Celebrities’ endorsement helps Dubai’s Expo bid

Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus’s mum Tish have all supported the Dubai bid for Expo 2020 on their Twitter page.

DUBAI // What do Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus’s mum Tish have in common? They’ve all supported the Dubai bid for Expo 2020 on their Twitter page.

Those slightly leftfield endorsements can be credited to one man - celebrity booker Sheeraz Hasan.

Mr Hasan, who travels regularly between Dubai and Hollywood, was the man behind Kim Kardashian’s appearance at the Dubai Mall to officially open a milkshake shop in 2011.

After learning of the emirate’s bid to host the World Expo in 2020, he set out to lend a bit of star-studded support.

“I have access to some of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood,” said Mr Hasan. “They’re friends of mine and I wanted to educate them about Dubai.

“Since we started our Dubai Expo Bid 2020 awareness campaign a few days ago, our office phones have been ringing nonstop with celebrities inquiring about how to get involved with us in Dubai.”

Mr Hasan has also garnered the support of Khloe Kardashian, Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat, Justin Bieber’s videographer Alfredo Flores, Disney stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman, LaToya Jackson, Justin Bieber’s tour manager Kenny Hamilton, Ne-Yo, and Jay Sean.

Mr Hasan is the founder of Hollywood.TV, a celebrity content distributor. Next year he hopes to launch Dubai.TV, a similar service which will promote Dubai to the world and act as a local talent booker for overseas artists.

His website shows photos of him meetings with celebrities like George Clooney, Hillary Clinton and even Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai.

In 2002 Mr Hasan moved from London to Hollywood and has set up his media business. He met with US President Barack Obama in 2012, who called him an example in practice of the American Dream.

Mr Hasan said he was expected to meet with Mr Obama again on Wednesday “to personally speak to him about Dubai’s bid for World Expo 2020”.

He added that the campaign has so far generated more than 100 million social media impressions online. Gaining huge public support is crucial for a Dubai win, said Mr Hasan.

“Celebrities are the most influential people in the world — people devotedly follow celebrities, listen to what they say, and emulate them, so this is the fastest way to spread the word about Dubai’s bid for World Expo 2020,” he added.

“We tagged the official Dubai Expo 2020 committee and also His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, creating a flurry of conversation and support for the UAE. I believe by generating massive celebrity support for Dubai’s bid for the World Expo, this will help cement the win. I feel quite strongly about this.”

Dubai.TV will mostly operate as a social media marketing tool, said Mr Hasan. It will be based in Hollywood, but will focus on using celebrity endorsements to promote UAE brands and initiatives.

Mr Hasan said even before launch,the company had already received offers to acquire the brand from the UAE, India, Brazil, Russia and the UK.

He added that it would help to promote Dubai overseas, particularly in Hollywood.

“We will have Dubai.TV branded microphones on every red carpet in Los Angeles and New York,” said Mr Hasan.

“This will be the biggest promotional tool for Dubai in the Western world.”