The new Riyadh office and planned production hub in Abu Dhabi will be led by James Pearce.
Aurora Media Worldwide, an international production house, has announced its expansion into the Middle East with the appointment of James Pearce to the newly created role of Managing Director, MENA. This strategic move includes the opening of a new office in Riyadh and plans for a production hub in Abu Dhabi, highlighting Aurora’s commitment to producing cutting-edge content in live, original, branded and digital formats, in line with the region’s growing focus on sports, entertainment and major events.
As part of the All3Media Group, recently acquired by investment platform RedBird IMI, Aurora has already made a significant impact in Saudi Arabia. The company has been involved in various live and non-live productions, including host broadcasts for Formula E, Extreme E, E1 Series and Supertri events in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Neom, as well as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup in AlUla.
The new production bases will be spearheaded by James Pearce, who has played a key role in Aurora’s expansion into the Middle East over recent years. Pearce, formerly the Partnerships Director at Aurora, has a track record in business development, relationship building and team management.
Speaking about the expansion, Lawrence Duffy, CEO of Aurora Media Worldwide, said: “Aurora’s unique position in the marketplace for innovative, high-quality content makes this expansion a natural progression. Our pioneering approach and focus on innovation aligns perfectly with the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s own ambitions to forge ahead with building on the growing interest in sport, entertainment and major events.”
James Pearce added: “I am thrilled to lead Aurora’s expansion in the Middle East. The region is rich with talent and opportunity, and we are eager to harness and contribute to its growing media landscape.”
Beyond live productions, Aurora has been actively engaged in creating original, branded and digital content in the region. This includes producing content for the Royal Commission for AlUla, ranging from short-form originals to digital branded content during festival seasons and programming for the Fursan and Camel Cup. Aurora also produced a short-form documentary for the Saudi Surfing Federation, hosted on Shahid. In the UAE, Aurora is working on digital content for Nike, including the launch of the new football kit for Al Ain FC, the UAE’s football club.