Sea of Palms
The Amir of Harlem was not born in a garage. It was born in a studio that had itself only just been created.
Sea of Palms launched in 2025. One year later, the studio has two physical locations—one in Bandung, Indonesia, and the other in the United Arab Emirates—and more than 70 artists and professionals working across its productions. Its growth says a great deal about the scale of the need it serves.
The original observation.
One and a half billion Muslims around the world, and almost no premium animated content created with them in mind. Not substitute content, not a watered-down version of what exists elsewhere: real productions, with the standards, budgets, and artistic demands they deserve. That is the bet Sea of Palms is making.
The formula fits in one line, the one that opens the studio’s website: Stories made in MENA. Shared with the world. Stories written from the region, for the region, for its diaspora, and for every community connecting generations around the world. 100% authentic. 100% original. 100% MENAwi.
The people behind it.
The studio was founded by producer Rachid Ouaich and Norédine Allam, creator of Muslim Show and chief operating officer. Two complementary profiles: one understands the industry, its financing, and its distribution networks; the other has spent sixteen years speaking directly to Muslim youth and knows exactly what they are missing.
Around them is a team that is anything but a first attempt.
Sami Guellai leads production. Mehdi Tebbakh, whose credits include Arcane and several acclaimed feature films, serves as animation director. Iqbal Fauzy leads the art direction. Artists from the Maghreb, Indonesia, France, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates work together on the same productions—a rare network, and precisely what allows stories to travel from one continent to another without losing their original voice.
What is in production.
The development slate reveals the scale of the ambition.
Walad & the Palm Groves of Madinah: a 22-minute 2D adventure series for ages eight and up, following a Western boy through his first summer at a language camp in Madinah. It openly draws inspiration from great youth adventure series, in a setting that has almost never been seen on screen.
Alongside it are Halua, Hope, Heritage, the animated adaptation of Muslim Show… and Amir. Different formats, audiences, and genres united by one conviction: quality is non-negotiable, and culture is not an optional extra but the heart of the story.
What that meant for Amir.
Producing a two-minute web series within a structure like this changes everything. It means treating the settings like those of a long-form series. An animation director applying cinematic standards to a format made for phones. A production pipeline capable of delivering eleven episodes in two months without compromising care.
It also explains the Phase 01 numbers. A good idea is never enough. You need a workshop behind it.
A creative renaissance cannot simply be declared. It is made, role by role, episode by episode.
🌴 seaofpalms.studio
