Immediate Release
November 28, 2007
Show
Time For The First International Realty TV Show Hydra
Executives
***
Casting for the International
English Language Reality TV Show is set for December 15th,
Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA and brings two countries and 16 entrepreneurs
together
Beverly Hills,
CA & Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
– Hydra Properties LLC, one
of the world’s largest commercial developers launched Hydra Executives today
(Nov. 28, 2007) at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA. Casting for the first International reality
TV series “The Hydra Executives”
begins on December 15, 2007 also at the Hilton. Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy
Delshad welcomed the Hydra Properties team at the media brunch and launch.
The show will feature a cast
of budding American and British entrepreneurs to be filmed in Abu Dhabi, but
broadcast entirely in English. The reality TV series was created by CEO
Sulaiman Al-Fahim, Hydra Properties LLC, a leading Abu Dhabi-based
international real estate company and the key backer of the show. Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Chamber of
Commerce and Industry are also sponsoring the show. According to Fahim around $5 million would be
spent on the first season.
“We
are inviting 16 entrepreneurs, eight Americans and eight Brits, to Abu Dhabi in
the United Arab Emirates to compete against each other for 15 weeks,” said
Al-Fahim. “Contestants will fly to the
capital city of Abu Dhabi where they will spend their first 2 weeks in boot
camp to learn the art of the real estate deal and how to identify various
playing fields. Following this they will be split into two mixed teams to
compete in real estate business assignments for a three month period.” At the
end of the competition one winner will walk away with the grand prize worth $1
million to set up his or her own style real estate venture.
The executive boardroom-style program is currently
being shopped for global distribution in March 2008. It is being produced in
association with Showtime Arabia, which is partly owned by Viacom, and Dubai’s
Infinity TV.
“It’s little like the Olympics of reality TV,” explained co-host and Executive Producer Ziad Batal. “The show brings 16 contestants into United States and United Kingdom in international teams to compete in business challenges spread over the UAE’s thriving capital of Abu Dhabi. The winner receives a $1 million funding prize to start his or her business there. Other proposed reality TV programs in the works include an India vs. Pakistan edition.”
Batal also said the UAE government is rolling out
the red carpet for the show. The TV show is expected to provide global exposure
to the country and its multibillion-dollar real estate industry. “It’s really
about attracting tourists and people who want to do business here.”
Casting Director Beverly Pomerantz has a long list of
hit reality shows including “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.” The Director
is JC Caliciano, LA Producers. Eligible candidates are required to have a
background in real estate and/or architecture, engineering, sales, marketing
and finance. They should also reflect qualities of success: passion, risk
taking, dynamic people skills, multidisciplinary perspectives, innovation and
change. The show is set to air in March
2008.
“This all English reality show will be amongst the
first of its kind for the Middle East audience and also the first involving the
region’s real estate sector,” said CEO Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, Showtime Arabia.
“We are delighted to be part of this great endeavor that Hydra has chosen and
feel that this is one of the most creative shows that we’ve seen to date.”
Showtime has already pledged to broadcast Hydra Executives in Asia and the Middle
East, according to Batal, and negotiations are ongoing with the major US and
European production houses for
distribution in their broadcast areas.
“Foreigners don’t watch Arabic, but Arabs watch
English programming. Now they’ll be getting a taste of both worlds,” said
Batal. Batal is no stranger to hit TV shows. He is also the creator of Street Smarts, a reality TV show
entering its third season on Infinity TV, and he produces Showtime’s Shake the Stadium, which aired this
year.
Al-Fahim is known more for his successful global
real estate projects than the TV industry. Hydra Properties’ latest real estate
ventures include half a dozen high-rise properties in the UAE and a $500
million mixed residential complex in Mazatlan, Mexico.
“Al-Fahim doesn’t do the Donald Trump ‘you’re fired’ kind of thing,” explained Batal. “It’s more like a tourist greeting, ‘Welcome to my country, I am your host and let’s get you connected to business in Abu Dhabi.’”
Additionally, the 16 contestants will be exposed to
the crème de la crème of the UAE’s business society, allowing each to set up
needed networks. The entrepreneurs,
hand-picked by Al-Fahim, will benefit from his tips and advice as they go
through their various business dealings.
“It’s entertainment, but of a different kind,” said
Al-Fahim, “It’s about the world of adventure, about doing something that hasn’t
been done before, or doing something differently.”
For more information and submissions for the show,
candidates can visit www.hydraexecutives.com
About Hydra Properties LLL (www.Hydraproperties.com).
Hydra Properties is changing the landscape of the UAE. Its mission is to provide
more than just properties. Hydra Properties delivers the latest concepts in
state-of-the-art living. Driven by a passion for excellence, Hydra Properties
will be the name behind some of the most prestigious residential and business
developments in the UAE. Hydra Properties utilizes its professional expertise
to manage projects from end to end including land purchase, appointment of
award-winning architects, execution and monitoring of projects with contractors
and follow-up to final handover. The processes and practices that are followed
are in line with world standards. Hydra Properties is renowned for its ability
to provide superior product value.
Hydra Properties YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B62RLeJcEw