New Media Academy, a platform designed to shape the future of social media by incubating next-generation digital leaders in the Middle East, today launched the second season of its signature content creators program – the Faris Al Muhtawa.

Officially launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in June 2020, New Media Academy received more than 1,500 applications for the new edition of the instantly popular program which is open to all content creators looking to learn the A-Z of content ideation and creation.

The five-month program will be led by the widely-admired content creator, Lowi Sahi (@LowiSahi), who boasts over 300 million YouTube views and 5 million followers.

This season, a total of 50 content creators will learn the craft of storytelling, scripting, filming and editing by a start-studded line-up of instructors who will join Sahi, including Christian LeBlanc (@LostLeBlanc), Drew Binsky (@DrewBinsky), Caleb Gardener, Mina Al Sheikhly (@MinaAlsheikhly), Mohsin Khan (@@EMKWAN) and more.

After the 50 participants have completed the five-month program, 10 of the cohort will continue the journey on for a further three-year incubation period as they set-off on a path to becoming full-time content creators.

The program has been designed to shape digital professionals capable of taking on the major shifts occurring in the working world. According to the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report”, more than 40 percent of jobs will have a digital focus by 2022. Moreover, the digital economy’s contribution to regional GDP accounts for just 4 percent, compared with 22 percent globally. This situation is compounded by the fact that only 1 percent of all online content is Arabic.

“As the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates, a multitude of new jobs have emerged which need dynamic and digitally-minded professionals to fill them, and take industries forward into the future,” says Rashid Al Awadhi, CEO of New Media Academy.

“The Academy is developing content professionals who can meet this surging demand for digital jobs in the government and private sectors, which are undergoing rapid digital transformations. By providing certified training in an array of digital disciplines, we are upskilling young people to lead and elevate the strategies and policies of organizations in the region to new levels to increase global competitiveness and affect a positive shift to digital-first thinking,” Al Awadhi explained.

He added: “Influencer marketing, especially in the Arab World, is in a state of flux right now in the region. While the market is growing exponentially around the globe, with some market analysts predicting the industry will be worth more than US$15 billion by 2022, it is on the decline in the Arab World. To overcome this, we are committed to sourcing and streamlining content creators who naturally excel in the digital sphere to maximize their reputation, reach and revenue.”

Last year’s program witnesses a string of successes over the seven months run-time. The ten content creators who signed and graduated from the first season grew their audience reach on their social media channels from 500K to 2.2M followers.

Dr. Saif Darwish (@drsaifdarwish), one of the program’s students and a social media specialist in the medical industry, witnessed an incredible 2,000% growth in this time. All students were able to see a significant breakthrough in their analytics over the course of the program.

The newly revamped Faris Al Muhtawa program, has increased its onboarding number of handpicked participants from 20 to 50 content creators who will undertake the program. At the end of the program, 10 creators will be selected and signed up exclusively with New Media Academy to continue their journey. All the while, the training and knowledge will be shared among all 50 participants.

Faris Al Muhtawa provides content creators a suite of resources to assist them to ensure a fully integrated and immersive experience. This will include the latest software and editing tools as well as weekly gatherings and outings for the participants to network and build a community with the New Media Academy team and other students around like-minded interests and goals.

Over five months, participants are expected to commit to two days a week, two hours per day. They will be given weekly assignments focused on storytelling in a variety of formats and mediums which will be reviewed and assessed by the instructors and international content creators, giving participants direct and unique access to renowned visionaries. By the end of the program, participants will have fully honed their content creation muscle, which they will flex with over 2,000 pieces of content.

After being fully equipped with a mastery of new competencies and skills, the participants will be able to demonstrate and execute high value content across their social media platforms. They will be among a roster of fellow New Media Academy alumni such as Dr. Saif Darwish (@drsaifdarwish), Maitha Mohammad (mythjourney) and Ahmed AlMarzooqi (ahmedmhm).