Twofour54,an Abu Dhabi-based content creation community, has announced the launch of twofour54 intaj that offers production and post-production facilities, media asset management, digital archiving, playout and broadcast services.

Twofour54 CEO Tony Orsten said: 'Today’s launch introduces the final component of twofour54’s content creation community, which is designed to facilitate the development of a sustainable media industry in the Middle East & North Africa region.'

'To be able to produce world class Arabic content you need world class facilities and we believe intaj’s facilities are a first for the region,' he noted.

The opening of these facilities completes the infrastructure for the content creation community proposition of twofour54, standing alongside twofour54 tadreeb, the region’s premier vocational training academy and twofour54 ibtikar which provides industry funding and support for early stage businesses and creative talents across the region.

Hasan Sayed Hasan, head of twofour54 intaj said: 'twofour54 intaj is the solution for the content creation industry in the region. We enable content creators to produce, complete post-production, and store content all within the supportive twofour54 campus environment.'

'We have already received high levels of interest in our services and the launch coincides with our new freelance framework providing real impetus to the production and post production industry in the region,' Hasan pointed out.

Twofour54 intaj offers five high definition (HD) production studios ranging from 60m2 to 650m2. The studios are equipped to support production in a range of fields from news to sports programming, game shows to serial dramas and light entertainment, he explained.

Each studio has its own dedicated support services, with the larger studios allowing full drive-in access to cater for even the largest scale productions.

The production facilities are complemented by 22 fully equipped post-production suites – including audio, video, graphics and high-end finishing as well as media asset management and full broadcast services – including play-out, satellite uplink and downlink, Hasan said.

Twofour54 intaj offers two choices for users – to have the facilities fully operated by a team of highly experienced broadcast technicians, or to hire the equipment and studios only. The twofour54 intaj team is made up of skilled in-house technical, operational and creative staff or from a roster of global industry experts for additional specialist consultancy, he added.

According to him, twofour54 recognises the role of freelancing in the production process and broadcast industry and has unveiled plans for its freelance licensing system, which will launch in phases at the end of October increasing access to flexible talent utilising the twofour54 intaj facilities.

In the first phase, television professionals such as sound and video editors, camera operators, production engineers, special effects technicians and hair and make-up artists will be able to license themselves directly with twofour54 as freelancers.

Freelancers will get a UAE residence visa and will be able to work for twofour54 intaj and for any other twofour54 partners such as CNN, Abu Dhabi TV, Baynounah TV, Atlas Television and C-Sky Pictures. Further categories will be introduced in 2010.

“We are now open for business and we look forward to a new generation of Arabic content being created under our roof,” Orsten added.-TradeArabia News Service