11 Turkish Stars, One Gulf Agent: What the HUMGMT Deal Means
Eleven of Türkiye’s best-known TV faces, from Muhteşem Yüzyıl‘s Meryem Uzerli to Aşk 101‘s Alina Boz and Kubilay Aka, will now be booked for Gulf brand deals and events through one Middle East agency. Türkiye-based Talent Co has signed a strategic partnership with HUMGMT (HuManagement), the GCC talent and marketing company whose network includes Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. The deal, reported by Turkish journalist Birsen Altuntaş on 2 September 2026, shows how Turkish actors are turning decades of Arab audience loyalty into a structured Gulf business.
No financial terms were disclosed. What is public is the shape of the deal: exclusive representation in GCC countries for commercial partnerships and event appearances, with brand ambassadorships, luxury and fashion collaborations and cultural projects named as the target.
In brief
- Talent Co has handed exclusive GCC representation of 11 Turkish actors for commercial partnerships and event appearances to HUMGMT, a talent firm founded in 2015.
- The roster: Ozan Akbaba, Meryem Uzerli, Hazar Ergüçlü, Hilal Altınbilek, Alina Boz, Hafsanur Sancaktutan, Özge Gürel, Nurgül Yeşilçay, Boran Kuzum, Kubilay Aka and Serkan Çayoğlu.
- HUMGMT has worked on Riyadh Season, the Red Sea International Film Festival, the Esports World Cup, Formula 1 and NBA events in Abu Dhabi; Warner Music Group invested in the company in 2023.
- The deal lands on top of a Turkish–Gulf content pipeline rebuilt since 2022, when MBC Group signed a five-year partnership with Medyapim and Ay Yapım.
- Turkish series exports passed 500 million dollars in 2024, according to Hürriyet Daily News.
Who signed what with whom?
Talent Co, a Türkiye-based actor management agency, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with HUMGMT, a talent management and marketing company operating across the Gulf and the wider Middle East. Under the deal, HUMGMT exclusively represents Talent Co’s actors in GCC countries for brand partnerships and event appearances.
According to Birsen Altuntaş’s report and a follow-up by Episode magazine on 3 September 2026, the partnership covers brand endorsements, events and international projects in the region. Episode lists the targets more precisely: brand ambassador roles, international campaigns, luxury and fashion collaborations, major events and cultural projects. Neither outlet names a specific Gulf country beyond the GCC as a whole, and neither reports contract length or fees.
Talent Co co-founder Ayça Çinkitaş Kardeş framed the move as career strategy rather than a one-off. She described her actors’ reach outside Türkiye as “a significant international value that needs to be managed strategically”, and said the agency prefers planned partnerships to chance offers.
| Key facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Deal | Strategic partnership, exclusive GCC representation |
| Turkish side | Talent Co (actor management, Türkiye); co-founder Ayça Çinkitaş Kardeş |
| Gulf side | HUMGMT / HuManagement, founded 2015; co-founders Hady Hajjar (CEO) and Tarek Abou Jaoude |
| Scope | Brand partnerships, ambassadorships, campaigns, luxury and fashion collaborations, events, cultural projects |
| Territory | GCC countries; wider MENA demand mentioned |
| Number of actors | 11 |
| Financial terms | Not disclosed |
| Reported | Birsen Altuntaş, 2 September 2026; Episode, 3 September 2026 |
Who is HUMGMT, and why does it matter to Turkish talent?
HUMGMT is the short name of HuManagement, a GCC-based agency that sits at the junction of celebrity, brands and state-backed entertainment events in the Gulf. That access is what Turkish actors have lacked.
Forbes Middle East, in its list of talent managers making moves, profiles co-founder and CEO Hady Hajjar, a Lebanese national based in the UAE who spent close to 15 years as chief marketing officer at Rotana Audio Visual before launching the agency in 2015. The client and partner list cited by Forbes includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Georgina Rodriguez, Megan Fox, Eva Longoria, Naomi Campbell, Neymar, Khaby Lame, Nora Fatehi and Arab stars such as Elissa, Nancy Ajram, Maya Diab and Yasmine Sabri.
The agency’s event footprint is where Gulf money concentrates: Riyadh Season activations, the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, the Red Sea Film Festival, and Abu Dhabi tourism activations around Formula 1 and the NBA. In October 2023, Warner Music Group made a strategic investment in HuManagement, set up a long-term A&R scouting agreement and opened the agency’s marketing and branding services to Warner’s roster, as reported by Music Business Worldwide. At that point the company described a portfolio of more than 300 creators across music, film, TV, sport and digital media.
Which 11 actors are on the roster, and what are they known for?
The list mixes period-drama stars, prime-time romance leads and Netflix names, which gives Gulf brands options across different audience groups. The table below lists selected credits as recorded on Wikipedia; it is not a ranking of Gulf popularity.
| Actor | Selected series and films |
|---|---|
| Meryem Uzerli | Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Hürrem Sultan) |
| Nurgül Yeşilçay | Asmalı Konak, Paramparça, Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem; films The Edge of Heaven, Vicdan |
| Hilal Altınbilek | Bir Zamanlar Çukurova, Karagül, Şahane Hayatım, Sahtekarlar |
| Özge Gürel | Kiraz Mevsimi, Dolunay, Bay Yanlış |
| Serkan Çayoğlu | Kiraz Mevsimi, Halka, Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı |
| Hazar Ergüçlü | Kuzey Güney, Medcezir, The Protector, İnci Taneleri; film The Wild Pear Tree |
| Kubilay Aka | Çukur, Aşk 101 (Netflix), İnci Taneleri |
| Alina Boz | Aşk 101 (Netflix), Maraşlı, Elimi Bırakma, Kuruluş: Orhan |
| Ozan Akbaba | Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz, Kasaba Doktoru, Uzak Şehir |
| Boran Kuzum | Vatanım Sensin, Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, The Protector |
| Hafsanur Sancaktutan | Aşk Ağlatır, Son Yaz, Siyah Kalp, Kıskanmak |
Several of these titles, especially the Ottoman-era dramas, belong to the genre that built the Turkish fan base in Arab markets. Others, like Aşk 101 and The Protector, reached viewers through Netflix rather than linear TV.
Why are Gulf brands and events chasing Turkish stars now?
Because Turkish series are once again a mainstream product on the region’s biggest platform, and the Gulf events economy is spending heavily on recognisable faces.
Turkish drama’s Arab story started long before streaming. Noor, the Syrian-dubbed version of a Turkish romance, became a regional phenomenon in 2008, and Ezel aired dubbed in Arabic on Abu Dhabi TV in 2011, as The National recalled in August 2026. Then politics intervened: MBC dropped Turkish programmes in March 2018 during the downturn in Saudi–Turkish relations, according to AGBI.
The reset came in October 2022. At MIPCOM Cannes, MBC Group unveiled a five-year partnership with Medyapim and Ay Yapım, giving MBC first-look or volume access to their new titles in MENA, with Arabic-dubbed episodes airing on MBC channels and Shahid in step with the Turkish broadcast. MBC Group CEO Sam Barnett said at the time that Turkish content’s popularity with MENA audiences was no secret (Señal News). The deal also committed the partners to co-develop Arabic-language productions, with filming planned in Saudi Arabia and the region.
On the export side, Hürriyet Daily News reported in January 2025 that Turkish series exports had brought in more than 500 million dollars in 2024, with productions reaching over 150 countries and the Middle East named among the strongest regions.
How is the Turkish–Gulf co-production pipeline evolving?
From buying finished Turkish shows to making Arabic versions of them, often with Turkish producers and crews, and now to placing Turkish actors themselves in Gulf commercial life.
The National lists the main Arabic remakes on Shahid: Arous Beirut (2019), based on İstanbullu Gelin (Bride of Istanbul) and stretched to 220 episodes over three seasons; Stiletto (2022), with its set in Türkiye; Al Khaen (2023), adapted from Sadakatsiz; and Hob Aa Waraq (2026), a 90-episode remake of Sen Çal Kapımı that began streaming in June 2026.
Medyapim has become the key Turkish production partner for MBC on Arabic-language formats. According to Señal News, it has produced Arabic versions of the BBC Studios format Doctor Foster, the Turkish drama War of the Roses and Nippon TV’s Mother (released as Oumi), and in August 2025 it delivered Salma, the Arabic adaptation of Nippon TV’s Woman, for MBC1, MBC Drama and Shahid.
The Talent Co–HUMGMT agreement is a different layer of the same trend. Content deals move series; this one moves people into brand budgets, red carpets and live events.
What does this mean for producers, agencies and buyers?
Our take: the deal professionalises an income stream that so far depended on ad hoc invitations, and it creates a single point of contact for Gulf brands that want Turkish faces.
- For Gulf brands and event organisers. Booking 11 Turkish actors now runs through one GCC agency used to Riyadh Season and Abu Dhabi tourism timelines, contracts and compliance. Expect faster clearances and packaged offers, and probably firmer pricing.
- For platforms and channels buying Turkish drama. Talent with an active Gulf commercial presence is a marketing asset. A series sold to MBC or Shahid with a lead who is also a regional brand ambassador gets free promotion; buyers can factor that into acquisition and launch plans.
- For Turkish producers. Co-production talks with Gulf partners can now lean on actors who already have a GCC agent. That can ease negotiations for Arabic-language or bilingual projects shooting in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, but also adds one more party at the table.
- For other Turkish agencies. Talent Co has set a template. Rival management firms will likely look for Gulf partners of their own, and exclusivity clauses may start to shape who appears at which festival or campaign.
- For advertisers outside the Gulf. The MENA visibility of these actors will become more measurable, which matters for pan-regional campaigns that buy reach across Türkiye, the Gulf and the Levant.
What remains unknown: fees, contract length, and whether the deal extends to acting roles in Gulf productions or only to commercial work. Any buyer planning around it should ask.
FAQ
Which Turkish agency signed the Gulf deal?
Talent Co, a Türkiye-based actor management agency co-founded by Ayça Çinkitaş Kardeş.
What is HUMGMT?
HUMGMT, or HuManagement, is a GCC-based talent management and marketing company founded in 2015, led by co-founder and CEO Hady Hajjar. Warner Music Group made a strategic investment in it in 2023.
Does the deal cover acting roles in Gulf productions?
The public reports describe commercial partnerships, brand ambassadorships, campaigns and event appearances. Acting roles in Gulf productions are not explicitly mentioned.
Which countries does the agreement cover?
The GCC countries. Reports also mention demand across the wider MENA region but name no specific country.
How big is the Turkish TV export business?
Hürriyet Daily News reported that Turkish series exports exceeded 500 million dollars in 2024, with titles sold to more than 150 countries.
Sources
- Birsen Altuntaş, “11 Türk oyuncusuyla ilgili Körfez ülkelerine yönelik yeni anlaşma”, 2 September 2026: birsenaltuntas.com
- “Turkish Actors Expand into the Gulf: Talent Co and HUMGMT Sign Strategic Partnership”, Episode, 3 September 2026: episodedergi.com
- “Hady Hajjar”, The Middle East’s Talent Managers Making Moves, Forbes Middle East: forbesmiddleeast.com
- “Warner makes strategic investment in HuManagement”, Music Business Worldwide, 4 October 2023: musicbusinessworldwide.com
- “MBC Group signs five-year agreement with Medyapim and Ay Yapim”, Señal News, 19 October 2022: senalnews.com
- “Saudi MBC Group signs deals with Turkish production companies”, AGBI, 2022: agbi.com
- “Nippon TV and Medyapim to produce Arabic adaptation Salma for MBC and Shahid”, Señal News, 15 August 2025: senalnews.com
- “Rita Harb on why Arabic remakes of Turkish dramas are not carbon copies”, The National, 27 August 2026: thenationalnews.com
- “TV series exports generate more than $500 mln in revenue”, Hürriyet Daily News, 19 January 2025: hurriyetdailynews.com
- Wikipedia (English) pages of Hilal Altınbilek, Özge Gürel, Hazar Ergüçlü, Hafsanur Sancaktutan, Boran Kuzum, Nurgül Yeşilçay, Serkan Çayoğlu, Kubilay Aka, Alina Boz, Ozan Akbaba
This article is for information purposes only.
