Fadi Ismail

A British Lebanese executive with 27 years of experience in Arab Media. Fadi's strength is Content Cycle: creation, development, production and distribution. of Tv drama and films. Until recently, he was in charge of Drama Production and Distribution at Dubai-based MBC Group. Fadi has had diverse responsibilities since 1990s in News, Current Affairs and International News operations in MBC and al Arabiya which he was part of its launching team. He also Commissioned and funded the production of no less than 300 hours of documentaries by Arab Filmmakers. Since 2001 Fadi has been part of MBC Group senior management in charge of Drama. Being the first to discover the value of Turkish content in 2007, he became in charge of Acquiring 1000s of hours of Turkish, Indian and Korean Drama as well as Telenovelas for mbc channels. Fadi pioneered in adapting drama scripted formats and long telenovela series in Arabic, as well as in innovative high end Productions such as Omar and Saraya Abdeen He has also brought top new films to the small screen and acquired 30 Top Egyptian films in 2015-2016 and coproduced 3. He established O3 which became the biggest player in Arabic and Turkish drama, first in Dubai (2002), then in Cairo(2011) and then he cofounded O3 Medya in Istanbul(2013) where in 3 years it became among the top drama production companies in Turkey. O3 cumulative turnover was over +$70m. In 2013, he introduced American writing room techniques in script development Al MBC Group Director of Drama, Fadi commissioned and executive produced through O3, tens of Arab drama series (+600 tv hours) including the highest rated series in the Gulf and Egypt. He Co-produced/co-financed as well more than 30 Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Syrian and Pan Arab drama series between 2014-2016. In the last 3 years, and in collaboration with TwoFour54, he exec produced 3 Saudi series in Abu Dhabi, including Al-Asoof, the most ambitious period drama ever done. Another task for Fadi has been the sales and distribution of mbc content as well as overseeing the distribution of Turkish content worldwide with a generated revenue of +$50m in the last 3 years. He oversaw the development of a slate of 35 script projects for coproduction with international European and American production companies. Fadi contributed to tens of international and regional media exhibitions, markets, conferences and workshops especially in LA, NY, London and Cannes, and Dubai and has regularly attended the world's biggest TV exhibition -MIP- for the last 20 consecutive years. He has an MA in Middle East Studies from AUB and an incomplete PhD in Middle East Studies from University of Durham.