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Campaign ME
13 hours ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Geography categories at Agency of The Year Middle East 2025 explained
The 2025 Agency of The Year Middle East awards is set to spotlight the brightest stars in advertising across the region, from creative and digital to media, PR, production and social media, with a specialised Geography Category. Open to both independent and network agencies across the region, the Awards include a section to recognise the best agencies in specific markets in the Middle East. The Geography Category includes Best Agency awards for seven markets: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The section aims to highlight the strategic achievements and financial performance across creative, digital, media, PR, production and beyond. Furthermore, lead by Chair Judge Emma Campbell, Sector Marketing Director – Strategic Marketing & Communications at DCT Abu Dhabi, the jury includes senior brand marketers from a diverse range of markets such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and more. Therefore, submitting to this category offers your agency the chance to have its success be recognised by potential clients. Submission criteria In order to create a successful entry for the Best Agency under the Geographic category, agencies must include: Achievements against objectives Scope of operation Business growth Client profile and disciplines New business wins, client retention and relationships Awards and recognition within the eligibility period Staff retention and development initiatives Creative output where applicable How the agency has played a positive role in the advancement and reputation of the industry during the review period, including examples of work, promotions and initiatives that lead the industry – including DE&I and sustainability initiatives How the agency provides an exceptional place to work for staff and has built a strong positive culture How the agency has evolved its workplace to support the business internally and externally Judges will also consider factors such as the expansion of integrated offerings, leadership and innovation, demonstrable investment in R&D, influence within the industry, and commitment to talent and culture as they evaluate entries. All submitted information must fit within the eligibility period of 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. Entries must follow the overall submission guidelines as per the Agency of The Year Middle East 2025 entry kit. To download the kit, click here. To assist with your submission, Campaign Middle East in partnership with Haymarket hosted a FAQ webinar to further explain the submission process. To watch a recorded session of the awards clinic, click here. Last year's Geography Category winners Winning a geography category at the Agency of The Year Middle East 2025 awards showcases your agency as the best in the country. The win not only highlights your agency as the most successful to potential clients, but also allows it to gain access at being showcased as the best on Campaign Middle East's esteemed platform. Last year, top agencies from across the region were honoured based on business outcomes and financial success of their agencies during 2024. The list includes: Best Agency – Egypt: Impact BBDO Cairo Impact BBDO Cairo was recognised as the Best Agency of the Year – Egypt with a trophy presented by Anthony Milne, Chief Commercial Officer, Motivate Media Group. Best Agency – Iraq: Brodmann Brodmann was named Best Agency of the Year – Iraq and received the trophy from one of the awards judges, Siddharth Sivaprakash, Head of Brand and Marketing at Home Centre under the Landmark Group. Best Agency – Jordan: Adpro& Adpro& was handed the Best Agency of the Year – Jordan award by one of the awards judges, Siddharth Sivaprakash, Head of Brand and Marketing at Home Centre under the Landmark Group. Best Agency – Oman: Kenshō Mindful Communications A judge at the Agency of the Year Middle East awards, Sahar Khan, Director of Marketing at Bayut and Dubizzle, awarded Kenshō Mindful Communications as Best Agency of the Year – Oman Best Agency – Qatar: UM Qatar UM Qatar was recognised as Best Agency of the Year – Qatar by one of the awards judges, Sahar Khan, Director of Marketing at Bayut and Dubizzle. Best Agency – Saudi Arabia: Zenith KSA from Publicis Groupe Publicis Groupe – Zenith KSA was awarded the Best Agency of the Year – Saudi Arabia by award sponsor Hicham Fakhoury, Content Solutions Lead at MBC Media Solutions. Best Agency – UAE: Action Global Communications – UAE Neel Pandya, former CEO – EMEA and APAC for Pixis, one of the awards sponsors, presented Action Global Communications – UAE with the Best Agency of the Year –UAE award. Enter now and save AED 500 Enter now for a chance to be recognised as the best in your geography, and even the entire region. Entries can be made at a discounted rate for the early bird deadline of August 7, 2025. To download the full entry kit, click here. For more information on judges, categories and the awards, click here. Campaign Middle East will announce the winners at the Agency of The Year Middle East 2025 awards ceremony in December.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Feature Video: Cosmo's Midnight - Hold On (Young Heart)
This week's Feature Video from Aussie electronic brothers Cosmo's Midnight dances through uncertainty and reminds our younger selves that everything will be alright. 'Hold On (Young Heart)' is Cosmo's Midnight's (a.k.a. Cosmo and Patrick Liney individually!) first release since their last album Stop Thinking Start Feeling— and what better way to mark the occasion than with an epic dance-fuelled music video directed by Renée Kyrpriotis in their hometown of Sydney. Featuring principal dancers Emily Kenmare and Robin Chen, the clip showcases flowing, joyous choreography performed across some cult Sydney locations (Haymarket's Prince Centre, we see you!) during the city's golden hours. Renée says that this music video feels like her own personal love letter to Sydney. 'Since moving back after many years, I have grown more in love with this place I now call home' she explains. 'My interpretation of the song's meaning inspired me to capture that feeling of uncertainty when growing up, and the beauty in that period of your life. The art you create (whether it be dance or music or anything in between), can be a guiding light in that change.' 'Working with both dancers was a truly rewarding experience, there was a childlike wonder in their performances which felt so genuine to me' adds Renee. 'I was adamant that we had to shoot at golden hour, but it had been raining all week leading up to the shoot. It felt like someone was looking out for us though, because as soon as Trudi (DOP) and I got up onto that rooftop the sky just opened up for us and we were able to capture some of the most beautifully intimate shots.' Pat says that whilst writing Hold On, he kept thinking about dance as an extension of how music is experienced— physical, emotional, and instinctive. He describes finding the clip's dancers Emily and Robin as a moment of kismet. 'I was walking my dog through Burwood Park, listening to the demo, and seeing Em dancing on the amphitheatre stage with this effortless, expressive style… I went up and said hi, and basically asked her on the spot if she'd be up for bringing what I'd been imagining for the music video to life. She brought in her friend Robin. Both of them are incredible dancers and choreographers who specialise in house, and along with our friend Renée who directed and produced the video, it all just clicked. 'We wanted to capture that feeling of connection and joy that comes from dancing with others, especially in those spontaneous, communal spaces like the one just outside my front door. 'In a way, this song is meant to be moved to.'
Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Another Strictly star has phone stolen in London as it travels across the globe
A third Strictly Come Dancing star had their phone stolen while out in central London. In a post shared online, they revealed their phone ended up across the globe Yet another Strictly Come Dancing star was robbed in London as they revealed where their phone ended up. Earlier this month, both Annabel Croft and Michelle Tsiakkas revealed to fans their phones were stolen while out in the city as they issued warnings to their Instagram followers. Michelle, 29, told fans having her phone stolen was 'traumatising' and said she felt 'awful, scared and helpless' when it happened. She explained that she was simply going about her day when a criminal whizzed past her on an electric bike and snatched her phone straight from her hand. The star said it was early morning when she was on her way to the dentist around Covent Garden. Annabel Croft was also a victim of phone theft and recently recalled the terrifying moment she was mugged in broad daylight in the middle of London. The brave star being the target of a criminal has prompted her to speak out to make sure others don't suffer the same issue. Annabel, who competed in the 2023 series alongside Johannes Radebe, said she was waiting for a taxi when the incident occurred. Speaking on Instagram, Annabel detailed the moment and thanked those who rushed to her aid. "I just wanted to warn people who are on their own in London. I just got mugged waiting for a taxi outside King's Cross St Pancras," she wrote. "The man was riding a bike and wearing a black balaclava. He rode straight at me and took my phone clean out of my hands. He rode away with it but luckily dropped my phone so I got it back. Terrifying! " Annabel added. She added: "On a positive note, there are some lovely people out there. Luckily a lovely gentleman witnessed it and came over to help me. Thank you to whoever you are." The new Strictly curse didn't stop with Annabel as Seann Walsh recently revealed his phone was stolen in a post shared on his Instagram Stories. Along with a screenshot from the Find My app, which showed his phone in Guangdong, China, he said: "My phone was stolen (yes, out of my hand and yes, I live in Lond) a week or so ago and it is now in China if anyone happens to be passing by." One person urged the comedian to write a book called "It could only happen to me" and he responded: "If there are any publishers following me, I am open to this but it will be a very long book. I'm calling it Typical." Unsettled Londoners have been left in disbelief as mobile phone theft has increased at a horrifying rate. New statistics release this month revealed that 231,000 phone thefts and robberies were recorded over the past four years in the city. Analysis by The Times revealed hotspots in London include St James's Park, where Piccadilly and Haymarket meet Pall Mall and Clarence House as well as parts of the West End. Figures released by Scotland Yard figures show a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in robberies - with 81,256 mobile phone crimes were recorded in 2023. The stats also showed that roughly 37 people have their phone snatched on the streets of the capital every day.
Chicago Tribune
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: A breakout star brightens Haymarket Opera's ‘Artaserse'
These days, it seems no operatic mountain is too high for Haymarket Opera. The company's latest enterprise, Leonardo Vinci's 'Artaserse,' is one such intimidating peak. The rarely staged 1730 opera, set to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio, hovers around three and a half hours long. Haymarket's production runs four, counting two necessary intermissions. Then, there's 'Artaserse's' casting quagmire. The opera premiered in Rome at a time when castrati, or castrated male singers, took on treble roles; a papal decree forbade women from performing onstage. Vinci, apparently in a treble-making mood, writes 'Artaserse's' very lowest part for a tenor, filling out the rest of the cast with no fewer than five castrato roles. 'And since we at Haymarket do historically accurately …,' general director Chase Hopkins joked in his introductory remarks. In truth, the company's 'Artaserse' — which opened at DePaul University's Jarvis Opera Hall on Friday — cracked the castrato question with a mix of modern approaches. You had your countertenors, men who sing in falsetto or head voice: Kangmin Justin Kim (Artaserse), Key'mon Murrah (Arbace), and Ryan Belongie (Megabise). You had women portraying women, as did mezzo-soprano Emily Fons (Mandane) and men portraying women, as did soprano Elijah McCormack (Semira). A fourth countertenor doesn't sing in this production, but does more than any of his colleagues to shape it: stage director Drew Minter, also a founding member of fellow early-music heavyweights Newberry Consort. Unusually high vocal writing aside, 'Artaserse' invokes Baroque opera tropes aplenty. Artaserse, a benevolent Persian prince, and his equally upstanding best friend Arbace are practically family: They're dating each other's sisters, and Arbace's father, the scheming Artabano, serves in the court of Artaserse's father, the king. Also in the mix is Megabise, a bumbling soldier who pines, one-sidedly, for Artaserse's fiancée Semira. All those relationships are shaken when Artabano murders the king and frames his own son. Rather than rat out his father, Arbace nobly takes the fall, alienating his girlfriend, Mandane, and best friend in the process. Naturally, Artabano's lies and pursuit of the throne catch up to him. A third act that's pretty much back-to-back aria patches things up in record speed, including a clock-stoppingly beautiful love duet between Arbace and Mandane ('Tu vuoi ch'io viva o cara'). Metastasio's libretti don't always flow for modern audiences. (Here's looking at you, 'La clemenza di Tito.') But his 'Artaserse' proves poignant; Alessandra Visconti's supertitle translations, which retain the original libretto's poeticism, are a big help. 'Artaserse' poses questions as flummoxing as they are timeless. If you had to choose between your lover and your family, would you? What's the most moral course of action: administering justice or granting forgiveness? 'Artaserse' may have the prince's name in its title, but Murrah, making his Haymarket debut as the falsely accused Arbace, was unquestionably its breakout star. His timbre, almost unearthly in its purity, could carry over the orchestra and through Jarvis Hall on luster alone. His ornaments had the ease and precision of an instrumentalist — a breezy upper extension, daintily dancing arpeggios. In short, Murrah has to be heard to be believed. Seeing as 'Artaserse' is sold out, though, your next chance is 'El último sueño de Frida y Diego' at Lyric Opera, also his house debut (March 21 to April 4, 2026). Mark those calendars. McCormack — a transgender singer whose CV includes both male and female Baroque roles — was another breakout as Arbace's sister, Semira. 'Artaserse's' arias can be repetitive as all get-out, but McCormack's inspired phrasing and adroit ornamentations managed to make his own sound unfailingly fresh. And in a company which faithfully recreates stiff 18th-century acting conventions, McCormack's unapologetically sassy Semira was a welcome change of pace, drawing the afternoon's biggest laughs. As their wicked father Artabano, Eric Ferring held down the opera's sole low-ish voice with scorching conviction. His tenor, as seductive as it was tensile, balanced Artabano's venomous ambition with wounded, fatherly regret. Fons' Mandane was every bit as gripping, too, sharpening her luxurious mezzo to deadly points in the first act and lacing it with sobs in the third. Murrah's countertenor peers proved more mixed. Megabise is a fascinating figure in Metastasio's drama, with a compelling backstory, opaque motives — is it he who's gotten in Artabano's ear? — and comic opportunities aplenty. Belongie's performance didn't plumb those depths, nor was his peaky voice enough to carry the lowest of the opera's castrato roles. As Artaserse, Kim's performance took some time to ripen on Friday, his voice sometimes vanishingly slender and lagging behind the orchestra in his first aria to Semira. Kim's regretful aria in Act 1 — suspecting his own brother of his father's murder, Artaserse has mistakenly ordered him to be executed — was a turning point. From there onwards, he traversed his considerable range with confidence and power, without ever losing his voice's essential, attractive shimmer. It's an eternal credit to Minter's direction that this 'Artaserse' flows as well as it does, making even minimal stage action engrossing. Stephanie Cluggish's costumes were as opulent as they were attentive, and Wendy Waszut-Barrett, a Haymarket mainstay, again contributed hand-painted sets of layered beauty. The opera's action transpires over the course of a single day; to depict that, the backdrop in the final act is subtly, hypnotically backlit to evoke a just-set sun. Haymarket artistic director Craig Trompeter conducted a 21-piece pit orchestra, one of the company's largest ever. On Friday, the group was still learning how to wield that newfound power, overpowering the cast on occasion. Dicey intonation in the final chorus and Mandane's second-act aria aside, the group's unity and expression was impressive, from exactly seesawing strings to Brandon Acker's bleak, mournful lute under Artaserse's first-act lament. Again, Haymarket's run is, bittersweetly, sold out. But curious listeners will get a chance to hear an even more polished studio account via Cedille Records, at a to-be-announced date next year — just the second commercial recording of the work to date. There's nothing more Haymarket than that: ever innovating, with history as its guide.
Eater
24-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
New York Restaurant Aims to Make Peri Peri Chicken Better Than Nando's
London-born chef India Doris will open modern European restaurant Haymaket in Chelsea at 326 Seventh Avenue, near West 28th Street, on Friday, June 27. The starring dish is peri peri chicken, a nod to her Jamaican grandmother, who jazzed up the very British meal of Sunday roasts with spicy jerk chicken. It's also an acknowledgment of Nando's, the South African chicken chain that has become synonymous with London. Doris remembers loving Nando's as a kid, but when she returned as an adult, she thought, ''Yeah, this is not as good as it used to be,' and I tell people there are better places.' For peri peri chicken, the meat is marinated in a sauce made out of the namesake pepper, also known as bird's eye chile, resulting in a burst of spicy and tangy flavors. She knew she had to add her own take to the menu because, 'I want to just stop everyone asking about what it's like and just show them what it is,' she says. The restaurant's version is a deboned half-chicken doused in peri peri marinade and served with a side salad and a single crispy little chicken wing ($36). Doris has spent time in kitchens in Normandy, Spain, and London. She moved to New York in 2016 to join the Nomad team, where she met Haymarket co-owner Alex Pfaffenbach. She also spent time at the then-Saga Hospitality, now-Kent Hospitality restaurants such as Crown Shy and the two-Michelin-starred Saga, which she joined in 2019 and worked her way up to executive chef. But then, it was time for her to open her own restaurant. Haymarket has 'this very unique perspective on European food, but seen through the lens of someone who grew up in a Caribbean household,' says Pfaffenbach. He's the former director of development of the hospitality company Quality Branded and had worked at Eleven Madison Park. He also owns Upper East Side bar Lucille's. The 75-seat, 2,200 square-foot Haymarket has a 15-seat bar in the center and includes lots of greens and burnt oranges, from the chairs to the banquette. The walls feature a custom-paneled mural by Nashville artist Charlotte Terrel, displaying English and Hudson Valley countryside scenes. Doris and Pfaffenbach will also open an unnamed-for-now basement bar at the same address in late July. The menu is divided by snacks, appetizers, pastas and grains, entrees, and desserts, a collection that Doris describes as 'a bit spicy, a bit bolder.' It's a reflection of how she ate growing up and traveling around the world. 'I've collected all these things and I just put my twist on it,' she says.'The flavors are a bit deeper, and it's just like how I would eat it.' Outside of the roasted peri peri chicken, the rest of Haymarket's menu reflects Doris's English-Caribbean-New York food sensibilities. There are salt cod fritters, another ode to her grandmother, who often made salt cod; lamb and mushroom skewers, her version of the kebabs that Londoners are so fond of; and braised oxtail with oxtail jus and crispy cheddar cheese polenta. The dessert menu is short and simple, reminding Doris of childhood treats. It features a layered mango-coconut-lime pudding made with a mango and lime gelee, a mango and young coconut relish, rum syrup-soaked crisps, creme patisserie, and shaved young coconut. 'It's like a proper pudding,' she says, with trifle vibes, too. There's also the strawberry cheesecake Swiss roll and the mocha creme caramel, where the mocha sauce is poured at the table. Kent Hospitality bar alum Chris Figueroa is running the cocktail program. He had worked at Saga, Crown Shy, and Overstory, and was one of Punch's Best New Bartender finalists in 2024. The menu includes the Tall & Crisp section, with options like the Hay Barbie, an egg white sour cocktail with mezcal, aquavit, cachaça, pickled beets, ginger, and saffron; and the Stirred & Bold category includes the Cafe du Bois, an Old Fashioned with brandy, bourbon, scotches, coffee and maraschino liqueurs, and a cacao nib tuile garnish. Figueroa will also oversee the drinks at Haymarket's forthcoming bar later this summer. While the team fine-tunes the details, Pfaffenbach explains that it'll serve as Figueroa's 'true love letter to New York City bars and his experiences as a born-and-raised New Yorker.' Pfaffenbach is a fan of New York history and decided on the name Haymarket after the 19th-century dance hall in Manhattan. 'Because it was [in] the Tenderloin district in the 1890s, it was not the most savory place, but everyone came from Fifth Avenue to party, they came from the tenement area to party,' he says. 'Everyone from all stripes coming together in this part of town to enjoy themselves.' There's also the connection to the famous London district of the same name. With Doris and Pfaffenbach's fine-dining backgrounds, they want Haymarket to be fun and hospitable. 'You can have this beautiful seamless experience with this really thoughtful food, but be in this raucous dinner party atmosphere,' he says. 'I think that's the way we think about it: a raucous yet precise dinner party.' See More:
