Lamees Al Makkawi

To Lamees Al Makkawi, Class of 2016, culture is the architecture of urban greatness. As an associate at TwoFour54’s Creative Lab, she is working to strengthen the viability of Abu Dhabi’s domestic media industry because, “there’s so much more to be told. I want our stories to have as much of an impact as our skyscrapers and our cars,” she says.

To ensure that they do, Al Makkawi is laying the groundwork for the UAE’s future storytellers. Through trainings, workshops, and internships, she develops programs to expose young people to “the full breadth of possibilities of a career in the media industry — behind or in front of the camera.” She says this supports TwoFour54’s objective of developing and strengthening the region’s Arabic media content. “Youth are the future of the industry,” she explains. “We just need to offer them more support to help them reach a broader audience.”