twofour54 sends two Emirati talents to Los Angeles to intern at production company behind world’s most exciting award ceremonies
29 Jan 2020
twofour54, Abu Dhabi’s media hub and Joe Lewis Company (JLC), a world leader in event production, revealed the two Emirati media talents that are jetting off to Los Angeles for a career-defining internship in one of the world’s most exciting media & entertainment opportunities. The placement is due to take place in February and March, right in the heart of the busy awards season.
A panel of experts from twofour54 and JLC selected Mohammed AlBlooshi and Omar Muflahi to become the first candidates from the Middle East ever to take part in the JLC internship programme after evaluating the qualified applications.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, Vice-Chair of twofour54, said: “Congratulations to these two young Emiratis who demonstrate a true passion for media. They will be representing our industry on the international stage, bringing back fresh perspectives and creative ideas.
“By expanding twofour54’s internship offering overseas and enabling the next generation to learn from one of the top names in the industry, we are helping to kick-start their journey towards becoming future UAE media leaders.”
Mohammed and Omar will take part in the six-week scheme, during which they will play a vital role in some of JLC’s most exciting projects through networking with industry professionals and working on a multitude of high-profile events. As the programme progresses, Mohammed and Omar will also assume roles as production assistants, supporting the production team in some of the industry’s most iconic events.
Mohammed is an aspiring filmmaker and director with experience working on numerous short films for ‘She Films Middle East’ and ‘Image Nation Abu Dhabi’, including the 2018 Arab Film Studio Best Script winner ‘Ice Cream’, as well as ‘Asli’ and ‘Phone Call’.
Mohammed said: “Working in Los Angeles and the realms of Hollywood has always been a dream of mine and being able to achieve this at the age of 21 is incredible. An internship with JLC is huge, and I think it will be a gateway to bigger and better things. Programmes such as these are essential for UAE youth, and the Middle East as a whole, so it is wonderful for twofour54 and JLC to give us such an opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Omar has interned on several major international productions shot in Abu Dhabi, including ‘Furious 7’, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and ‘War Machine’. Omar has ambitions to set up his own production company in the UAE’s thriving media sector.
Omar added: “I am looking forward to gaining a wider understanding of events of the scale of those handled by JLC. Working on twofour54’s creative lab projects has already given me an edge in my career, and I am sure I am going to learn even more from JLC. It is a tremendous honour.”
The internships are part of a comprehensive programme of initiatives that twofour54 has established to develop talent in the media industry. Others include the creative lab, which epitomises twofour54’s mission to develop the next generation of content creators through a physical space and virtual community platform of more than 14,000 members, the twofour54 Youth Camps, and the Zayed University Middle East Film Festival’s twofour54 Emerging Filmmaker Award.
JLC produces significant events within the entertainment, sports and corporate spheres. The leading event-production firm contributes to high-profile events such as the Academy Awards ‘The Oscars’, the Recording Academy Awards ‘The Grammys’, the Billboard Music Awards, and world premieres of top-grossing films such as Disney’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’ and ‘The Lion King’. , with clients including the National Football League (NFL), Apple, Netflix and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Back to news press listing