The Cultural Content Creators programme, organised by the Dubai Press Club in collaboration with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority — Dubai Culture, has concluded the activities of its first week, as part of the third phase of the Dubai Content Creators programme. The initiative aims to develop the skills of content creators and equip them with practical, advanced tools in digital storytelling and creative production, contributing to the creation of quality cultural content that reflects Dubai's identity, values, and vibrant cultural scene.
The first week of the programme, which launched on 8 June and runs until 19 June, featured a series of applied workshops and interactive sessions focused on developing participants' skills in producing cultural content across various digital platforms.
The sessions also sought to enhance participants' capacity to develop innovative ideas, produce visually compelling content, understand audience behaviour, and harness modern tools to deliver impactful content that reflects local culture and values.
The first week's workshops covered a number of specialised themes, including the visual aspects and creative direction of content on Instagram, through training participants on understanding the platform's tools, features, and different content formats, building a coherent cultural narrative and digital identity, and analysing content performance.
Participants also explored the mechanics of content creation on TikTok using video editing tools, including CapCut. The programme likewise focused on creating cultural content via Snapchat, reviewing the platform's tools and their role in disseminating cultural content, leveraging digital trends in alignment with cultural identity, and measuring content success and analysing engagement to develop future strategies.
One workshop was dedicated to YouTube, addressing methods for creating purposeful cultural content, designing videos that highlight local culture and community values, and understanding the platform's algorithms as well as ways to measure and improve video performance to support broader reach among target audiences.
During a workshop on strategies for building influential digital accounts — presented by the Blinx platform — participants learned about the importance of understanding audiences through data analysis and follower behaviour.
The first week's agenda also included a workshop titled 'Media that Builds National Identity', presented by media expert Marwa Fadel. The workshop focused on employing storytelling in cultural content production, highlighting UAE values and local stories, and developing impactful cultural narratives suited to various media outlets and digital platforms, in ways that strengthen the presence of local stories in global media.
The first week's themes concluded with a workshop on the fundamentals of AI-powered content creation, in which Ahmed Mohammed Al Kutbi, Director of Noor Dubai Radio and Television, demonstrated how artificial intelligence tools can be used to transform ideas into fully realised creative content — through crafting intelligent prompts and producing professional texts, designs, and visual scenes — thereby enhancing the quality and impact of digital content.
Widad Kahour, Head of Media Talent Development at the Dubai Press Club, affirmed that the first week of the Cultural Content Creators programme reflected a high level of engagement and interest on the part of participants.
She noted that the diversity of workshops and sessions was designed to give participants a comprehensive, hands-on training experience that helps them understand the cultural content creation ecosystem from idea conception through to publication and measurement.
She said: "In the first week of the programme, we ensured that the workshops were directly linked to the needs of today's content creators, by focusing on the most prominent and influential digital platforms, alongside design and analytical tools, idea organisation, and on-camera presence."
"The goal is not only to familiarise participants with the tools, but to empower them to use those tools consciously and responsibly in producing cultural content that reflects Dubai's identity," she added. "The collaboration with Dubai Culture reflects the importance of joint efforts to support talent and develop Arabic cultural content in keeping with the rapid transformations taking place in digital media."
"We look forward during the programme's second week to continuing this training journey through additional workshops and sessions that strengthen participants' capabilities and help them crystallise their ideas and transform them into quality, executable content."
The programme continues in its second week with a series of practical workshops and sessions that build on participants' training in developing their ideas, constructing impactful cultural narratives, and employing visual communication skills, digital platforms, and modern production tools to create content that reflects the richness and diversity of Dubai's cultural scene.
The programme keeps pace with transformations in digital media.
The collaboration with Dubai Culture reflects the importance of joint efforts to support talent.
A second week completes participants' training in building impactful cultural narratives.