Layalina Productions, Inc. - the first U.S. non-profit producer of Arabic and English language television programming for airing in the Arab world and the United States - received a letter of intent from O3 Productions to license Ala al Tariq fi Amrika “On the Road in America” -- Layalina’s reality based road show series. 03 Productions is the acquisition arm for MBC Group the leading pan-Arab satellite network that owns Al Arabiya News Channel.
“On the Road in America” is a 26-episode series that features the exploits of three Arab university students, a Lebanese, a Palestinian, and an Egyptian, who make their first trip to the United States. Targeted at a young Arab audience, the series attempts to explore the diversity and uniqueness of the United States through the eyes of the 3 students while they travel across the country. The main characters’ interaction with the communities they visit during their travels will go some ways towards identifying common cultural facets and promoting greater understanding.
“It’s been extremely exciting and rewarding to see ‘On the Road’ come to life,” said Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, Layalina’s President. “We are looking forward to working with MBC Group to expand much-needed cross-cultural awareness and understanding that this pilot has begun,” he added.
Fadi Ismail, General Manager of O3 production in Dubai Media City, UAE, was full of anticipation: “We are excited about working with Layalina which is represented by highly professional, dedicated and clear-minded people. Their culture of high quality programming is second to none, and we very much look forward to sharing “On the Road in America“, with our millions of viewers in all 22 Arab countries.”
It is expected that On the Road will commence airing on MBC Group’s news flagship channel Al Arabiya during primetime subject to finalizing the licensing agreement.
“What will make this series resonate is its authenticity,” said On the Road Creator, Director and Executive Producer Jerome Gary. An academy award-nominated and 14-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker, Gary’s feature credits include “Traxx” and “Pumping Iron.” Gary, whose Evol, Inc. production company helped produce the pilot, also indicated that “by documenting interactions between ordinary Arabs and Americans, we hope this series will illustrate that the current misunderstandings are reconcilable.”
Layalina Productions, Inc. is a non-profit corporation based in Washington, DC. Layalina was founded in March 2002 by Richard Fairbanks, the former chief U.S. negotiator for the Middle East Peace Process, to produce thoughtful Arabic-language television programming for broadcast in the Arab Middle East. The corporation’s Board of Counselors comprises former diplomats and officials, broadcasters, and private sector executives from the United States. Layalina’s educational, debate, entertainment, and children’s shows aim to strengthen existing bridges of mutual understanding between the U.S. and the Arab world and build new ones. Layalina’s president is Marc Ginsberg, a former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco. Layalina’s Honorary Chairman is former President George Herbert Walker Bush. To learn more about Layalina, visit www.layalina.tv
MBC Group is a Dubai-based diversified media company. It owns and operates Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), the first and leading pan-Arab free-to-air satellite network; MBC2, the non-stop Western movie channel that is the most watched in the Middle East; MBC3, the TV channel just for kids that offers high quality programs; and Al Arabiya, the independent, ground-breaking 24-hour news and information channel. Additionally MBCfM is the leading authentic Gulf music and entertainment radio station based in Saudi Arabia, and Panorama FM, which is the leading pan-Arab music and talk radio station.
