Saud Boksmati
Arab Stories. Global Reach.
Developing stories rooted in Arab culture for global animation, publishing, and learning.
The Arab world has over 500 million people, half under 25, and ranks among the most digitally connected audiences globally. Yet most of the content they consume is imported, dubbed, and built for someone else.
Meanwhile, creators around the world are reaching global audiences by drawing on their cultural identity.
Arab culture is not a niche. It is an advantage.
Realizing that advantage requires more than ideas. It requires original IP that is authentically rooted, and built to resonate globally with a new generation.
This is the space I focus on.
The Gap
Why This Is My Focus
Over two decades in animation and publishing, I have worked across studios and markets, from Cartoon Network to Bidaya Media to House of Cool.
That experience exposed a clear contrast.
Globally, the most successful studios are built around IP designed to scale across platforms, formats, and audiences.
In the Arab world, projects are often shaped around short-term delivery, rather than long-term growth.
My focus is on building original IP that is culturally grounded and structured to scale.
What I Build
Working with studios and platforms across animation, publishing, and learning.
Original concepts built around strong characters and worlds, designed for long-term franchise growth across formats.
Defining the visual language and tone of a project, ensuring cohesion from concept through production.
Translating scripts into visual storytelling through boards and animatics, ensuring clarity in pacing, staging, and production.
Applying IP and narrative principles to educational content, designed for engagement, retention, and long-term value.
How I Approach Development
Not about repeating what’s been done, but about creating something that feels real and original.
Setting the Direction
Every project starts with a conversation. We explore references, instincts, and early thinking until the direction becomes clear. From there, the scope takes shape and we bring in the right talent to match the vision.
Developing the Idea
With the direction set, I build it out.The concept, characters, and world take shape around a focused idea, keeping the visual and narrative aligned at every step.
Shaping the Work
From there, it becomes a process of collaborative refinement, pushing until the work communicates its idea clearly, holds together creatively, and works commercially.
Selected Projects
A selection of projects that reflect how I approach IP development, storytelling, and creative direction.
Click on the images to explore each project.
Captain Sinbad’s Bed & Breakfast
Created and developed as an original multiplatform IP.
On a cliffside ship turned bed and breakfast, young Sinbad and his crew take on magical mishaps and unpredictable guests, where every stay becomes an adventure.
Mansour Age of A.I
(52 × 11 minutes)
An action-adventure series following Mansour and his friends as they face Blink, a mischievous artificial intelligence that constantly disrupts their world.
Head of Story and Co-Director on select episodes.
Distributed across platforms including Shahid, MBC3, and BBC iPlayer.
Mansour & Sara
(30 × 3 minutes)
A preschool YouTube series, developed across publishing and animation, following Mansour and Sara and their imaginary friend Dhabia through everyday, character-driven stories.
Created and developed the series.
Noura of NEOM
NEOM, 2130. The world’s most advanced city is under threat. When an alien machine army invades Earth, Noura is thrust into the cockpit of Sarab, a colossal mech built by her father and grandfather, and uncovers a conspiracy that runs deeper than the invasion itself.
Tell Me About Your Project
I’ll get back to you directly.
