Saudi Arabia-based Telfaz11 has long been regarded as one of the leading players on the MENA region’s digital media scene. 2020 has been a year in which Telfaz11 (whose creative content had garnered it more than 2.3 billion views and 24.8 million subscribers) has had to pull the shutters down on some of its productions owing to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis- but it’s also been a year where it inked a multi-picture deal with Netflix. We're joined by CEO Alaa Fadan who talks the rise of the business, and where it could head in the future.

Key Takeaways:
0:00 Intro
1:01 Alaa talks about the journey and the opportunity that he saw in creating Telfaz especially in an era when entrepreneurship was not fashionable 
9:06 Alaa talks about how they reduced cost of running their business and how they distributed it to the people and became huge in Saudi Arabia in terms of content 
11:14 Alaa talks about how their content resonated with creating an outlet for Saudi creatives and a Saudi voice as they grew 
14:21 Alaa also talks about how the globalization of their content will look like after signing the deal with Netflix and being given that global exposure with their shows 
17:41 Alaa talks of the movie industry in Saudi especially opening of the movie theatres in time when others countries are retreating from it going virtual and if the industry will survive
20:40 Alaa shares some of the ecosystem changes that he has seen in the industry in the last 10 years that he has been in this business 
22:35 Alaa also talks about if the talent pipeline has become more robust in Saudi now that there's a professional outlet for creativity
23:03 Alaa talks about what needs to happen for the talent pipeline to improve especially in Saudi Arabia 
25:08 Alaa also talks about what needs to be done in Saudi to motivate the big companies and the government to start working with the local talents 
26:26 Alaa explains from an educational side how they are investing in it to create a sort of vertical and creative arts
27:26 Alaa talks about the engagement of women in arts and creatives and if the participation of women in this industry in Saudi is increasing 
30:10 Alaa talks about the funding side and some of the challenges that he faced in getting the capital and especially the venture capital 
32:13 Alaa explains if there will be more Saudis starting companies today in the entertainment industry and viewing it as a career
34:47 Alaa talks about the importance having the role models in an industry that are doing well and how it encourages young entrepreneurs 
36:29 Alaa also talks about the big observations that he is noticing about the culture change in Saudi in the past few years
39:14 Alaa talks about how digitalization has accelerated due to the pandemic and how the pandemic has impacted Telfaz 
40:59 Alaa also talks about if there are more international players approaching him and Telfaz for more Saudi specific content 
43:06 Alaa talks about where he sees Telfaz in the next five years given all of this acceleration of the industry in Saudi 
44:34 Alaa talks about their audience and if he sees it expanding locally and even globally in the near future 

Shows Mentioned:
Netflix, Inc. is an American over-the-top content platform and production company headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Netflix was founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California.

STV is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned by STV Group plc and is a part of the ITV network. It operates the two Channel 3 licenses in northern and central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian Television and Scottish Television.

https://www.venturesouq.com/ 

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