Dubai-based Arab youth entertainment company AYA Media evolves its Arabic YouTube series AYA (As You Are) after commencing production of a fully-funded new reality TV show: ‘Zeros ل Heroes’. The Arabic-language series, executive produced by Delta Productions in Dubai for AYA Media, will spotlight four aspiring female influencers from the Middle East as they attempt to carve out a career in the influencer marketing industry.
The 12-episode series will follow four young women from the Middle East – Tala Beseisso from Palestine, Nour Almaly from Iraq, Sarah Issa from Lebanon, and Yasmine Zaid from Morocco – as they explore career pathways in the industry. The budding influencers, a mix of students and recent graduates, will take on 12 different challenges throughout the series with the winner receiving a business start-up kit to launch their fledgeling entertainment career.
Several members of the popular AYA YouTube series will also guest star in the forthcoming reality series, including the UAE’s Marwa Al Hashemi, Shouq Aljuhani and Tahani Ahmed Suliman from Saudi Arabia, Haya Al Yassin from Syria, and Assia Mezyaine from Morocco. The cross-section of nationalities and backgrounds underlines the wide range of young Middle East talent which AYA Media represents.
The show will also feature established social media figures and give contestants and viewers alike a rounded and entertaining perspective on the increasingly popular influencer marketing industry. Haifa Beseisso, the creator of the hugely popular travel vlog, @flywithhaifa, is a creative consultant behind the series development and will make guest appearances alongside her sister Tala and their mother in the challenging and emotional episode: Team Girls vs. Team Family.
Andrew Maskall, CEO of Middle East Youth Media, the holding company behind AYA Media and ‘Zeros ل Heroes’ series, said: “What lies ahead is 12 episodes, 12 crazy challenges, and one winner will get a head start to her career. It’s premium relatable content – raw, unfiltered and authentic – and we’re incredibly excited to connect viewers with a variety of empowered young women at a transitional time in their lives.”
“We are currently in preliminary discussions with a number of local and international organisations to take this fully-funded production to as wide an audience as possible,” added Maskall.
The show, which will fill a gap in the market for premium youth content, will be hosted by well-known singer-songwriter and vlogger Sandra Sahi, who has earned over 870,000 subscribers and 625,000 Instagram followers. “I’ve been an artist and a social media figure since I was 17 and the industry is still evolving. I’m much more than a mentor to the girls, I’m very much on a journey of self-discovery with them,” said Sahi.
Ahead of the show’s debut, fans and followers can look forward to the return of AYA’s successful YouTube series with a new season of weekly episodes from January 2021. Aimed at Generation Z audiences in the GCC and wider Middle East, each 20-minute episode will see the 10-girl AYA squad take on weekly challenges beyond the original concept of fashion and beauty to cover wider topics from mindfulness and fitness to career development.
