Hajra Arbab sheds light on Hollywood trends

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

“Licensing content has been an important revenue source. The shift to digital content has created both new opportunities and new challenges in the industry sector,” Hajra Arbab, who is working at one of the major studios, remarked while talking to PNFS about content licensing and digital media. 

When inquired about the key opportunities and challenges in the licensing world at the moment, she stated that maximum experimentation was being undertaken in the digital space, which was not surprising due to the consumer shift to online content consumption. 

“Hollywood has started to experiment with same day release in the theaters and streaming platforms,” she shared, having moved to Los Angeles after completing her masters from the famous San Francisco State University. 

When questioned about geographical markets she’s particularly excited about, Hajra felt that everyone was excited about Asian content while entertainment, health/fitness, and cooking /recipes contents were the subject niches currently attracting the most attention. 

“There is an increase in demand for digital-first brand and content licenses. Whereas the industry trend has shifted more and more towards digital platforms in recent years, the pandemic has accelerated this move. Most licensing conversations are digital-focused at the moment,” she replied when asked to point out the positives for the industry as a result of the pandemic. 

Having worked at some of the iconic media production and distribution companies like IMAX Corporation, Lionsgate Entertainment, STX Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company, besides having brief stints with Paramount Pictures and NBC Universal, the young Hajra has already announced her presence in the highly competitive arena revolving around Hollywood.