frequently asked
questions.

Tarek Ariss is a creative director, brand partner and commercial film director based in Dubai, UAE. He trained as a medical doctor, worked as a healthcare strategy consultant creating national and organisational strategies across the GCC, and then co-founded The Fifth Kind, a creative production house. He has worked on campaigns for brands including Nissan, Manchester City FC, Red Bull, Disney+, L’Oréal, Deliveroo, Careem, LEGO, KFC and Majid Al Futtaim.

A creative director and brand partner helps a business decide what its brand should say and how to say it. Tarek works from the business goal first: he shapes the positioning and messaging, develops the campaign idea, and can write and direct the film himself, so the strategy and the finished work stay connected.

The same person who works out the strategy and the idea also directs the film. That means the thinking does not get lost between the brief, the script and the edit, and you have one senior point of contact from start to finish.

Tarek is based in Dubai and works with founders, brands and agencies across the UAE and the wider GCC. He has worked with 45 brands across the region.

Automotive, beauty and cosmetics, entertainment, fintech, hospitality, retail, FMCG, food and beverage, technology and government.

Selected work includes A League of Its Own for Nissan and Manchester City, The Office Party for Deliveroo, The Lineup for L’Oréal Elvive, Summer Is a Mood for Brands For Less and Itching for a Fix for Fix Chocolate.

Both. Tarek has created 26 TV commercial campaigns and 73 social-first campaigns, from hero films to cutdowns, tactical assets and social content.

Narrative and character-led. Tarek builds every film around characters and a story with a clear setup, tension and payoff, so the brand message lands through what happens to people on screen. He spends time with the cast on who their characters are, which is what makes the performances, and the humour, feel real.

Yes. Humour runs through most of Tarek’s work, because people remember and share what makes them laugh. His campaigns include footballers so relaxed in a Nissan Patrol that their coach catches them dozing off, an office party rescued by a Deliveroo order, a police lineup for L’Oréal Elvive, and two cousins caught sneaking a Fix chocolate bar. He works closely with actors, and with non-actors such as footballers, on timing and performance so the comedy feels natural on screen. He also writes and performs comedy himself.

A senior review of your strategy, campaign or script, with a clear plan to fix it. You send what you have, Tarek reviews it first, then you work through it together in a 90-minute session: the real problem, what is working, what is not and exactly what he would change. You receive a written diagnosis and next steps within 48 hours. If you go on to a Campaign Sprint, the fee counts towards it. It is for founders, marketing teams and agencies.

A Campaign Sprint takes two weeks. It starts from your business goal or problem and delivers a campaign strategy, a campaign platform, the big idea, the key messages and production-ready scripts. Tarek can also present the work to your decision makers, and direct the film if you want him to.

A fractional creative director is a senior creative lead who works with your team part-time, usually on a monthly basis, instead of as a full-time hire. As a Fractional Creative Lead, Tarek shapes the ideas, writes and sharpens briefs, guides your agencies and in-house team, reviews the work before it goes out, and runs workshops on positioning, messaging and briefing.

Yes. Through Commercial Direction, Tarek works with agencies and production houses on approved concepts. He writes the director’s treatment, leads casting and the shoot, and stays through the edit, delivering the hero film, cutdowns and social edits.

It depends on the scope. The Creative Diagnosis is a fixed fee that counts towards a Campaign Sprint, a Campaign Sprint is a fixed two-week project, and the Fractional Creative Lead is a monthly retainer. Commercial Direction is quoted per project. The quickest way to get a figure is a free 20-minute call.

Book a free 20-minute call, available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Dubai time, or email tarek@arissbrothers.com. Every project starts with a conversation about the business problem, and if Tarek is not the right fit he will say so and point you to someone who is.