At the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair, Lebanese filmmaker Kazim Fayad told a full room of creators something many know but few practise: stop chasing visibility and start building value.
His “Story Engine” session broke down why emotional intelligence, not trend-hopping, holds attention, and why engagement numbers are only signals to read, not trophies to worship.
- Emotional clarity beats polish. Pretty shots won’t fix a hollow story.
- Engagement is a signal, not a prize. Stop trying to please the feed.
- Start with a real problem to solve and value to offer.
- Gossip is the earliest story tech: it taught us how to read trust and deception.
- Event: “Story Engine” at SIBF 2025, Pop-up Academy, Sharjah, 15 November 2025.
What happened at SIBF 2025
Fayad used the Pop-up Academy stage in Sharjah to push for practical storytelling that helps people, not just feeds the feed. He framed content as service: solve problems, earn trust, then growth follows.
- Event: “Story Engine” session, SIBF 2025, Sharjah, 15 Nov 2025
- Focus: substance over spectacle
- Core tools: emotional intelligence and clear intent
- Goal: cut through digital noise with relevance
Fayad’s point was simple. A story that knows who it serves and why it exists will outperform slick, empty content. For UAE creators, that means ditching vanity metrics as the north star and building around audience needs first.
Gossip, trust and the oldest story tool
He opened with gossip. Not the tabloid kind, but the social function: how people used stories to map trust and detect deception. That early “protocol” still guides what we share today.
- Gossip taught communities to assess risk
- Stories still carry signals about trust and intent
- Modern content should create the same clarity
- Meaning beats noise when attention is scarce
Seen this way, content isn’t fluff for the algorithm. It’s a tool for social navigation. If your video or post helps someone decide who to trust or what to do next, it earns attention. Empty spectacle does not.
Image, sound, story: hold attention with feeling
Fayad moved from theory to craft. He showed how image, sound and narrative cues work together to set emotion and keep viewers engaged—over-polished visuals without emotional weight fail.
- Use visuals to signal tone and stakes
- Let sound guide pacing and emotion
- Design story beats for human response
- Choose shots that serve feeling, not aesthetics
This is film logic applied to reels and shorts. Your edit, colour and sound design should suggest how to feel, then your structure should pay that off. If a choice doesn’t serve the audience’s journey, cut it. Pretty is optional. Resonance isn’t.
Stop appeasing the algorithm
One of the day’s spiciest lines: “Engagement is not a reward, but a signal.” Platforms aren’t puppet masters; they’re mall managers following the crowd. Make work people care about, and the distribution follows.
- Treat metrics as feedback loops
- Optimise for clarity, not clickbait
- Build relationships, not just reach
- Use data to refine intent
If a clip underperforms, don’t panic. Ask what the signal says: was the hook confusing, was the payoff late, did the story serve a real need? Fix that. The “feed” is just a mirror. It reflects the interest you earn.
From visibility to value
Fayad closed with a blunt reality check: you need something to offer. A service, a product, a solution. Money tends to arrive through relationships, reputation and opportunity, not just ad revenue. Build those by solving real problems.
- Define the problem your content solves
- Package expertise as products or services
- Nurture a community for long-term trust
- Expect returns beyond platform payouts
For creators in the UAE, this is a useful reset. Anchor your content to a clear offer and a community you respect. Ads can help, but the durable path is value delivered again and again. If you’re mapping your next steps, start with audience pain points and work backwards.