twofour54

Return to Abu Dhabi

Behind the Ministry of Labor's office, opposite Khalifa Park.
Tell the taxi: next to the Matar Al Bateen (the old airport), behind the Ministry of Labor’s office, opposite Khalifa Park. Somewhat more extended if necessary: Sheikh Khalifa Park opposite Al Bateen Airport: driving on Al Salam St., turn right when you pass the sign board of the Labor office. Continue straight at the first roundabout, turn left at the second roundabout, finally, on the last roundabout make a U-turn. Driving on Al Salam St. make a right-turn prior to the Labor Office. Turn right on the first roundabout toward the buildings, then turn at the first left toward the last building.

Contact details

Address:Salam Street,
Behind Ministry of Labor Office,
Opposite Khalifa Park,
twofour54 complex

P.O.Box: 2454, Al Matar

+961 2 401 2454

Website: twofour54

The facade of the main Twofour54 building. Photo NeilvdL

A section of the website is dedicated on the possibilities of setting in twofour54.

People

twofour54’s Chief Executive Officer is Mrs Noura Al Kaabi.

Its Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer is Wayne Borg.

External links

An article on twofour54’s Chief Executive Officer Noura Al Kaabi is here, her company profile is here.

Noura Al Kaabi. Photo from the twofour54 website.

A YouTube film featuring its Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer Wayne Borg elaborating on its strategies is here and his profile is here.

Wayne Borg. Photo from the twofour54 website.

An article with a mentioning of the ‘Emiratization’ from the ‘Varietyarab’ website is here.

An example of collaboration in the cultural field is support for Emirati music publishing music rights consultancy.

Another example is supporting a Cartoon Network Animation Academy. Here is the story of graduate student Mohammed Ibrahim, an aspiring Emirati cartoon designer.

A music success story is the activities of rapper Khalifa Al Romaithi, alias K-Multi, student at Abu Dhabi Men’s College, who made the songs ‘Ana Emirati’, ‘The World’ (introducing Abu Dhabi female rapper Manal Al Ahli, probably a novelty) and ‘Think’ , with a considerable succes on the web. The ibtikar section of twofour54 helped produce these.

Rapper and music producer The Narcicyst is setting up his label and music production company here, starting small, but the idea behind twofour54 is that such companies then could grow if they have the potential.

twofour54 Intaj is the media technologies arm of twofour54. A YouTube film on Intaj is here. The clip demonstrates twofour54 ambitions to play a role in cutting-edge technology, although the clip also conveys how twofour54’s institutions might still be in search of a degree of focus.

A link to the website of Flash is here.

twofour54 engages in cooperation with educational institutions, such as an exchange with the Abu Dhabi Men’s College of the Higher Colleges of Technology.

A social media workshop at twofour54. Photo from the twofour54 website.

A very promising new institution is the twofour54 multimedia center or ‘media zone’. It is named after the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi. It was initiated by the Abu Dhabi municipality, with the aim of attracting and facilitating larger and smaller companies related to creative media. It is spread over several buildings, among them a tall building that is well-visible from the highway and that also features a Rotana hotel; on the other side of Khalifa Park are three more buildings where most of the media companies are, named the Pink Building, the Blue Building an the Dark Green Building. The two Abu Dhabi-based film festivals have their offices here, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the smaller Tropfest film festival. Another major tenant is Flash, the largest music promoter in the UAE and an event production agency, which was behind global acts that have headlined in Abu Dhabi, including Elton John, Shakira, Rihanna, Metallica, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Eminem and Coldplay.

Twofour54 also actively entices small institutions to settle in Abu Dhabi, covering all media formats including film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing.

Its facilities, in addition to providing space, include three main branches: twofour54 Intaj is the media technologies arm, twofour54 tadreeb’s core focus is to provide media courses, and twofour54 Ibtikar provides financing and support for businesses and individuals targeting the Arab media and entertainment industry.

Those seeking exchange opportunities in media-related art fields should definitely study the companies and institutions that have been promoted and stimulated by Twofour54.

The complex has a well-designed pleasant lounge cafe annex exhibition space, named ‘The Social Hub’.

twofour54’s CEO is Noura Al Kaabi. She succeeded British Tony Orsten, in February 2012, which is seen by some as a step in the pattern of ‘Emiratisation’, mirroring similar developments at the major film festivals in the region for instance.

Here is a strong presentation by Noura Al Kaabi given previously, in 2011, ‘Arabian Tales: Our People And Their Stories’ by Noura Al Kaabi at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2011.

The landmark twofour54 tall building annex Rotana hotel. Photo NeilvdL.

But most of the bigger and smaller creative media companies are in the so called Pink Building and the Blue Building. This is the Pink Building, where among others the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Flash are settled. Photo NeilvanderL.

The art cafe of twofour54, ‘The Social Hub’. Photo NeilvdL

Written by: Neil Last modified: 25^th Jul 2013

TAGS: Institutions| Resource Center| Workshops

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