Smith will stay as adviser to the group LONDON: Peter Smith, the managing director of MBC Studio, is stepping down from his role, the company announced. “Peter Smith is stepping aside as managing director of MBC Studios,” said MBC CEO Sam Barnett. “Pete has made invaluable contributions to the growth of MBC Studios during his four-year tenure, leading the production of numerous flagships, including ‘Rashash,’ ‘Rise of the Witches,’ ‘The Devil’s Promise,’ ‘Slave Market,’ and the launch of MBC’s slate of long-running dramas including ‘Al Mirath’ and ‘West Al Balad.’ “On behalf of the group, I would like to express my gratitude to Pete for his hard work and dedication during his tenure.” The veteran TV executive is stepping down from the role after four successful years during which he assisted in the launch of the production arm of the free-to-air network MBC. Over this time, the former president of NBCUniversal supervised an expansion in production activity as the company ramped up its investment in Saudi Arabia as part of the Kingdom’s ongoing attempt to support the growth of its film and media industry. In a statement, Barnett said Smith will continue to act as an adviser to the group, particularly on the production of “Desert Warrior” and the distribution of premium content. Smith’s successor has not been named yet, but the company said the new managing director will be announced “in due course, in coming days.” The news comes a few days after the leading media and entertainment group in the Middle East and North Africa region announced a new partnership with next-gen platform Vice Media, which will see the American-Canadian company creating Arabic content exclusively for MBC Group.