Abu Dhabi, September 8, 2014

Iftah Ya Simsim, the television series targeted to children ages 4-6, will be headed into the studio this January!  No'man, the big, gentle curious character who loves learning, will be returning and joined by a cast of furry and feathered friends.  Gearing up for production, Iftah Ya Simsim's Educational Advisory Committee (EAC), comprised of 10 representatives from government agencies and academic institutions throughout the region, met today to review the creative brief, discuss the project progress and educational content, and provide guidance on next steps.  The series is expected to debut across the region in early 2015. 

The EAC meeting was organized by Bidaya Media, a children's education content development company especially created to produce the new Iftah Ya Simsim for the GCC. EAC includes representatives from the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), Abu Dhabi Education Council, Joint Program Production Institution (JPPI), Health Authorities of Abu Dhabi, TwoFour54, Poet's Academy, Zayed University, and Mubadala.

Dr. Cairo Arafat, Managing Director, Bidaya Media, said, "We are honored to have within our Education Advisory Committee such an esteemed group of individuals and experts in the fields of education, media, language and culture. The initiative will greatly benefit from their collective knowledge, expertise, and experience, and help Iftah Ya Simsim to become the leading Arabic educational program for young children.  Producing fun, creative and stimulating educational programs in Arabic is our goal and Iftah Ya Simsim is opening the gateways to locally produced and relevant content for children in the region." 

Bidaya Media is developing an initiative that will help build capacity by training the local team on the successful production model and process for Sesame Street, and providing and delivering educational content relevant to Arab children.

The meeting was attended by Robert Knezevic, Senior Vice President, International Projects Management Group, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street.  Knezevic discussed the expansion and enhancement of Sesame Street productions around the world and the development of diverse materials and content across multiple platforms. He shared Sesame Workshop's vision of helping young children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

"We will be producing content on a variety of platforms to achieve measurable educational gains," said Knezevic.  "Our goal is to empower young children with the knowledge and skills to meet their full potential and become productive leaders and citizens."

Also attending the meeting, Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour54, said: "I am very proud to announce that twofour54 intaj will be responsible for the post-production of the program which will roll-out at the end of 2014. intaj has been a part of Iftah Ya Simsim from the very beginning and offers support in budget planning, hiring freelancers and media experts for the project, in addition to facilitating studios."

Al Kaabi added: "Projects like Iftah Ya Simsim not only position Abu Dhabi as an Arabic content driver and catalyst for education; they also open up opportunities for our partners and boost the local job market. At twofour54, we seek to contribute to the organic and sustainable growth of the media industry as well as the diversification of the economy. Movies and TV projects that are filmed in Abu Dhabi provide a fillip to the local economy and the overall GDP"

Dr. Ali Al-Karni, Director General of ABEGS, endorsed the educational objectives of the program, which will focus on healthy lifestyles, Arabic literacy and school preparedness.  These objectives also align with the educational goals of ABEGS.

Following the EAC meeting, Bidaya Media and JPPI, Sesame Workshop's production partner from the original Iftah series in 1980, signed an MOU to provide both production and distribution support to assure Iftah Ya Simsim content reaches the widest possible audiences. 

Bidaya Media is located within twofour54, the Abu Dhabi Media Authority Zone, and continues to recruit talent for the production of Iftah Ya Simsim. 

-Ends-

For more info, please contact:
Dr. Cairo Arafat
Executive Director, Bidaya Media
T: +971 2 4012715
E: cairo@bidayamedia.com

Bassam Saifi
Edelman on behalf of Iftah Ya Simsim
M: +971 56 6696201
E: bassam.saifi@edelman.com

Bidaya Media
Based in twofour54 at the Abu Dhabi Media Zone, Bidaya Media FZ LLC is a media company that produces "edutainment" content for children. The Arabic word of 'Bidaya' directly translates to 'beginning'. Bidaya Media designs and delivers simple educational messages that are vita tools essentials to the holistic growth of children into well-rounded and productive individuals and citizens. A key project in the Bidaya Media portfolio is the development of 'Iftah Ya Simsim' educational television series in Abu Dhabi. Iftah Ya Simsim is based on the popular Sesame Street program created by Sesame Workshop, and an extension of their work in the Gulf region.

Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street which reaches 156 million children across more than 150 countries. The Workshop's mission is to use the educational power of media to help all children reach their highest potential. Delivered through a variety of platforms, including television programs, digital experiences, books and community engagement, its research-based programs are tailored to the needs of the communities and countries they serve, helping children everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. For more information, visit us at www.sesameworkshop.org

© Press Release 2014