DUBAI: Traditional and digital media should not be at war, social media star, podcast host and entrepreneur Anas Bukhash has told the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
During a session called “How to build a social media empire in Dubai” he explained: “I think it (traditional and digital media) should be a marriage and a good marriage, not a miserable marriage. If you have a good marriage … and they talk to each other nicely, it’s the most powerful combination rather than having either-or.”
He added he established his social media success by being consistent.
“I think a lot of things have to align, considering your consistency, your effort, your skill. All of it has to come together for you to be successful. And we've been doing it for ... we haven’t missed a Tuesday I think in like five years or six,” he said.
With more than 2 million subscribers, Bukhash’s show, AB Talks, is one of the most popular channels in the Arab world.
“When I presented my concept to some social media platforms, when I wanted to start back in 2014, everybody told me not to do it. Every platform told me nobody would watch it. It’s too long. Because at the time no Arabic interviews were long form,” he explained.
Bukhash said he valued longevity over virality in all his projects.
“Every startup I’ve done, I just do it well and I do it consistently and then suddenly it blows up. And I think people respect that more than somebody who just got viral because of one interview or one clip,” he added.
After studying mechanical engineering, Bukhash decided he wanted to branch out into other areas. He says he enjoys wearing many different hats rather than being stuck on one path.
“I’ve always looked at things and thought, how can I make it better or solve a problem for people? It’s funny how a mechanical engineer has an interview show, a hair salon, a cafe, a social media agency. But that’s the beauty of us as people. I always say, how can you sell something if you don’t believe it? You have to believe it,” he said.
“God made you so multi-dimensional. You just made yourself one dimension, but you were never born in one dimension. I love the fact that I can be one example of someone who can do a few things although I study something irrelevant.”
Bukhash said social media could be a powerful tool to help with storytelling and show people what was happening around the world — especially in recent times.
“In the US, young people have seen the tragedy and the conflict in Gaza in a way they were never able to see several years ago … You don’t have to be from a certain country to see what happens in Gaza, what happens in Lebanon, what happens in so many countries. You just have to be human to know that something is off,” he said.
