Casper Shirazi, Founder and CEO of Storyfied VenturesStoryfied Ventures has launched in Dubai as a strategic brand entertainment partner built for the realities of a fast-shifting media and advertising landscape.
Pioneering a new content economy for the region, Storyfied Ventures helps brands move upstream in the content supply chain – shaping what gets made, how it travels and how it generates returns – by integrating story, brand and IP strategy, rights, financing and premium distribution from day one.
Storyfied Ventures operates across film, television, documentaries, creator content, music-led entertainment, kids content and branded storyworld extensions.
The venture is designed to help brands turn their stories into monetisable intellectual property, with screen-IP as the anchor – then extend into consumer products, licensing, and other business lines where relevant.
As advertisers face increasing pressure to prove performance, Storyfied Ventures is positioning premium screen entertainment as a new strategic tool for brand leaders: owned IP that builds both cultural and financial capital over time. In doing so, Storyfied Ventures bridges short-term marketing pressure and long-term brand equity.
“When people connect with a story, they follow it across platforms, share it, invest in it, and build community around it,” said Casper Shirazi, Founder and CEO of Storyfied Ventures. “In today’s ultra-fragmented media landscape, brands need a true 360-degree relationship with audiences, and that only happens when storytelling is built as IP.”
Shirazi added, “Short-form can drive discovery, but long-form screen content is what holds attention, deepens engagement, and creates lasting affinity. That’s the gap in the region today: there is no shortage of content, but there is a shortage of owned narrative IP that can extend brand relevance and turn audiences into advocates.”
Shirazi brings a dual-track operating background: over a decade in brand strategy and advertising within leading global network agencies, and over a decade in film consultancy and independent producing and financing across feature films spanning Los Angeles, Germany, the UK, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
His unique expertise sits at the intersection of strategic brand consulting and producing – spanning IP development, talent packaging, deal structuring, rights protection, capital raising, and international film sales.
Storyfied’s initial lineup spans feature films, documentary series, kids content, and animated and live-action formats, developed with global and local talent.
The venture is backed by a Board of Directors including:
- Catherine Barr, former global expansion and brand strategy leader for HBO Max at Warner Bros. Discovery; former strategy advisor to MBC Shahid; former General Manager, FutureBrand SEA.
- Terig Hughes, fundraising, investor relations, and scaling international businesses across APAC and the US.
- Niall O’Neill, chartered accountant with more than 35 years of professional practice as a senior partner in corporate governance and financial oversight),
- Cameron Reynolds, Chairman; board- and CEO-level experience scaling innovation-led businesses across sectors.
- Joseph S. Lanius, Esq., a Hollywood entertainment attorney and executive producer with regional presence, will serve as Storyfied Ventures’ exclusive business affairs lead through Convergence Media Law. Most recently, he wrapped HERSHEY, the feature biopic on Milton and Kitty Hershey.
“Our region is living through an incredibly difficult and defining period,” added Shirazi. “But it is also entering a new one. Even in uncertain times, we are certain that this is the right place and the right time for Storyfied – when brand voices matter more than ever to help restore confidence, build trust and connect more deeply with audiences. In what comes next, trust will be earned through the stories we tell. That’s why we now exist: to help define a new content economy for the region – built on brand-owned IP.”
