A Shelton Reed film · IPS Congress 2026, Dubai

Walid Kushtoban, Marygold Studio: clients who say please, no AI | IPS26 Dubai

Walid Kushtoban, General Manager of Marygold Studio, sits down with Alexander Morari, MRICS, CEO of Shelton Reed, at IPS Congress 2026 in Dubai: the developers whose first rule is no AI in a render, where his own 55 to 60 percent line sits, and why client servicing has to be local even when quality sits abroad.

12 minutes · Walid Kushtoban, Marygold Studio & Alexander Morari, MRICS, Shelton Reed

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About this conversation

Walid Kushtoban (opens in a new tab), General Manager of Marygold Studio (opens in a new tab), sits down with Alexander Morari (opens in a new tab), MRICS, CEO of Shelton Reed, at IPS Congress 2026 (opens in a new tab) in Dubai.

Marygold Studio is a UK-headquartered branding and visualization studio for real estate developers. Kushtoban opened its Dubai office this year.

He describes developers whose first rule is no AI in a render, and puts his own use at 55 to 60 percent, where he says it enhances elements rather than builds a project from scratch.

Quality can sit abroad, he argues, but client servicing has to be local, because in this region things change fast.

Credits

Guest
Walid Kushtoban (opens in a new tab), General Manager, Marygold Studio (opens in a new tab)
Interviewer
Alexander Morari (opens in a new tab), MRICS, CEO of Shelton Reed
Production
Produced by RealTimes (opens in a new tab), sponsored by Shelton Reed
Recorded
IPS Congress 2026 (opens in a new tab), Dubai, 8 September 2026

Chapters

  1. 00:00 Introduction: Walid Kushtoban, Marygold Studio (opens in a new tab)
  2. 00:49 Marygold Studio, and the clients who ask for no AI (opens in a new tab)
  3. 02:34 Why the render is still built from scratch (opens in a new tab)
  4. 04:00 Commodity or craft? (opens in a new tab)
  5. 05:56 Integrity over volume, and the 55 to 60 percent line (opens in a new tab)
  6. 07:46 A red ocean, and the relationships behind the pitch (opens in a new tab)
  7. 08:50 The digital twin platform, and selling a life (opens in a new tab)
  8. 10:22 Why a Dubai office, and why now (opens in a new tab)
  9. 11:24 Location, location, location & connections, connections, connections (opens in a new tab)

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