What began with simple comedy videos filmed on Nokia phones grew into a digital entertainment success story. Content creator Abdullah Bakr has spent more than a decade shaping Saudi online entertainment, reaching millions of viewers and earning international recognition. From major industry awards to entrepreneurial ventures, his journey reflects how a passion for storytelling can develop into a career with influence far beyond social media.
Who Is Abdullah Bakr?
Abdullah Bakr, known online as BoodyZozo, is a Saudi content creator and entrepreneur who co-founded Saudi Reporters with his twin brother, Abdulaziz Bakr, in 2010. The duo gained popularity through comedy sketches, challenges, and entertainment videos on YouTube. Their growing audience opened doors to collaborations with international brands, business ventures, and social awareness campaigns. In 2023, the brothers earned a place on Forbes Middle East’s 30 Under 30 list in the Entertainment category, recognizing their achievements in digital content creation.
Early Beginnings
Abdullah Bakr's interest in filmmaking began before content creation became an established profession in the region. Alongside his twin brother, Abdulaziz, he started filming videos using basic Nokia phones. Encouraged by family and friends, the brothers began sharing their content online, turning a simple hobby into the beginning of their digital entertainment careers. Their initial goal was simple: create funny videos that people could enjoy. Gradually, this hobby developed into a project that required planning, filming, editing, and consistent publishing.
The channel's success was not immediate. The brothers initially faced challenges related to audience acceptance of this new form of entertainment, alongside the difficulty of balancing their studies with managing the channel. Their sister, Kholoud, was also part of the team working behind the scenes, at a time when the team handled most production responsibilities themselves. The brothers initially uploaded videos irregularly before adopting a more structured weekly publishing schedule in early 2015. As their content gained popularity, Saudi Reporters began generating approximately 12 million views per week by 2016, reflecting the channel's rapid growth during its early years.
Abdullah Bakr's Major Achievements in Saudi Arabia and Internationally
1. Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 Recognition (2023)
Forbes Middle East selected Abdullah and Abdulaziz Bakr for its 2023 30 Under 30 list in the Entertainment category. According to Forbes, their YouTube channel had reached 8.7 million subscribers and accumulated more than 1.7 billion views as of October 2023. This recognition highlighted the brothers' influence in the Arab digital entertainment industry and their ability to build a successful content platform.
2. Contributing to a Guinness World Record (2020)
On May 19, 2020, Abdullah and his brother joined a group of Arab content creators for a live-streamed Ramadan iftar event. The broadcast achieved a Guinness World Record with 183,544 concurrent viewers. Guinness World Records confirmed that Saudi Reporters was among the participating content creators who contributed to this achievement.
3. Favorite Arab Star Award (2021)
Saudi Reporters won the Favorite Arab Star award at the 2021 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The award, determined by audience voting, reflected the channel's popularity among younger viewers and its growing recognition across the region.
Warrior Heart: The Documentary That Revealed Another Side of His Life
On November 21, 2021, the Saudi Reporters YouTube channel released Warrior Heart (Qalb Muharib), a documentary exploring Abdullah Bakr's personal health journey and the difficult circumstances he and his family experienced. The documentary told the story of Abdullah's battle with illness, including his experience undergoing a heart transplant and the support he received from his family throughout treatment and recovery.
Unlike the entertainment content audiences had come to associate with Saudi Reporters, the film offered a more personal perspective on Abdullah's life. It allowed viewers to understand an experience that had remained largely unseen throughout the years they had followed his comedy videos. The documentary emphasized hope, patience, and perseverance in the face of adversity, while also drawing attention to the importance of saving lives. The film surpassed 10.9 million views on YouTube, making it one of the notable works in Abdullah's personal journey.
From Entertainment to Entrepreneurship and Global Collaborations
As Saudi Reporters expanded its reach to 9M followers as of October 2026, the channel has evolved from a platform for comedy videos into a media venture with diverse commercial opportunities. Abdullah and his brother have collaborated with several international companies, including Netflix, Disney, Google, Samsung, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Meta, and TikTok, alongside brands in fashion, entertainment, and technology.
The brothers also launched their own clothing brand, Jaheeez, extending their business activities beyond social media. These ventures highlight another dimension of Abdullah's career: using his digital presence to develop commercial partnerships and create products of his own rather than relying solely on content publishing.
Using Content Creation to Promote Social Awareness
In February 2024, Saudi Reporters collaborated with Cartoon Network and UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa to launch Be A Friend, a song designed to raise awareness about bullying and encourage friendship and acceptance among children. The brothers contributed to developing the song's concept, lyrics, and melody in collaboration with the Cartoon Network team. The project focused on combining entertainment with awareness, using an accessible format to reach young audiences. This initiative demonstrates how Abdullah Bakr has applied his content creation experience to social issues, particularly those affecting children and teenagers.
Abdullah Bakr's Role in the Evolution of Saudi Digital Content
Abdullah Bakr's career has spanned several stages of the digital entertainment industry's development since 2010, a period marked by major changes in social media platforms and audience preferences. During this time, Saudi Reporters evolved from a channel producing simple comedy videos into a media venture combining entertainment, commercial partnerships, and awareness campaigns. The channel's audience figures, regional and international recognition, and ability to produce different forms of content demonstrate the project's development over the years.
Another distinctive aspect of Abdullah's story is his willingness to share a deeply personal experience through Warrior Heart. Through the documentary, he moved beyond sharing moments of humor and entertainment to telling a human story about illness, recovery, and resilience.
A Lasting Impact on Saudi Entertainment
Abdullah Bakr’s journey reflects the possibilities that Saudi content creators have helped open in the digital entertainment industry. As Saudi Arabia’s creative industry continues to grow, Abdullah’s achievements stand as an example of how local talent can build an audience, create opportunities, and make an impact beyond the screen.
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