TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA

THE Northwestern University in Qatar (NUQ) convened a roundtable session for Qatar’s leading media professionals and digital entrepreneurs recently to assess the future of social media in the region and the role the country may potentially play.

Led by Athan Stephanopoulos, CEO of the New York-based GorrillaSpot digital media service, the session aimed to highlight local achievements within an international framework.

“The roundtable session was part of NUQs commitment to connect the academy with industry to advance our knowledge of the benefits and challenges the digital revolution poses for media,” said Dr Everette E Dennis, Dean of NUQ, who chaired the event.

“Athan is a creative spark plug in this new industry which has a growing influence on a knowledge-based economy.

He not only knows and understands the social media map, but he leads an important new enterprise,” Dennis said.

“As such, he is excellently positioned to speak on social media and the potential it holds for the private sector and the media industry,” the dean added.

Under the theme, ‘A conversation on the future of social media’, the faculty and staff of NUQ met the country’s digital entrepreneurs, online marketers, social media professionals and key figures from the business and information technology sectors at the Saffron Lounge in Katara, to exchange ideas on the future of social media.

Athan, who also teaches social media to MBA students and industry leaders at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business, began his presentation by sharing his experiences as founder and CEO of GorillaSpot, an online tool for editing and sharing video content.

Speaking on the occasion, Athan said, “Social media will play an increasingly important role in the 21st century, both as a tool for business and as a medium for communication.” The discussion on social media is the first in a series of talks that NUQ will be hosting as part of a concerted effort to build ties with the country’s digital media and business sectors.

Dennis said, “Social media studies and communication are part of the curriculum at NUQ. Companies in partnership with NUQ will gain access to our talented pool of graduates, equipped with the latest tools and processes for creatively engaging the rapidly evolving digital media landscape, while NUQ graduates can discover employment opportunities with organisations in the private sector working at the cutting edge of the social media revolution.”