NOOR TAHER, SWIZZ BEATZ TEAM UP FOR “GOOD INTENTIONS” IN SAUDI ARABIA

Global creative agency aims to bring in an influx of new business opportunities.

Helmed by music, art, and cultural icon Grammy Award winner Kasseem ‘Swizz Beatz’ Dean and his partner Saudi native Noor Taher, who spent 10 years in New York in digital marketing at top advertising agencies, Good Intentions—Beatz’ global creative agency headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—wants to reshape the creative narrative of the country, aiming to change perception and be positioned to act as an agent of change.

Saudi Arabia is making progress with billions of dollars invested in vast tourism, cultural and arts projects throughout, with state-of-the-art venues—the Jeddah Art Promenade located by the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (the world’s fastest F1 street circuit in history), the world’s most technologically advanced city (NEOM), and ultramodern resorts (Red Sea Islands)—which showcase ruins from ancient civilizations as well as romantic desert landscapes (Al Ula). The ambitious development plans outlined in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 all required social change. Today, it is moving at an unprecedented speed, and its cultural revolution is keeping women and education at the forefront.

Additionally, The Jeddah Art Promenade project— Saudi Arabia’s first globally curated public-art destination—curated by Good Intentions was unveiled December 2020 during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Taher and Beatz were tasked with the creation of the project that featured over a dozen art installations from four world-renowned artists—Studio Drift, Javid Jah, Kwest, and Janet Echelman. The curatorial strategy aimed to reflect eminent symbols of the majestic town of Jeddah.

The promenade has over a dozen striking, intentionally curated public art installations brought to life by Far Right Productions, and national award-winning curator Umbereen Inayet. An iconic, custom, larger-than-life gold falcon titled Wusul (Arrival in Arabic) by artist Kwest now resides in the Red Sea as visitors walk from the gorgeous marina weaving between nine custom planetary inspired gem-toned sculptures titled World of Spheres by artist and designer Javid Jah. Billowing in the sky is artist Janet Echelman’s aerial artwork Earthtime 1.26, a monumental soft sculpture knotted from 38 miles of vibrantly colored engineered fiber that gives visual form to human interconnectedness with our planet. Studio Drift’s revered kinetic moving sculpture Amplitude is as they describe “a moving installation mimicking birds flying. The movement in this installation is like the pulse that occurs in all organisms” and is being nestled in the destination’s on-site EDITION hotel right by the exquisitely designed Yacht Club.

Sela, Saudi Arabia’s leading sports, entertainment, and events producers whose portfolio of projects in recent years has been integral to the development and progression within the country, is the project owner of the Jeddah Art Promenade and commissioners of the public art acquired and activated by Good Intentions. The events powerhouse known to develop and produce incredibly large-scale projects has become a key player in the market when it comes to building permanent destinations across the country in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Both Good Intentions and Sela share the same ‘sky is not the limit, it’s just a view’ mindset, a mantra Beatz holds sacred.

Even more special is that both companies are led by women—Noor Taher, who is Beatz’ partner and collaborator of over 10 years, and Sela’s Chairwoman and General Counsel to the Public Investment Fund (the largest sovereign fund in the world) Shihana Alazzaz. “I love seeing women in leadership roles in Saudi, the support and opportunities they have to make a real change is incredible. My partner Noor is a leader in our company, Good Intentions is a female-led company. You have Shihana who is leading on the Sela side, trailblazing. It’s an incredible time for women in Saudi, they have my unconditional support,” Beatz shares.

“We are at the cusp of creating unprecedented experiences, the Kingdom’s support for destinations such as the Jeddah Art Promenade will pave a way for the youth to immerse themselves in culture and art. Shaping the future is a large undertaking and we are proud to collaborate with Good Intentions to exceed expectations and set an example of how a genuine partnership should be. We look forward to many more projects in the future,” says Shihana Alazzaz. “The Falcon installation from artist Kwest is a powerful statement of energy and creativity taking flight. We at Sela are thrilled to be working with Swizz Beatz and the Good Intentions team, headed by homegrown lead Noor Taher, to give vital art a platform. With more than a dozen installations planned, the Jeddah Art Promenade will blaze an iconic trail down our beautiful coast, offering visitors a visceral cultural experience and creating a landmark worthy of our nation’s vision.”

Headquartered in the district of Jax in the capital of Riyadh, home to other burgeoning creative and media companies, Good Intentions will focus on bringing brands and companies to the country while working alongside them.

Saudi Arabia has almost 66% of the population under 35, and Good Intentions has an extensive background in working with youth-oriented projects. “Saudi is a blank canvas right now,” Taher says. “There is no place in the world I’ve seen that has this canvas allowing the youth to have an opportunity to shape the future.” The agency of 20 will be run by women, in a country where the rights of women are changing for the better—about a third of the workforce is now female in the country. Taher and Beatz have always wanted to build what they like to call a “creative Voltron” of the best-in-class creatives to work with the philosophy to make history, propel the youth forward, and educate people around the world. Beatz has acted as an ambassador of Saudi culture, hosting auctions at the Red Sea Film Festival in Cannes. Most importantly, Beatz is looking forward to sharing his admiration for the culture the world has yet to see from the region. Taher also wants Good Intentions to act as a “gatekeeper” for Saudi culture stories that resonate with visitors and citizens alike, positioning Saudi Arabia as a cultural forerunner in the global arts scene.