Over recent years, YouTube has redefined the way superstars are born. Talent no longer needs to be engineered via the “Hollywood Formula” through exploitive agents and record labels before garnering its legion of fans. Today, thousands of performer-hopefuls are directly uploading their talent for the millions of online users to judge for themselves.
is the Middle East’s answer to this online phenomenon, except with one crucial difference. “We are dedicated to talent,” stressed Kareem Domloge, CEO of Prime Digiko, the company that created website, which was launched in late 2010. Shuhra.com is a multimedia platform created for the discovery and promotion of talents in the Middle East and North Africa. Their aim is to bring these talents together in the hope of forming the first online Arab talent community.
In terms of the Middle East, both talent and interest are in full abundance. Shows, like Arabs Got Talent, are proof of the growing awareness of the untapped talent the Middle East is harboring. And now, thanks to Shuhra.com, these talents have an accessible online outlet.
So whether you’re a filmmaker, comedian, DJ, or even a magician, Shuhra.com has a category for your unique skill set. Echoing the mission of Shuhra.com, Domloge reasserts, “We are committed to highlighting the talent that is currently under-represented here in this region.”
Currently, everyone from fashion designers and visual artists to break dancers and rappers are uploading their viral portfolios into Shuhra.com’s Talent Bank. The Talent Bank features a talent profile where members can share their artistic influences, as well as their likes and hobbies.
“Artists who join are able to fully customize the look and content of their profile page to better reflect their artistic identity,” stated Domloge. “Talents are encouraged to upload their videos, audio files and/or photos in order to share them with friends and fans.”
Another unique feature of the site is the Starmeter, which is based on a comprehensive point system that includes the number of views and “likes” a talent’s work receives. Thus, the Starmeter score reflects a talent’s online popularity. Most Viewed and Talent Spotlight give browsers direct access to the hottest profiles, while the Random column provides an array of genres to view.
Forget E! Entertainment channel! “Shuhra.com offers a News & Events section, which is devoted to bringing its members the latest in entertainment news and exclusive artist interviews, including video and text coverage of the most happening events in the region,” explained Domloge.
It even gives Ryan Seacrest wannabes and Juliana Dipandi-esque entertainment correspondents a chance to show off their reporting skills in the site’s You Report section where users can contribute articles, pictures and videos for a chance to be published on Shuhra.com’s homepage. “They can send in their work and be part of our regional network of reporters,” added Domloge.
“As part of the Shuhra.com community, we offer our talents guidance and support,” explained Domloge. “We invite them to perform in Shuhra.com’s large-scale events to be held soon in different cities around the Arab world.”
So far, Shuhra.com, has sponsored talent shows in Jeddah and Beirut. However, Domloge insists they leave the judging up to the fans. “We’re not into judging, we’re into promoting,” he asserts. The only type of bureaucratic interference from Shuhra.com occurs during the uploading process phase. “We don’t determine whether you’re good enough or not to be online — that’s for the viewers to decide, we simply screen files before they are uploaded just to make sure no offensive materials are posted,” explained Domloge, referring to the site’s policy of no nudity. In addition, “explicit lyrics” warnings label all files that contain any profane language.
With interactive polls and quizzes, Shuhra.com makes sure there is never a lackluster moment on their site. The next Nancy Ajram or Fahad Albutairi could currently be singing or joking their way to stardom at this moment. You simply just need an Internet connection to find them.
And, the best part of Shuhra.com is that employers have yet to catch onto it in the workplace, meaning unlike YouTube, you can have unlimited access to procrastinate during valuable office hours! Let the browsing begin…
