CNN launches multi-platform show, CNN Creators, from the new Doha Bureau

CNN International is launching a multi-platform show called “CNN Creators” from its new base in Doha’s Media City, Qatar.

The new weekly 30-minute CNN International show — which airs Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. ET — will begin on October 23 under a phased launch plan. During the first few months, the show will be called “CNN Creators – The Intro.” This first phase will introduce the team of multiplatform content creators, “each with their own unique backgrounds, interests, skills and perspective,” according to a statement from CNN.

“These digital-native storytellers will explore the conversations that capture the spirit of the times, with a focus on AI, technology, art, culture, sports and social trends,” the statement said.

The “CNN Creators” team in Doha will be led by Andrew Potter, a former senior editorial producer at Vice. Potter is joined by Ivana Scatola, a multilingual digital video producer and former BBC and France 24 reporter; Bijan Hosseini, who is known to CNN International viewers for his work hosting some of the network’s content on TV and social media; and Antoinette Radford, another former BBC News journalist who is a member of CNN’s Digital Live News team.

Matias Grez, an award-winning producer and reporter who has worked with CNN Sport in London for more than a decade, and Ben Foley, a veteran war photojournalist whose extensive work experience includes Seven Network and Network Ten in his native Australia, as well as Al Jazeera, Vice and the New York Times, complete the “CNN Creators” line-up at launch.

The show will enter its permanent format as ‘CNN Creators’ in early 2026. It will be the first show to take place from CNN’s brand new, state-of-the-art facility at Media City, Qatar in Doha. The purpose-built studio (pictured above) will feature custom workspaces “designed to enable dynamic content creation and collaborative, spontaneous work across the team,” the statement said. In addition to the TV show, “CNN Creators” will also produce content for CNN.com and CNN’s social platforms.

“’CNN Creators’ is unlike any other program we’ve ever launched,” Meara Erdozain, SVP of programming for CNN International, said in a statement. “This exciting new digital initiative will reflect how our younger audiences engage with stories and deliver engaging, entertaining content in a multitude of ways,” she added.

In February, CNN opened a new hub in Qatar, marking its first new broadcast facility in a new country since they launched their Abu Dhabi bureau in 2009.

CNN’s presence in Qatar complements CNN’s existing programming and news gathering centers in the Middle East and CNN’s flagship headquarters in the region. Abu Dhabi is home to “Connect the World With Becky Anderson” and Dubai is the base for CNN Arabic.

Qatar, which has played a key role in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, is also the home country and major backer of the global news organization Al Jazeera, CNN’s main competitor in the region.