Roua Al-Madani: “Success in the Entertainment Industry isn’t Individual, It’s a Long-Term Team Effort”

As the CEO of Pheel, a business that specialises in event planning and film and television production, Roua Al-Madani is a prominent figure in the entertainment and production industries.

Al-Madani, who had previously worked in advertising, switched to content production, building a profession centred on human storytelling and collaborating with integrated teams in a setting she characterises as “full of challenges and surprises.”

In this interview, Roua Al-Madani discusses her blunders, the nature of production work, the hurdles women face, and the value of professional collaboration.

Managing Mistakes: From Impulsivity to Awareness

According to Roua Al-Madani, her perspective on mistakes has evolved significantly over time. She tended to act impulsively in her early career, eager to make speedy corrections, and didn’t always recognise her mistakes.

She expresses increased self-awareness, allowing her to recognise mistakes as they happen, or even beforehand. Furthermore, she believes that age has improved her tolerance for mistakes, understanding that some are irreversible and that intervening might lead to worse consequences.

Despite this, she stresses that she remains tough with herself as she strives to strike a balance between acceptance and accountability, believing that admitting one’s mistakes is the first step toward effectively addressing them.

Entrepreneurship: A Challenge Like a “Beautiful Illness”

According to Madani, becoming an entrepreneur can be both a challenging and stressful experience and a chance for more in-depth self-discovery. She compares it to an “illness,” not in a bad way, but as a state that forces one to stop, think, and reconsider one’s course.

The production and entertainment industry, which she characterises as an unpredictable world full of surprises that necessitates ongoing preparedness to manage problems, exacerbates this difficulty.

Women in the Production Industry: Challenges & Advantages

Al-Madani confirms that the production sector is still primarily male-dominated, with women accounting for a lesser share than men. She views this fact as both a problem and an opportunity for more women to enter the sector.

She highlights that success in this industry necessitates perseverance, the capacity to handle work pressures, and a diverse spectrum of personalities and backgrounds. On the other hand, she believes that women have great strengths, particularly:

• High creativity
• The ability to find quick solutions
• Multitasking skills
• Quick thinking

These attributes allow individuals to succeed in a workplace that necessitates continuous communication and making decisions under duress.

Production is Teamwork, No Room for Individualism

One of the most significant things Roua Al Madani discovered is that teamwork is more vital in the entertainment sector than individual efforts. She compares this pitch to a football team, where everyone must work together for the team to succeed. She emphasises that true teamwork and a common goal within the team are necessary for continuity, cautioning that aiming for individual success may only produce short-term outcomes.

Madani adds that the concept of “product” has evolved greatly, and it is no longer restricted to financing the job, as was previously assumed. Today, there are numerous types of producers, including:

• Executive Producer
• Implementing Producer
• Content Producer
• Post-Production Producer

She notes that one of the most crucial phases is post-production since this is when the work is edited and presented in its final form—a task that calls for a high level of technical proficiency.

Saudi Cinema: An Industry in the Making

Even if the Saudi film industry has advanced quickly in recent years, Al-Madani maintains that it is still in its infancy. Comparing it to trying to assess a building before it’s finished, she thinks it might be premature to judge the quality of local works at this point. Given the abundance of unreported stories in Saudi society, she highlights that the future is in sharing genuine local tales that capture culture and realism.

Al-Madani discusses how challenging it may be to work with people with different personalities, particularly in a field where interpersonal communication is critical. She clarifies that acceptance is not the same as agreement, but rather the capacity to comprehend others and come up with arguments that resolve conflicts. She continues by saying that although this skill improves with time, it is still difficult.

Partnerships: Trust Alone Is Not Enough

Madani concludes by stating that, despite the challenging circumstances she has encountered, professional collaborations are still an essential choice for her. Regardless of the degree of trust between the parties, she stresses that the key to any partnership’s success is a “written contract,” which precisely outlines rights and obligations. She provides a concise summary of her concept:

“Everything must be documented… even if the agreement is on nothing.”

In summary, Madani’s story is a remarkable example of the strength of will and ingenuity in the entertainment and production industries. It serves as an example of how tenacity and enthusiasm can triumph over obstacles, particularly in a setting full of pressure and change.

Her vision underlines that teamwork and formal partnerships that guarantee defined responsibilities and commitments are more important for success in her profession than individualism.

Read more: Director Anmar Al-Sayed: Searching for Passion, His Dream Led Him to Cinema