The Dubai-based production company brings in the former Endemol Middle East, Sony Pictures Television Arabia and Talpa Middle East executive to lead operations and expand its content slate.
MFormedia has appointed entertainment industry executive Ziad Kebbi as its new Managing Director, as the Dubai-based production company moves to strengthen its operations and accelerate its transformation into an IP-first content studio.
Kebbi will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations, expanded production slate and delivery across its four main content pillars: non-scripted entertainment, scripted content, digital media and AI-enabled production.
Managing Partners Khalil Homeissy and Ralph Matar will continue to lead the group’s overall strategy and key industry relationships.
The appointment comes as MFormedia responds to major shifts across the content business, including the impact of AI on production, changing platform economics and the increasingly fragmented way audiences consume content.
At the core of the company’s strategy is a greater focus on original IP ownership. While continuing to operate as a production company, MFormedia aims to increase its involvement in developing, producing and adapting formats and original ideas for broadcasters, platforms and streamers across the region and international markets.
Kebbi brings more than 18 years of experience across the MENA content and format business. He previously served as Managing Director of Endemol Middle East, President of Sony Pictures Television Arabia and CEO of Talpa Middle East.
His credits include nine seasons of The Voice Arabia, one of the region’s most successful international format adaptations, as well as a number of projects focused on bringing global entertainment properties to Arab audiences and developing original IP.
“MFormedia was built on a simple promise: deliver, every time, at the highest standard,” said Ralph Matar, Managing Partner at MFormedia. “That promise has earned us the trust of some of the most demanding clients in the industry. Bringing Ziad into the company is a way of honoring that promise while preparing for what comes next. There is no one better prepared for that challenge than Ziad.”
Khalil Homeissy, Managing Partner, added: “The industry is moving faster than ever, and the leaders who will shape its next chapter are those who combine deep production craft with strong creative networks. Ziad has developed, sold and delivered some of the biggest entertainment properties in the region. With him leading our operations and slate, MFormedia can take an idea from spark to screen, on any platform and at any scale.”
For Kebbi, the move represents an opportunity to build on MFormedia’s production infrastructure and regional relationships.
“I was drawn to MFormedia because it is a real production company with the delivery muscle and relationships to make things happen,” Kebbi said. “The region is entering an exciting new chapter, and I believe the next wave of Arabic content will belong to those who can move confidently across genres and platforms without compromising on craft.”
He added: “Our focus will be to create, source and produce across non-scripted, scripted and digital, while being shaped by the tools and thinking of what is coming next. Some of the best stories from this region have yet to be told.”
MFormedia has spent the past decade building a production network across the region, working with broadcasters, brands and global platforms. Under Kebbi’s leadership, the company aims to expand its role in the development and exploitation of original IP while maintaining production and delivery as the foundation of its business.
