Programs • Fellowships • Grants • Guidelines
Selection of projects by Dubai Design Lab
The research project addressed the challenges of limited opportunities for young Emirati talent in the industry by identifying and co-designing three key opportunity areas: exposing the youth, elevating the existing talent, and empowering the experts.
Dubai has made tremendous efforts & worked tirelessly to develop the media industry. Today, we’ve learned from Dubai Media Council that currently the industry is facing a challenge in terms of attracting young individuals to learn, train and work in this sector.
This project serves three key groups. Aspiring high schoolers, where concepts are designed to increase their exposure to the industry beyond academia, exploring diverse skills, industries and finding inspiration. And for emerging university talent, they benefit from tailored initiatives that enhance their applied skills, expand networks, and accelerate career growth.
Established professionals contribute their experience, becoming enablers for the next generation while also strengthening their own infrastructure and staying current in their field.
Collectively, this project creates an ecosystem that empowers young Emirati talent, offering inspiration, growth opportunities, and a platform for collaboration and development in the industry.
The research project aids the Dubai Media Council through a number of transformative shifts in the media industry. It enables a shift from limited and inconsistent access of media related activities for youth to universal access across the city, allowing intervention where media exposure is limited. The project also drives a shift from scattered efforts to orchestrated, consistent, and sustainable support across the industry, providing focus and effective utilization of resources for the emerging talent today.
Additionally, the project facilitates a shift from government-led limited perspectives to industry-informed decisions and policies, bridging the data gap with industry specialists to guide the continuous growth of the media industry. These shifts empower the Dubai Media Council to foster young talents, drive industry development, and make informed decisions for the long-term success of the industry.
Providing an early introduction to the industry for aspiring media makers in collaboration with media institutions.
Includes:
Activations and platforms of support and recognition for Dubai’s emerging and up and coming media talent.
Includes:
Formalizing partnerships with associations of various media segments to help shape industry infrastructure.
Includes:
Who are considering what their focus areas will be in academia and beyond.
Who are formally trained and on the cusp of careers awaiting them.
Who have lived experience of the industry and are enablers of the next generation.
We kicked off the research stream by hosting one on one interviews with experts pioneers and emerging talent in the industry. We talked to social media content creators, filmmakers, journalists, and photographers. We framed our each conversation around their journeys in media, and delving into their subject matter expertise.
We then set up a pop-up booth outside our lab, during the a busy week of youth related events. The booth was all about engaging high-schoolers and getting their take on the media industry. We quickly realized that most of them saw media as more of a hobby than a serious career. What we found interesting is those who didn't know much about the industry showed a lot of curiosity and interest in joining the media world.
Next, we needed a deeper understanding of high schoolers towards media. We ran media-based workshops in two different high schools: a government school: Al Raya, and a private school: Dubai National School. The workshops focused on perspectives of the industry and we allowed students to explore their hopes and fears about working in media. Then we gathered students from media-focused universities such as HCT, ZU, and AUD and hosted a workshop at our lab. We designed the research session to dig deeper into their experiences before, during, and after university, looking at the role of family, community, learning, and career. We needed a pulse on current students enrolled, to better understand where their knowledge and skills stand.
Lastly, we teamed up with Atolye, a creative-community studio, to host an evening co-design session. We brought together media professionals, educators, and enablers to brainstorm ideas on how to shape the industry and support the upcoming generation of talent. Throughout the project we explored different methods tailored for different audiences; we used interactive booths, workshops, and co-design sessions to engage with different audiences. These methods allowed us to design with play, host meaningful interactions, and gain valuable insights into their perspectives and aspirations. It was a process that helped us understand the target audience better and guide us to our final outcome.