Sheikh Mohammed attends graduation of 522 content creators, new media specialists during 1 Billion Followers Summit

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, attended the graduation ceremony of 522 content creators and new media specialists. The graduation was held during the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to the content creator economy.

The ceremony marked the completion of seven specialised programmes organised by the UAE Government Media Office and the New Media Academy in collaboration with a number of strategic partners.

Congratulating the graduates, Sheikh Mohammed said the newly qualified talent will serve as a valuable addition to government communication and the digital media ecosystem, contributing through their skills to the effective and responsible communication of the UAE’s message to the world and reinforcing the country’s global standing.

Sheikh Mohammed said: “Investing in people is the foundation of building the future. Preparing professional content creators is essential to keeping pace with change and producing content that reflects the UAE’s values, supports its development ambitions, and enhances its regional and global leadership.”

The graduation ceremony was attended by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

The graduating programmes included the Impact Makers initiative, Specialised Content Creators, Historical Content Creators, the sixth edition of the Faris Al Muhtawa Content Creators Programme, the Executive Diploma in Government Digital Communication, Economic Content Pioneers, and the Social Media Professional Programme.

Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the 1 Billion Followers Summit is being held in Dubai from 9 to 11 January at Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future, under the theme ‘Content for Good’. The event has brought together more than 15,000 content creators and influencers, alongside over 500 speakers whose combined audience exceeds 3.5 billion followers worldwide.

The Impact Makers initiative, launched by International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council in cooperation with the New Media Academy, focuses on creative humanitarian storytelling and crisis communication. The programme offers specialised training in media engagement, narrative development, video production, and the use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian content.

The graduation ceremony also included participants from the Humanitarian Impact Content Creators Programme, which seeks to attract and develop humanitarian content creators from the Arab region and around the world.

The Impact Makers initiative targets media professionals specialising in humanitarian and development affairs, including journalists, production teams, and digital content creators dedicated to highlighting humanitarian, development, and charitable initiatives.

The initiative aims to enhance participants’ capabilities in understanding, writing, and distributing press releases that spotlight humanitarian efforts, while developing advanced storytelling approaches and audio-visual translation techniques tailored to different journalistic formats and publishing platforms.

The initiative also focuses on training official spokespersons representing donor institutions and charitable organisations in the UAE, equipping them with skills in corporate reputation management and media crisis communication.

The Specialised Content Creators programme aims to enhance the skills of professionals working in federal and local government entities, as well as the private sector, enabling them to produce high-quality specialised content across key sectors such as the economy and business, laws and legislation, medicine and mental health, agriculture, and food security.

The programme seeks to develop a select group of technical experts within government entities who possess in-depth knowledge in specialised fields but have yet to fully leverage this expertise in content creation.

Through targeted training, participants learn how to transform complex information into simplified, credible, and engaging content. Training focused on storytelling techniques, message development, specialised scriptwriting, photography and digital editing, as well as the use of creative AI tools.

The ceremony also marked the graduation of the fourth cohort of the Executive Diploma in Government Digital Communication, launched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in partnership with the New Media Academy.

The diploma, the first of its kind in the region, aims to strengthen government communication teams by adopting global best practices and enhancing digital leadership capabilities.

The programme comprised 13 strategically designed modules, delivered by seven leading academics specialising in government digital communication, alongside seven prominent international experts. It was delivered over 76 intensive training hours across an eight-week period.

Among the graduating programmes was the first cohort of Historical Content Creators, developed to train storytellers passionate about Arab history to present heritage narratives through engaging digital formats.

Participants received intensive training in storytelling, scripting, production, digital marketing, and the use of AI-powered content tools. The programme consisted of 64 training hours delivered by 16 prominent content creators from across the region.

The Economic Content Pioneers programme aims to train Emirati and Arab youth to produce impactful economic and entrepreneurial content.

The programme forms part of the national campaign ‘The Emirates: The Start-up Capital of the World’, launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to attract and empower Emiratis to establish their own businesses in sectors of strategic importance to the national economy.

Participants received in-depth training on transforming ideas and projects into compelling content, building a strong digital presence, and using AI tools for market analysis and content creation. The programme also covered digital marketing strategies, brand identity development, creative storytelling, scriptwriting, photography and editing, and effective publishing across digital platforms.

The graduation ceremony also included participants from the sixth season of the Faris Al Muhtawa programme, a flagship initiative by the New Media Academy designed to support Arab digital talent.

The latest edition placed strong emphasis on the ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence as a complement to human creativity, enabling creators to expand their reach and influence.

Strict selection criteria were applied, with priority given to applicants’ demonstrated skills and passion for digital media. Consideration was also given to participants’ academic and professional backgrounds across a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, engineering, culture, economics, programming, sustainability, and law.

Organised by the New Media Academy, the Social Media Professional Programme aims to equip digital communication professionals and marketing managers with the latest global social media strategies and advanced AI tools.

The programme enables participants to plan and manage digital marketing campaigns, strengthen creative message development, analyse market indicators, and measure campaign performance. It also provides specialised training in AI-driven marketing tools and audience-centric strategy design to support the development of strong and effective social media brands.