FORTITUDE ENTERTAINMENT IN DUBAI DEAL
LOS ANGELES - 04/03/06 - International media conglomerate Fortitude Entertainment Group is preparing to launch its newest venture, a division called Fortitude Gulf in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The venture calls for Fortitude Gulf to develop a motion picture production  studio that will rival the biggest majors, as well as a theme park, in an effort that could, the company says, create the next Hollywood in Dubai.
Fortitude will reportedly be taking some of their 20 picture productions to Dubai for filming this year.
In addition, the company is planning a theme park, movie theaters and a major studio facility in Dubai, then branching into other areas of the region including bringing several studio brands into the Middle East.
"We believe the gulf region and specifically Dubai, is a prime multi-cultural market capable of becoming the next Hollywood. The people are great and it is a progressive, beautiful area," said Steve Delaportas, CEO of Fortitude Entertainment.
"Many people are asking 'why Dubai', our answer is that Dubai is the Diamond of the Middle East. It is very progressive and multi-national and has become the hotspot for vacationers worldwide, especially from Europe and Australia," said Lisa Marie Butkiewicz, President of the Los Angeles-based entertainment company.
Delaportas and founded Fortitude in 2004 and within a few months of its inception, it inked a deal with Universal Studios to produce the Shadowmancer, a fantasy film that drew critical international acclaim.
The company operates as a conglomerate with studio facilities from pre-production to post-production including animation, special effects, web design and a shooting stage in Burbank, California.
Its music division took over the Fleetwood Mac recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona, last year and operates a 150-plus seat animation house is in Mumbai, India; merchandising offices in the Toy Building in New York City, and Fortitude Jadran, a 30 acre studio facility in Zagreb, Croatia.
The company also has regional locations in Hamburg, Germany and Cape Town, South Africa, as well as Dubai, UAE.
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