Nadia Haj Hassan has been announced as the new Fashion Editor of Jordan-based Living Well Magazine, after Tamara El-Nimer stepped down after six successful years at the title. Tamara has decided to leave to pursue a degree in higher education. Nadia will be in charge of the fashion and beauty pages of the best-selling lifestyle magazine.
Voting is now open for the What’s On Awards 2013, in association with Dubai First. Now in its twelfth year, the awards celebrate the UAE’s crème de la crème of hospitality, entertainment and leisure, with two lavish award ceremonies. The What’s On Abu Dhabi Awards is set to take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi on October 22. This is followed closely by the What’s On Dubai Awards, which has retained its prime location at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on November 27, 2013.
Visit www.whatsonawards.com to nominate clients or enter your votes. Voting for What’s On Abu Dhabi Awards ends September 19, 2013, while the What’s On Dubai Award nominations close on October 10, 2013. For more information, visit www.whatsonawards.com.
Tickets for this event are available for purchase through the What’s On Box Office – www.whatsonboxoffice.com.
TOH PR have signed a retained contract with Amodoria, one of the UAE’s latest additions to the luxury sphere. Founded in London, and created in Europe, Amodoria takes a pioneering approach in transforming popular technology products into beautiful and sophisticated ‘must have’ accessories using 18k and 24k gold, exotic leathers and gem and diamond embellishments. Clients include HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, HM King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud and the Ministry of Presidential Affairs UAE.
The TOH PR brief is to raise awareness of the products amongst the affluent, trend-setting UAE movers & shakers, and key players in the business community, including a high profile Middle East launch at Supper Club, Dubai this October.
UAE-based creative agency, 3monkeys, has announced the opening of its first overseas branch, 3monkeys Inc, in San Francisco, California, USA. Operations commence on September 1, 2013, with CEO Marc Mikulla, one of the three founders of 3monkeys, heading up the team. Located in the heart of the Mission district, 3monkeys expanded due to international demand for their unique and specialised offerings.With a network of partners across the world, such as Ventuz Technologies, Mediascreen Munich and RealLifeConnect and vast experience in large scale events, primarily focusing on the automotive, IT and communications, and the financial industries, 3monkeys continue to push the boundaries of creativity and technology.
Now in it’s fourth year, the BBC Good Food Middle East Awards 2013 nominations are open. From the finest restaurants to dining experiences and home cooking products, the awards recognise the region’s most prestigious culinary outlets. Nominations end on September 30, 2013 after which the top ten nominees in each category will be listed on their website for continued voting. You will also get another chance to vote for the winners from that list between October 15 and November 15. Winners will be revealed at the gala awards event in January 2014. More details to come.
For more information, visit www.cpievents.net/bbcgf-awards-2013
Having joined Hello! Middle East on a temporary basis in earlier this year, Alice Nikalls has now accepted a full-time position within the publication. As Junior Writer, Alice will cover features, news and local interest stories – including launches and events.
“I joined Hello! Middle East in May 2013 and have been fortunate enough to interview some local personalities, snoop around some fabulous homes and dine in some of Dubai’s best restaurants,” says Alice. “Hello! Middle East is a small yet dynamic team and I’m excited to be a part of it for the long-term”.
Emirates has appointed Havas Media as its new global media buying and planning agency effective from 2014. The decision is sure to be a setback for Starcom MediaVest Group, who acquired the account back in 2008. The account, said to be worth $150 million, was secured after a lengthy internal review, with the ultimate decision being attributed to a better value offering.
It’s only been a matter of days since Al Jazeera America launched, but it has already hit rocky ground. The Qatar-based television network plans to sue American-based telecoms group, AT&T, for dropping it from the U-verse television subscription service. The blow came just one day before Al Jazeera America went live on August 20, 2013, instantly rocking its potential viewing figures by taking its distribution down from 41 million homes to just 36 million homes. This was the second such setback for Al Jazeera America, having bought the Current TV network from former United States Vice President, Al Gore, in January this year. Within hours of the deal being signed, Time Warner announced it would no longer be carrying the channel, immediately wiping nearly 20 million homes off the 60 million reach that Current TV initially had.
It’s not all bad news however, with a number of positive reviews – mixed with the predictable cynicism – some media heavyweights are predicting it may not be long until Al Jazeera America is picked up by more networks.
Sonja Stephen has been announced as the new Editor of weekly society glossy, Hello! Middle East. Previously Deputy Editor of the international magazine brand, which falls under the Motivate Publishing umbrella, Stephen takes the reigns with immediate effect after Elle Timms stepped down earlier this month to persue freelance writing opportunities.
“I’m proud, honoured and over the moon about my promotion to Editor,” says Stephen. “I’m looking forward to driving the magazine to even greater success”.
Contact Sonja Stephen at sonja@motivate.ae
Qatar-based TV news channel, Al-Jazeera has made its debut in America today. In a move that is sure to cause very divided opinion, Al Jazeera America aims to shake up broadcast journalism market in the states, AFP has reported. Al-Jazeera America will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Doha-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers.