Duo blaze trail to bring Arabic digital content to young audiences

AMMAN — After noticing a scarcity of digital content in Arabic, young entrepreneurs Feras Al Kiswani and Ahmad Al Masri established Progressive Generation Studios (PGS) in 2011 to fill the need they saw. 

PGS focuses on digital content for children including 2D and 3D animations and educational videos, Kiswani and Masri told The Jordan Times in a recent e-mail interview.

“We decided to inspire children, to give them the choice to think, to draw positive memories in their lives,” they said.

 “We believe in Arab children’s ability to beat all fears and overcome bad conditions in life; it is crucial for them to hang on to their dreams. Yes, they will make them come true! We will support them step by step, as they will fly with their dreams in a world full of love, beauty, peace and warmth,” they added.

Kiswani was one of several young entrepreneurs from around the Kingdom who met with His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday to discuss their projects. During the meeting, His Majesty reaffirmed his keenness to support young Jordanians’ innovative projects, heard from the entrepreneurs and voiced pride in their achievements.    

“His Majesty was very modest and supportive, and it was one of the best moments in my life to give him the results of very long years of hard work. He was very proud of me and my partner and our company. This is the real achievement for us,” Kiswani said. 

The two entrepreneurs said their project comprises “the largest Arabic digital library”, with over 50,000 minutes of content. They also partner with various TV channels to air content geared towards children, broadcasting seriesw on Kuwait, Jordan, CN, and Tunisia TV stations.

“Soon we will launch our new live online channel PG KIDS, which will be available on all platforms” they said. 

The company drew the support of Oasis500, a local start-up accelerator, and attracted investments worth $1 million from international companies.

“Oasis500 gave us mentoring, seed investment and networking, which was very fruitful for us,” Kiswani said. 

“We gained the trust with the big players within the MENA region through hard work and giving them the highest quality for reasonable prices. We deal with our clients as partners, not as customers,” they said. 

Kiswani and Masri said the team aims to study new opportunities on a weekly and monthly basis and to pre-plan projects by anticipating any obstacles. “We make small, achievable steps to move forward,” they said.

As the company grows, Kiswani said, its mission is to become one of the world’s leading producers and entertainment providers, specifically in Arabic. 

“We seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable animated digital content Edutainment experiences in the region... [We want] to become the Walt Disney of the MENA region in the next three years,” he added.