The Originals is a creative house that specialises in creating original interdisciplinary experiences and content around art, culture and technology to inspire positive change in society.
Benjamin and Julien Monie, founders of JBM Studio, and Antoine Croise, former director of Auditoire Dubai, have launched The Originals, a creative house that operates in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
It specialises in creating original interdisciplinary experiences and content around art, culture and technology to inspire positive change in society.
The Originals team brings two decades of experience, having designed and delivered some of the largest events across the region for prestigious clients and brands. In line with the ever-changing world, the team’s ambition is to develop a new approach to events and content creation for large-scale multi-media cultural shows, artistic digital installations, immersive experiences and events.
Located in the heart of Al Quoz, The Originals supports the Dubai Government’s vision for the Al Quoz creative zone project and its mission to inspire the next generation of creative talent.
Speaking about The Originals, Benjamin Monie said: “The Originals is committed to supporting the rapid development of the Middle East’s cultural ecosystem. We have always been fascinated by our continually evolving world and the people we encounter which is an infinite source of inspiration for us. We aim to explore new territories and craft our original experiences and content with like-minded partners which is why we prioritise creating our own Ips, as well as co-creating original concepts with relevant partners in the region.”
The Originals operates at the intersection of Culture and Society to build bridges between those who create culture and those who support it.
Julien Monie added: “The Originals is more than a traditional agency. We are a platform for the creative economy and social space that brings people together to connect, collaborate and explore new ideas. This enables us to be physically connected to what is happening now and to what is coming next.”
Antoine Croise stated: “We don’t want to do events just for the sake of doing events. We want to make sure that the projects we develop have a positive social and cultural impact and also leave a legacy. The projects we work on are carefully selected based on this core value.”
The Originals operates under three core pillars: the agency (original experiences), the studio (original content) and the society (social space and community events).
Focused on producing interdisciplinary projects around art, culture and technology, the Agency combines strategic vision and a bespoke creative process to bring original experiences to life. The projects currently under development include large-scale multi-media cultural shows, artistic digital installations, immersive experiences and events.
The Studio works in collaboration with award-winning artists, producers and studios to help tell stories. It is also where The Originals produces animation, films, special effects and music for their projects and where The Originals’ talk shows, podcast series and music are produced. The 5,651 sqft studio spans over two floors and is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology so creatives can produce high-quality content and present their ideas in a fresh and artful way, whether that be through film, music or image development. The studio’s facilities include the first Dolby Atmos studio to open in the UAE, a podcast studio, a music recording studio, a video recording studio and a graphic studio.
The Society is a social space and community that brings together the members of the creative economy to connect and co-create through regular events that include intimate talks, masterclasses, social events and music showcases.