Dubai: When 30-year-old Mohammad Saeed Hareb presented his idea to produce the animation TV show, Al Freej, several years ago, some thought the young man was being a "little bit too ambitious".
But, others in his age group were enthusiastic, as well as wanting to become his sponsors.
It turned out that he was realistic in his ambitions. After the first successful season of the show a few years ago, "many people came forward to help," Mohammad, says.
"I have been blessed with many good scriptwriters."
According to Mohammad, the audience has changed during the past few decades.
"Now, cartoons, in general, are more family-oriented," he says.
Born in Dubai to a prominent family, Mohammad and his four brothers and sisters chose the field of media and arts.
Today, Freej is a big hit in the UAE, appealing to all age groups, and is a well-known show in the Gulf region.
Soon, the show is expected to be the first cartoon from the Gulf region ever to be shown abroad.
Through his work Mohammad passes on his cultural knowledge to others.
When he was a child, he says, he "learnt a lot about others cultures from their animation shows shown on Arabic television channels. However, I did not learnt much about my own."
Asides from its comic scenes and high-quality production, Mohammad is "archiving" his own culture, dialect and social life through a TV show.
