Dubai is determined to put itself at the center of the creator economy.
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates announced a $40.8 million governmental initiative entirely dedicated to wooing international content creators, so they would come live and work in the region. Part of the initiative involved offering creators fast-track access to Golden Visas, which will let them, their families, and their employees reside in the UAE long-term with tax benefits, so they can do exactly what the government wants: make content that convinces other people to follow in their footsteps.
Now, that initiative has secured a partnership with Amazon.
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Under the newly formed Amazon Creators Foundry, UAE-based content creators who join the Creators HQ program (a Dubai-centered membership/workspace that is also part of the $40.8 million initiative) will be able to “launch and scale their own products” for sale on Amazon.ae and around the world, Entrepreneur reports.
Participating Creators HQ members will get education and mentorship around things like production ideation, digital marketing, and Amazon-specific customer acquisition strategies, along with tips on brand-building and “entertainment commerce opportunities,” per Entrepreneur.
Creators will also build their own Amazon.ae storefronts and will get Amazon Ads credits to boost their products in search.
Creators HQ and Amazon didn’t specify exactly what sorts of products creators will be developing, but Rayan Karaky, Amazon Ads’ Managing Director in EMEA and Southeast Asia, said the ecommerce giant wants to help creators use what they know about their audiences’ interests and “[bridge] the gap between these unique insights and commercial success.”
He added that Amazon knows creators “understand their audiences better than anyone–they know what truly resonates, what’s missing, and what their communities want.”
From that, we’re guessing items won’t be the standard, tired T-shirts-and-mugs fare, but also may not be as broad, brick-and-mortar-appeal as products like Emma Chamberlain‘s coffee or Ryan Trahan‘s candy brand.
Given Amazon’s already robust affiliate sales market, where thousands of creators around the world plug products that tie directly into their content niches (a beauty creator linking eyeshadow, a booktuber linking their new favorite read, a foodie linking the immersion blender they used to make sauce in their latest video), we’re thinking it will nudge creators to build unique products tailored for their audiences.
And for creators who have never designed a product themselves, Amazon offering expertise learned from decades of operation and trillions of dollars in sales is pretty tempting.
To be clear, people from all around the world can sell their own products on Amazon without the Foundry’s help. But the process can be long and complicated, and having specific guidance (not to mention a direct line in and educational/operational support from Amazon team members) could help creators get through more quickly, with more clarity on how to make Amazon’s systems work for them.
This is a big grab for Dubai and its ambitions. But even as it charms some creators and corporations, others remain skeptical of the city’s hard-polished veneer.
