International Disruptors: Neom’s Wayne Borg Talks Building A Sustainable Global Media Hub, Importance Of Catering To The Arab-Speaking World & Why “This Isn’t Just A One-Off Initiative”

deadline.com:

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S.

shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re sitting down with Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media, Entertainment and Culture and Fashion at Neom, and he tells us how the Saudi Arabia-based media hub, which recently housed $140M epic Desert Warrior, is quickly ramping up its offerings to the film and television sectors.  Wayne Borg is not one to say no to a challenge.

When the industry stalwart was approached to set up the media efforts of Neom, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious futuristic city that is the beating heart behind the country’s efforts to diversify its infrastructure, he considered it a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. “To be part of the Neom vision and the scale of the ambition was something I just sort of jumped at because it’s so unique in the sheer scale of it,” Borg tells Deadline.

And indeed, there is scale. The semi-autonomous region is set across 26,500 kilometers (roughly the size of Belgium) in the northwest of Saudi Arabia and is the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to liberalize the country and its young population (70% of the country is under the age of 35).