Creative Director · Dubai
Creative Director in Dubai for live events, brand campaigns, cultural festivals, government ceremonies, and film direction. Led by Youssef Akef, also credited as Youssef Kamal Akef. Twelve years across the UAE, KSA, and Egypt.
Disciplines
- Events Creative Direction · cultural festivals, government ceremonies, brand launches
- Advertising Creative Direction · brand campaigns and integrated rollouts
- Film Direction · brand films, commercials, narrative shorts
- AI Content Direction · directed AI-generated visual content
- Experiential Design · immersive installations and visitor flow
- Show Calling and Stage Management for broadcast-grade live events
What the Role Covers
Creative direction on a live event is not the same job as creative direction on a campaign, and both differ again from directing a film. On an event I hold the idea from the first brief through to the show call on the night, which means writing the concept, designing the run of show, directing the content that plays on screen, and standing on comms while it runs live. On a campaign the work is the platform idea and the rollout that carries it across film, stills, print and activation. On a film I direct.
Most of what I do sits where those three overlap. A government ceremony needs the protocol of an official event, the polish of a broadcast, and film-grade content cut to the second. A festival needs a visitor journey that works for a family at ten in the morning and a dignitary at eight at night. Holding all of that in one head, rather than splitting it across three suppliers who each optimise their own piece, is the reason clients bring me in.
How a Project Runs
- Brief and interrogation. What the client says they want, what the audience will actually feel, and where those two diverge.
- Concept. One idea, written plainly enough that a minister, a sponsor and a rigger all understand the same thing.
- Design and direction. Run of show, stage and spatial design, screen content, script, music, talent. Everything gets designed against the concept, not alongside it.
- Production. Working with the technical and production teams so the idea survives contact with load-in, budget and site constraints.
- Show call. On headset, calling the show. The idea is only real on the night.
Where I Work
Based in Dubai. Active across the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Qiddiya), and Egypt (Cairo). Most projects are commissioned by government entities, cultural bodies, agencies and brands working to a fixed public date, which is the constraint that shapes everything else.
Recognition
- Two-time Guinness World Record holder
- UAE Golden Visa · Creative Category
- MESE Young Achiever Nominee · 2018, 2019, 2025
The two Guinness World Records came out of Al Ain: the largest flower bouquet, set at the Al Ain Flower Festival, and the largest palm leaf sentence, set at the Al Ain Zoo Conservation Festival. Both were public attempts, adjudicated on site, built into events that had to run as events regardless of whether the record fell.
Selected Projects
- Six Flags Qiddiya City Opening · 2024
- Sharjah International Narrator Forum · 2025
- Al Ain Zoo Conservation Festival · 2024
- Al Ain Flower Festival · Guinness World Record
- ADEK Awards · 2025
Common Questions
Who is Youssef Akef?
Youssef Akef, full name Youssef Kamal Akef, is a Creative Director and Film Maker based in Dubai. He has worked in the industry since 2014, holds two Guinness World Records, and holds a UAE Golden Visa in the Creative Category. He works across live events, brand campaigns, cultural festivals, government ceremonies and film direction in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
What does a creative director do on a live event?
The creative director owns the idea and everything that expresses it: the concept, the run of show, the stage and spatial design, the screen content, the script and the music. On the night they are usually on headset calling the show. It is distinct from event management, which owns logistics, budget, vendors and delivery. The two roles work in parallel on most large events.
What is the difference between a creative director and an event manager?
An event manager is responsible for the event happening: suppliers, schedule, budget, permits, safety and delivery. A creative director is responsible for what the event means and how it feels: the idea, the narrative, the design and the content. On a small event one person may do both. On a government ceremony or a festival they are separate roles working to the same date.
What kinds of projects do you take on?
Cultural festivals, government ceremonies and official openings, brand launches and activations, awards shows, and brand films. The common thread is a fixed public date, a named audience, and a reason for the thing to exist beyond decoration.
Do you work outside the UAE?
Yes. Alongside the UAE, work regularly runs in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Qiddiya, and in Egypt out of Cairo.
How far ahead should a project start?
For a festival or a ceremony, the useful conversation starts three to six months out. Concept work needs time before production locks, and the earlier the idea is settled the less money gets spent building the wrong thing. Shorter timelines are workable, they just narrow what is possible.
How do I start a project?
Email youssefkamal.akef@gmail.com with the date, the audience and what the event is for. Those three things are enough to say whether it is a fit.
Related: Event Director in the UAE · Film Director in Dubai · Case studies
Start a Project