Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef will share his story on the growth of digital satire as the keynote speaker at Step Conference 2016, the Middle East's most disruptive tech event being held April 4 and 5 in Dubai.

“Bassem Youssef is one of the most influential social and political commentators of our time and has been at the forefront of the digital to mainstream entertainment movement in this region," Step Conference co-founder Ray Dargham said. “We are hugely excited to have one of the greatest Middle Eastern satirists appear at STEP Conference this year."

From his start with a YouTube show in 2011 that garnered 5 million views in just three months to his breakthrough with "Al Bernameg" (The Program) on ON TV Egypt & CBC, Youssef has broken barriers for satire and parody in the Middle East, inspiring a new generation of independent media and earning accolades regionally and internationally.

While "Al Bernameg" ended production after three incredibly successful seasons due to Youssef " worrying about my safety and that of my family," the satirist has remained active in and out of the region since.

Youssef was awarded the 2013 International Press Freedom award and hosted the International Emmy Awards last fall. A documentary on his meteoric rise to fame is debuting next month at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Youssef will be joining other regional heavy weights for the Step Conference, including Arif Naqvi of the Abraaj Group, Sultan Al Qassemi of Barjeel Art Foundation, and Fadi Ghandour of Wamda Capital. The conference will bring together more than 5,000 attendees, 100 speakers and 300 participating startups for two days focused on digital technology and entertainment fields in the Middle East.

"If you think about disruptive movements in digital in the region over the last five years, Bassem Youssef has been at the forefront, so we're incredibly excited for him to share his insights at the conference," Step Conference co-founder Nizar Fakih said. "Prepare to be inspired."

Eds. Note: Step Conference and StepFeed are both divisions of STEP Group.