Marking a milestone!

Publishing magnate George Middleton is gearing up for a spectacular celebration to mark the milestone 200th edition of his popular lifestyle magazine, Bahrain This Month.

The exclusive showbiz extravaganza will be staged to mark the occasion at Gulf International Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel, on April 2.

Mr Middleton, chairman and publisher of Red House Marketing, is well known for his larger-than-life personality and has promised that the event will match it.

He said: “This is going to be a very special event for friends and clients and we’re calling it the Citi Life MAISON ROUGE Gala Dinner & Musical Drama Theatre Spectacular. The night will be a feast of entertainment direct from Broadway and The West End.”

Reflecting on the history of his flagship publication, launched in September 1997, Mr Middleton said: “This magazine is for everyone in Bahrain who loves and appreciates its lifestyle, values and diversity. I personally believe it is a reflection of the best of Bahrain.”

The Bystander section of the magazine is a point of pride for him as Bahrain This Month was the first magazine in the country to include society pictures, and Mr Middleton was the man behind the camera.

He said: “Back in the beginning I did the whole thing, I went to the events, took the pictures and it was very time consuming because it was before digital photography. I used to spend hours looking at negatives and crossing my fingers that people had their eyes open in the pictures.”

The magazine’s first edition featured British boyband Boyzone on the front cover and has since featured a number of both local and international personalities.

Mr Middleton says that the publication has had to overcome a number of challenges over the years.

He said: “We have had our fair share of challenges to overcome. I remember when Kuwait was invaded in 1990 and the fear of an imminent attack on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, I was one of only eight passengers flying back to Bahrain on a Cathay Pacific 747 from London four days later having been forced to sign a disclaimer by the airline that they would accept no responsibility for my safe arrival in Bahrain.

“On arrival, the immigration officer asked me why I was coming back at a time when everyone else was evacuating. I told him this was my home, my wife and child were here and my place was always with them.”

Mr Middleton also reflected on the recent civil unrest, saying he has never felt any personal threat or danger. “The fundamental goodness and decency of the vast majority of the Bahraini population is self-evident. This is my permanent home now and, I hope, forever this will be the case,” he said.

Mr Middleton has lived in the kingdom for 34 years and recently became a naturalised Bahraini, an event he holds in very high regard.

He said: “I’m extremely proud and honoured to be able to associate myself directly with my fellow Bahraini nationals whose kindness and decency is, in my opinion, exemplary. 
“There are some theories that Bahrain was the original Garden of Eden … I would not dispute that at all.

“My life is my work and my work is my life. I am extremely thankful and privileged to be able to live in such a kind, gentle and hospitable environment and still be able to earn my daily bread.”

Although well-known across the island for his business acumen, he is also recognised for his outgoing personality and alter ego, rapper ‘pApA g bahrain’.

He said: “I’m ashamed to admit, my main goal is to embarrass my kids when I rap. However, my fan club has grown so much in recent years (26 likes on YouTube so far!) that I genuinely think I may be in line for a Grammy nomination one day.”

Not content to rest on his laurels Mr Middleton has a TV show in the pipeline on local television. He said: “Well, Bahrain 55 asked me to host a weekly chat show (pre-recorded) together with a former DJ and merchant seaman called Geg Hopkins who apparently has an immense wealth of broadcast experience behind him.
 
“We aim to focus on interesting topics talking about anything and everything. Each week we will be joined by a panel of Bahraini and expatriate experts who know a lot more about what we will be discussing than we do.”