{"id":510,"date":"2012-07-17T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-17T16:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scqa.hult.edu\/en\/news\/press-releases\/2012\/july\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:57:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:57:40","slug":"pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/","title":{"rendered":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai"},"content":{"rendered":"

(DUBAI \u2013 July 17, 2012<\/strong>) Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.<\/p>\n

After persuading her conservative parents to let her study film abroad, Nayla had a business idea. \u201cI really saw the potential for starting a film environment in Dubai,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many rich stories in the Arab world, but we\u2019ve never had a united studio that creates feature films for them.\u201d She approached her father for capital, but he was not keen on the idea and offered her a salary to stay at home instead. Undeterred, yet with very little money, she started pitching for high-budget TV commercials. One client led to another, her big break came when she received a call asking if she could produce a Vogue photo shoot with the tennis player Roger Federer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is where I discovered my secret to getting more film projects,\u201d Nayla said. \u201cI could produce very cheaply, because of where I am in the world, and I could use my local knowledge to my advantage.\u201d Nayla is now working on her first feature film, Three<\/em>, which will be released in 2013. Nayla\u2019s aim is to create a mini studio that makes two to three feature films per year for the Middle East. The story of Nayla\u2019s success resonates with Hult\u2019s students, 35% of whom are female, reflecting Hult\u2019s efforts to attract a diverse body of global students.<\/p>\n

When asked to give one piece of advice to female MBA students looking to succeed in business, Nayla said: \u201cOne big lesson I\u2019ve learnt is that gender does not matter. What does matter is that you become a professional \u2013\u00a0you have to acquire the right skill sets to deliver the right product to make your client super happy.\u201d She added that it is important for all would-be entrepreneurs to remember who they really are, and to keep trying \u2013\u00a0even when the economic outlook is dim.<\/p>\n

About Hult International Business School<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hult is the world’s most international business school with campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai. The School offers a range of business-focused programs including MBA, Executive MBA, Master and Undergraduate degrees. Hult\u2019s one-year MBA program is ranked in the top 30 in the world by The Economist<\/em> and 1st<\/sup> in International Experience by the Financial Times<\/em>.\u00a0 www.hult.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kickstart your career in a state-of-the-art innovation hub by studying at Hult’s Dubai business school<\/a>. To find out more, take a look at our blog My MBA in Dubai: A Learning Revolution<\/a>. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to learn about the business world, the future, and yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(DUBAI \u2013 July 17, 2012) Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[222,175],"yoast_head":"\nPioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hult International Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Hult_Business\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Hult_Business\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hult International Business School\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hultbusinessschool\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/hult\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hult\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hult_Business\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Hult International Business School\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Hult International Business School\",\"description\":\"The latest insights and stories from Hult International Business School\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/\",\"name\":\"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00\",\"description\":\"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b3cfc46996bd8fe989efc47389912068\"},\"headline\":\"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage\"},\"wordCount\":494,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Dubai\",\"MBA\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Archive\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b3cfc46996bd8fe989efc47389912068\",\"name\":\"Hult News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-100x100.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-100x100.png\",\"caption\":\"Hult News\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School","description":"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School","og_description":"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/","og_site_name":"Hult International Business School","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult","article_published_time":"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Hult_Business","twitter_site":"@Hult_Business","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization","name":"Hult International Business School","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hultbusinessschool\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/hult\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hult","https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hult_Business"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Hult International Business School"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/","name":"Hult International Business School","description":"The latest insights and stories from Hult International Business School","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/","name":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai | Hult International Business School","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00","description":"Award-winner Nayla Al Khaja, who runs her own production company in Dubai\u2019s Media City, gave an impassioned presentation during Hult\u2019s Executive Speaker Series, on how she struggled against traditional norms to kick start a fledgling movie industry and become one of the Middle East\u2019s most highly acclaimed directors.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai"}]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b3cfc46996bd8fe989efc47389912068"},"headline":"Pioneering Female Filmmaker Inspires Hult MBA Students in Dubai","datePublished":"2012-07-17T16:49:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-04T09:57:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#webpage"},"wordCount":494,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Dubai","MBA"],"articleSection":["Archive"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/pioneering-female-filmmaker-inspires-hult-mba-students-in-dubai\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b3cfc46996bd8fe989efc47389912068","name":"Hult News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-100x100.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2018\/04\/logo-100x100.png","caption":"Hult News"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20377,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions\/20377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}