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RECMA names Vizeum fastest growing media network

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Independent notation reports company RECMA has named global network Vizeum the world’s fastest growing network in its Overall Activity Billings 2014 report, published this week. Across the 16 global agencies assessed by RECMA, Vizeum increased activity billings year-on-year by 29.1%. Companies with growth rates in the top five Overall Activity Billings of 2014 list also included MediaCom and Dentsu media.

Vizeum was launched in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in January, 2014, as part of Dentsu Aegis Network and has over 62 offices in 42 countries globally. The network aims to leverage the creative power of media in order to connect brands and consumers to help clients’ brands grow.

“We have achieved this impressive growth through our single-minded focus on making innovation in media create value for clients,” says Anouk Bondroit, General Manager, Vizeum MENA. “We leverage our globally consistent network and have witnessed great momentum over the last 18 months. This growth helps us to keep the agility required in the fast-paces media environment – It’s the only way we can credibly remain at the forefront of the industry and produce best in class work for our clients.”

CNN Style launches

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CNN has launched CNN Style, a new online destination for content spanning the worlds of fashion, design, architecture, art, automobiles and luxury. The website is aimed at a cosmopolitan, global audience and throughout July will be guest edited by Architect Daniel Libeskind.

CNN Style will be a highly visual online destination, featuring galleries, interactives and a range of video and written content aimed to bring international audiences closer to shows, events, trends and personalities across a range of style genres. Launch content includes interviews with photographer David Bailey, pop artist Takashi Murakami and designer Manolo Blahnik. The website will be tailored for mobile audiences and social sharing, spanning international and U.S. Digital editions of CNN.com, CNN Arabic and CNN en Espanol, as well as being integrated into CNN Money’s digital platforms, taking its place alongside other major CNN brands and verticals such as CNN Politics and CNN Travel. CNN Style will also be integrated with TV programming. The site will be headed up by Editor, George Webster.

“CNN Style is the essential destination to be immersed in beautifully crafted, intelligent and inspiring pieces about all facets of style,” said Andrea Demaria, Vice President and Managing Editor, CNN Digital. “This is a cosmopolitan home for a broad range of content. Attracting someone of Daniel Libeskind’s calibre as our first Guest Editor is a signal of our intent as we help redefine what ‘style’ can mean to an upscale, international audience.”

Shane Mcginley wins Journalistic Excellence Award

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Shane McGinley, Executive Editor, Arabian Business has been selected as one of 22 global recipients of the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award, 2015. This is the first time journalists from the Middle East have competed for the award, and Shane represented the UAE along with Triska Hamid, a London-based freelancer who contributes to Abu Dhabi-based Newspaper, The National. The Citi Journalistic Excellent Award is sponsored by Citigroup, and judged by a professional jury of experts in finance, economics and business journalism. Each recipient of the award was chosen from hundreds of international journalists, invited to apply and partake in a competition and selection process, with those who were successful being invited to attend the International Journalists Seminar at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

“It was an amazing experience to be able to attend the Columbia University campus, even just for 10 days,” says Shane. “With journalists from all over the world, it was great to hear their stories and experiences as well as the different challenges journalists face each day.”

For further information, contact Shane McGinley at shane.mcginley@itp.com / +971 (0)4 444 3631

Leo Burnett Beirut wins three Facebook Awards

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Leo Burnett Beirut represented their region as the only Middle Eastern company to receive Facebook Awards in 2015. The agency won both Gold (New Frontier) and Silver (Facebook for Good) awards for their work with non-governmental women’s rights organisation, KAFA, as well as a second Silver (New Frontier) award for their ‘Keep Walking Lebanon’ campaign for Johnny Walker. Other international recipients of the Facebook Awards included Droga5, McCann Lima and LA RED.

The Facebook Awards were established to celebrate the best creative work on Facebook, as chosen by leading creatives in the industry. They recognise excellence in campaign execution, as well as creative growth and evolution on Facebook, with judges looking for inspired work that challenges industry attitudes towards content publishing. A party will be held on June 24, 2015 in Cannes to celebrate the winners of this year’s awards.

Twitter CEO to step down

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Twitter’s Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo is set to step down from his position on July 1, 2015, having been in the role since October, 2010. The former entrepreneur will remain on Twitter’s board of directors and the company has iterated that Costolo’s departure is his own decision to move on from his role, and that this move will have no financial impact for stakeholders. Former colleagues have praised Dick across Twitter, using the hashtag #ThankYouDickC.

While Twitter’s board hunt for a new permanent CEO, Jack Dorsay – a co-founder of the social networking site, as well as the first person to send a tweet when it launched in 2006 – will act as Interim Executive Officer.

Al Jazeera English wins at Online Media Awards

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Al Jazeera English online won three awards at the Online Media Awards in London on Thursday, June 11, 2015. The awards were for Best Technical Innovation, Best Use of Photography and Outstanding Digital Team of the Year, and they were judged by an independent panel from the British Journalism Review.

The Best Technical Innovation and Outstanding Digital Team of the Year titles were awarded for the Palestine Remix project, which was a network-wide initiative allowing users to access some of Al Jazeera’s documentaries on Palestine. The project also included interactive maps and timelines to help users understand and contextualise the Palestine issue. The Best Use of Photography award was given for Al Jazeera’s Portrait of a yogi, which was a photographic exploration into the power of yoga to unite people across cultural and physical divides.

“This recognition by our peers is a testament to Al Jazeera’s efforts to find new ways of storytelling, and to explain complex issues to a global audience,” says Imad Musa, Head of Online, Al Jazeera English.”Our team is small but incredibly passionate about what they can create, and it’s great that our peers agree that they are the best digital team in the world. We will continue to push the boundaries of original journalism and innovative design.”

For further information, contact pressoffice@aljazeera.net

CNN’s Connect the World to go on tour

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CNN’s flagship news and current affairs show, Connect the World with Becky Anderson, is taking to the road this month, for a month-long tour. Beginning in Cairo, the programme will head to Amman and Beirut, before ending in Istanbul.

In each location anchor Becky Anderson will present a range of live programming and feature content, including interviews and analysis of the issues that matter in each location and beyond. Topics will vary for each location, but will encompass breaking news as well as culture, society and politics. On the final day in each location the team will host a special segment called CNN Café, which will see Becky take the show to the people in a live broadcast on location.

A range of digital content supporting the programme will be found on the show’s blog page, www.cnn.com/connect, and CNN Arabic will be supporting the tour, publishing a range of related content for Arabic-speaking users on CNNArabic.com as well as via social media. Both CNN.com and CNN Arabic will be interacting with audiences, asking users to send in suggestions and pictures to guide the editorial content both on TV and online.

“There is so much to explore and discuss in each of these locations, and we also want to add a truly interactive element to these special programmes,” says Becky. “This is about democratising the narrative, hearing the voices from the region on the stories resonating here and beyond. It promises to be a fascinating few weeks in some of the world’s most vibrant cities.”

For further information, contact Kimberly Lobo at kimberly.lobo@ketchum-raad.com / +971 (0)4 425 8979

CNN to launch The Silk Road series

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CNN is set to launch a new series uncovering the cultural traditions and commercial trading synonymous with The Silk Road trading route – The Silk Road: Past, Present, Future. Each month, CNN International correspondent Sumnima Udas will visit a different country along The Silk Road, uncovering stories of innovation, culture and business. The format of the 30–minute show will combine the modern world with historical context to bring the region alive.

A dedicated microsite for the series will be hosted on CNN.com featuring video from the show and a host of bespoke content about the topics, cultures and business practices covered in the series. CNN’s audience will also have the opportunity to engage with the series through accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“’The Silk Road: Past, Present, Future’ is where rich, historic cultural context meets modern business and trading against the backdrop of visually stunning landscapes and destinations,” says Ellana Lee, Senior Vice President, CNN International. “Part business show, part travelogue – this series will be an important part of CNN International’s output.”

For further information, contact Kimberly Lobo at kimberly.lobo@ketchum-raad.com / +971 (0)4 425 8979