Series production for adventure, destination and episodic storytelling
Series work is how Blazing Sand Studios tells stories that need more than a single film: episode maps, returning characters or a host, and a visual language that can hold across a season. We develop, produce and finish adventure and destination series from our Abu Dhabi and Dubai studios, then prepare them for broadcast, streaming and airline windows. The company was founded in 2019 and is registered with the Creative Media Authority in Abu Dhabi as GID Global Media Production, with headquarters at twofour54 Yas Creative Hub and a main office at Upside Living 2507, Business Bay, Dubai. Paris Norriss, CEO and Executive Producer, hosts and produces the company's adventure series and remains accountable for how those series are made.
Series we can talk about precisely
Guy in Dubai is our longest-running example: four seasons and 26 episodes for Dubai Television, with 22 million views. It is adventure television built around a place audiences think they already know, then showing that place through sequences that have to be earned on the ground. The series is the clearest proof that we can sustain a format, not only deliver a pilot.
Guy in the Sky extends that idea to destination series work — a run of adventures designed to discover the essence of a country rather than collect landmarks. The Saudi Arabia filming includes camel racing; a helicopter flight over the ancient volcanoes of Khaybar; the history and fort of Khaybar; Tayma; hot air ballooning over Hegra; the tombs of Hegra; work in an archaeology lab with AlUla’s ancient artefacts; the library of Ikmah; Dadan; picking dates; and desert horse riding. Those sequences were filmed in AlUla. We describe what was filmed. We do not attach a release date or a production-status label to the series here.
For a closer look at each title, see the case studies for Guy in Dubai and Guy in the Sky.
39 Days to Paradise is not a series. It is a full feature documentary about the Pacific row, and it belongs on our documentary production page and its case study. We mention it here only so commissioners can see the difference: a feature has one narrative arc and a single picture lock; a series has to hold attention across episodes without repeating itself or breaking its own rules.
Vertical micro drama is also series work, but it is a different form — one-to-two-minute episodes written for the phone, in Arabic, English, Urdu, Turkish and Farsi. That offer lives on micro drama production. This page is about longer adventure and destination series for television and platforms.
What series production involves
A series begins with a question that can support more than one episode. For destination work, that question is usually some version of: what is this place when you stop filming the postcard? For adventure work, it is: what does the contributor have to do, learn or risk in order for the audience to understand something real? The answers become an episode map, not a pile of impressive shots.
From there the producing job is access and structure. Which people can open a door that would otherwise stay closed? Which sequences depend on weather, season or permission? What is the editorial fallback if a planned moment cannot happen? An honest series can include uncertainty. It should not depend on a dangerous or unavailable moment occurring for the cameras.
Our destination film production and tourism video production pages cover related single-film and campaign work. Series production is the right brief when you need returning structure: a host, a format grammar, and enough episodes to deepen the story rather than reset it every time.
How we develop and finish a series
- Format. The recurring question, the role of the host or contributors, and the rules the series will not break.
- Episode map. What each episode must discover, and how the season accumulates rather than repeats.
- Access. Locations, contributors, permits and cultural review, including UAE filming permits and film fixing when we shoot here.
- Production. Crew and kit matched to desert, urban, marine or mountain environments.
- Finish. Editorial storytelling, sound, colour and episode deliverables that survive broadcaster and platform QC.
- Versions. Trailers, cut-downs and, where commissioned, language versions from our verified list: English, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and Farsi.
Eligible UAE shoots may access a rebate of up to 35% of UAE spend when they qualify. We help productions understand that process without treating it as a guaranteed figure.
Distribution as part of a series conversation
A series that only lives on a campaign site leaves value behind. Our distribution team places finished films and series with broadcasters, streaming platforms and airlines across 123 countries. Verified platforms include Amazon Prime, Apple TV and OSN. Verified airline partners include British Airways, Emirates, flydubai, Air Arabia, Etihad Airways, Aer Lingus, SpiceJet, Iberia and LEVEL. When a series brief includes placement ambitions, we design masters, recaps and metadata with those windows in mind.
We will not invent additional platform deals, episode counts or view figures. Guy in Dubai’s 22 million views, four seasons and 26 episodes for Dubai Television are the verified numbers we will use. Guy in the Sky is described by what has been filmed, not by a release claim.
Who commissions series with us
- Broadcasters and platforms that want adventure or destination series with a clear format
- Tourism boards and destination authorities that need episodic depth rather than a single hero film
- Brands funding branded entertainment that must behave like a series, not a long advertisement — see also branded content production
- Producers seeking a CMA-registered partner to produce or finish episodic work from the UAE
- Commissioners who already know our documentary or micro drama work and need the longer-form series equivalent
Preparing a series brief
Start with the season question, then the episode questions. What will a viewer understand after episode one, and what will still be worth watching in episode six? Distinguish confirmed access from hoped-for access. Name contributors who have agreed in principle, and flag those who have not. If archive, diaries or previously shot material may support the series, say who controls permission to use it.
For destination series, build a location matrix: opening hours, seasonal conditions, sound restrictions, cultural considerations and the person responsible for each place. Mark which sequences require participants, which depend on natural light, and which can move if conditions change. Think about how a trailer and short extracts will work without hollowing out the episodes themselves.
Agree editorial boundaries in writing. A contributor may be able to check a technical explanation without having approval over the entire cut. Sensible series producing makes those distinctions early, while there is still time to plan around them. Then list the intended delivery versions — episode lengths, trailers, social extracts and any language needs — so the edit is not asked to serve competing briefs after filming ends.
When you are ready to talk, [Start a project →] with the format idea, the intended number of episodes if you have one, and a note on access already secured. We would rather see an honest map than a deck that implies every door is already open.
FAQ
What kind of series do you produce?
Adventure and destination series such as Guy in Dubai and Guy in the Sky. Vertical micro drama series are offered separately on our micro drama production page.
What are the verified details for Guy in Dubai?
Four seasons and 26 episodes for Dubai Television, with 22 million views.
When will Guy in the Sky be released?
We describe the series by what has been filmed, including destination adventures such as the Saudi Arabia shoot in AlUla. We do not attach a release date on this page.
Is 39 Days to Paradise a series?
No. It is a full feature documentary. Details are on our documentary production page and its case study.
Can you also distribute a finished series?
Yes. Our distribution network covers broadcasters, streaming platforms and airlines across 123 countries. Placement is considered title by title.
Do you produce series only in the UAE?
No. We are based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and produce internationally. UAE shoots can be supported with fixing, permits and, where eligible, guidance on the rebate of up to 35%.