Quest Arabiya’s extreme sports series goes into production

Quest Arabiya is launching a new adventure-travel show, Nabd Al Moghamara, which is now being shot in locations across the region from the Maghreb to the Levant.

Hussein Gazzazz, a 30-year-old Saudi Egyptian skydiving enthusiast, will be joined by 29-year-old Lebanese rock climber Ghida Arnaout as they co-host the nine-episode series, scheduled to air for the first time on March 13, 2016.

Nabd Al Moghamara, Arabic for “Pulse of Adventure”, will follow Hussein and Ghida’s journey through stunning landscapes as they experience the most daring pursuits the region has to offer. Production has already started on episodes that will include deep water solo climbing in Oman, white water rafting in Morocco, snow-paragliding in Lebanon and dune-bashing in the UAE.

Carl von Doussa, General Manager of Quest Arabiya, said: “The launch of Nabd Al Moghamara, our first of many regionally-produced, long-form flagship series, will take the channel – that has already been embraced by viewers in 22 countries – to an exciting new level and demonstrates our commitment to creating original Arabic content.

“We are looking forward to highlighting the incredible, natural landscapes throughout the Middle East and North Africa and showcasing the region’s diversity and talent.”

He added: “This regional content will sit perfectly alongside the world-class programmes we access through our partner Discovery Communications, which are fully dubbed in Arabic and with Arabic graphics that make the content relevant and relatable to the MENA audience.”

Quest Arabiya has commissioned the UAE-based production company Saluki Media to deliver Nabd Al Moghamara.

Shereen El Meligi, Quest Arabiya’s Programming Director, said: “Nabd Al Moghamara is set to showcase some great stories of personal endeavour and achievement, but it is also an example of our commitment to providing opportunities for the production industry in the region. We are happy to be working with regional producers, crew and talent on this exciting show.”

El Meligi said she believes the choice of co-hosts was critical to ensuring the show will appeal to the 340 million people, in 45 million households across 22 MENA countries, which Quest Arabiya reaches.

Over the course of each 30-minute episode, the two presenters will train with professional extreme sport athletes to master a specific pursuit. They will get a taste of the local culture and community at each country they visit, taking in the most impressive sights and attractions.

Hussein is a sky diving fanatic with 118 solo jumps under his belt and has a YouTube channel where he posts pulse-racing videos.

He said: “Being chosen as the presenter of Nabd Al Moghamara is a dream job for me as I love trying new extreme stunts and my aim has always been to encourage others to do the same.

“I love going to new countries or regions to find out about the local sports as well as the disciplines and cultures involved. I find it fascinating and I think it’s really important to learn sports the way the locals do it.”

Ghida, who works as social media manager, runs her own blog charting her outdoor pursuits and is passionate about helping other young Arabic women discover a love of the outdoors. She believes the series will do exactly that.

She said: “I was so excited when I found out I had got the presenter job. Not only do I get to be on TV doing cool things, but I will meet lots of like-minded outdoor lovers and reach lots more people, which will help encourage them to get out there and do more. If I can enjoy what I’m doing and meet that personal objective I will be thrilled.”

Quest Arabiya, a division of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, is a free-to-air, factual entertainment Arabic TV channel, is which was launched in December 2015 in association with Discovery Communications.

The channel covers the key genres of Extreme Outdoor, Turbo, Engineering, Nature & Wildlife, Science & Space, and People & Places.