Television Asia Plus | March-April 2023

Editor’s Note

EDITORIAL/PUBLISHER

Keen Whye Lee Publisher

Mathew Chan Editor editor-tva@harvest-info.com

Arjay Alivia Layout and Design OPERATIONS

Mari Vergara Head of Operations manager-ph@harvest-info.com

SALES

Simon Lee Hong Kong, U.S.A., and Europe sales@harvest-info.com

Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up the latest issue of Television Asia Plus!

Things are truly ramping up in the world of television. Borders are blurring as streaming services continue to produce big budget shows across all over the world. It’s truly an exciting time and television networks are pushing the standards and budgets of what it means to producer and air a show on primetime.

On this issue’s cover and cover story is GMA 7’s upcoming series, Voltes V: Legacy from the Philippines. Which is based on a popular anime series from Japan. We get insight from GMA First Vice President and Head of Post Production, Paul Ticzon, regarding the series’ special effects, sound editing, and more. The show is a big bet for the Philippine network, effectively being one of the most expensive shows to be produced in the country. Will the show be a success, and could it pave the way for more big budget series in the country?

For our first feature story, we get a glimpse between series production in the Philippines and Korea through the eyes of veteran Filipino actor Nico Antonio. Just how similar are television productions or could they be farther apart that we think?

Our final feature story recalls the recent panel organized by Studio 76, “More Than Just Stories.” The panel was held in Singapore with professionals from the global film and television industry for a timely, energetic, and pointed discussion on the state of the global content creation and production industry today.

Mathew Chan Editor

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iQIYI’s original drama Why Try To Change Me Now selected for Berlinale Series

Banijay Rights takes Marie Antoinette worldwide BTS star j-hope to debut highly anticipated documentary j-hope IN THE BOX on Disney+

Viewers across the world are invited to watch in wonder as j-hope of BTS brings it all and does it all in j-hope IN THE BOX, a behind the scenes documentary special showcasing the creation of his first solo album, on Disney+.

iQIYI has announced that original Chinese series Why Try To Change Me Now has been selected for the Berlinale Series section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, making it the first Chinese language drama series to be chosen for this section. As a selected series, it will also be competing for the inaugural Berlinale Series Award. Why Try To Change Me Now features a team of top-notch creators of modern Chinese cinema, including Yinan Diao as Executive Producer, Dalei Zhang as the Director and Writer, with the story adopted from Xuetao Shuang’s novel Moses On the Plain. Headlined by Zijian Dong, the series stars a stellar cast such as Qing Hai, Tian Qiu, Baoshi Dong and more.

Yinan Diao had previously clinched the prestigious Golden Bear award for the Best Picture at 2014 Berlinale with his previous directorial work Black Coal, Thin Ice. Writer-Director Dalei Zhang’s debut film The Summer Is Gone was the Best Feature Film winner at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards

Wang Xiaohui, Chief Content Officer at iQIYI, shared: “The show has rewritten history for our industry bagging nomination as the first Chinese language drama series from the world’s leading film festival and awards. As one of our key content directions, we strive to revamp the storytelling to shed light on the lives of the small fry against the macro environment. This is a recognition given to modern Chinese drama by the international community, and a testament to iQIYI’s continued commitment to creativity and innovation. I hope that more outstanding works from Chinese entertainment can continue to be seen by the world.”

Starring j-hope of the 21st century pop icons BTS, j-hope IN THE BOX, a documentary special produced by HYBE, follows the international music sensation every step of the way as he works to release his first-ever solo album – Jack In The Box. Over the course of the documentary, viewers will be given a never-before-seen look at the creative challenges faced during the album’s preparation process, as well as front row seats to j-hope’s 2022 Lollapalooza performance and the album’s listening party.

Disney+ viewers can also enjoy BTS: PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE

– LA, an exclusive cinematic 4K concert film featuring BTS’ live performance at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in November 2021; and IN THE SOOP : Friendcation – an original travel reality show with a star-studded cast including V of BTS, Itaewon Class’ Park Seojun, Parasite star Choi Wooshik, Park Hyungsik (Soundtrack #1), and Peakboy as the five friends venture off on a surprise trip and enjoy a variety of fun leisure activities together.

Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of content powerhouse Banijay, announced further landmark sales of historical drama Marie Antoinette

Produced by Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama and Les Gens, this CANAL+ Creation Originale eightpart series – created and written by Deborah Davis (The Favourite) –has been acquired by Antenna Plus (Ant1+) in Greece, Ceska Televize in the Czech Republic, DIRECTV in Latin America and Canada’s national public broadcaster CBC/RadioCanada for CBC Gem (English) and ICI Télé and ICI Tou.tv (French). Meanwhile, RTÉ in Ireland, Sky Italia, Radio & Television Slovakia – RTVS and Viaplay across all Nordic and Baltic countries and the Netherlands, have all acquired the drama. These agreements follow previous sales of Marie Antoinette to BBC First in Australia, PBS Distribution in the US, and BBC Two and iPlayer in the UK, which reported consolidated viewing figures of 2.1 million for its premiere last month

Marie Antoinette tells the story of the incredibly modern and avantgarde young queen, played by Emilia Schüle, with Louis Cunningham as the Dauphin of France, Louis XVI. The series is produced by Claude Chelli and Margaux Balsan for CAPA Drama, Stéphanie Chartreux for Banijay Studios France, and Christophe Toulemonde for Les Gens. Filming took place in many prestigious historical places including the Châteaux of Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Lésigny, Champs, Voisins, and in the emblematic studios of Bry-sur-Marne.

Mediacorp’s Indian drama series Naam returns for a second season

Leading French KIDCOS APC Kids and TeamTO partner on action-comedy series

Jade Armor

Two French powerhouses, APC Kids, part of leading co-production and distribution group APC Studios, and leading content creator TeamTO, have joined forces on the new actionadventure comedy series Jade Armor. The partnership will see APC Kids distribute the series worldwide, excluding the Americas and China.

Media Ranch announces two new Korean format deals marks first collaboration

Mediacorp’s enthralling Indian drama series Naam, produced by 360 Entertainment Productions, returns with Naam 2 and is now available on meWATCH and Mediacorp Drama YouTube channel. Starring Stephen Zechariah, Vikneswary Se, Alawdin Ali, and Abbdul Kather, the second season will follow the story of band members from One Music one year after their reunion with more twists and turns than its first season. The ten-episode series will unravel the intriguing story of murder, mystery and thriller.

In this season, One Music will return to Singapore after their successful world tours and record-breaking singles and albums. Tragedy befalls when the band faces a huge blow. This eventually forces One Music to uncover the dark truths amongst their bandmates and spark off a series of astonishing revelations.

Fans of the series can look forward to the reprisal of their favourite characters Shiva, Sethu, Malar and Arjun, played by T Suriavelan, Puravalan Narayanasamy, Dhivyah Raveen and Devarajan Varadarajan respectively. But that’s not all! This season will also see new faces, such as singer-songwriter Shabir Tabare Alam as Vettaiyan, as well as homegrown talents Shruthi Nair, Mohammad Baharudin, Jabu Deen Faruk, and Prakash Arasu as Azhagi, Chandru, Raana and Vishal respectively.

Produced by TeamTO with France Télévisions, the 26 x 26’ stars a strong, kung-fun-loving female central character aimed at a 6 to 10 year old audience. The series has also been picked up by Warner Bros. Discovery for HBO Max and Cartoon Network (EMEA), France Télévisions (France), Super RTL (Germany), ABC (Australia) and CBC (Canada). Jade Armor debuted on France Télévisions’ Okoo last September and Super RTL’s toggo. de in November with excellent ratings out of the gate. The legendary Jade Armor is a mythical superhero, and now it is Lan Jun’s turn to be Jade Armor.

Jade Armor’s talented all-female creative team is led by multi-awardwinning executive producer Corinne Kouper, supported by showrunner and co-creator, Chloé Miller; head writer, MJ Offen; French story editor, Ghyslaine Pujol, and co-developer, Mary Bredin. Based on a concept by M Pongo Kuo, Jade Armor is entirely produced in TeamTO’s state of the art animation studios in France.

Media Ranch’s President & Founder Sophie Ferron announced that Media Ranch now represents Wonwoo Park’s shingle DiTurn on two new formats: Round Table, a proven singing game-show format created by Park that was a hit in Korea on KBS 2; and, Love Maze, is cocreated by Park and Something Special CEO Jin Woo Hwang, who introduced the parties. This is the first deal between Media Ranch and DiTurn, with the goal to build a collection of IP by leading format creator Park. Park is the original creator of global mega hit The Masked Singer and Lotto Singer.

Media Ranch and Something Special continue their successful collaboration, which has already seen four other formats go to market over the last two years. Hwang, former head of Formats at CJE&M and current Chairman of the KFA (Korean Format Association – a division of KOCCA), produced hit shows Better Late Than Never aka Grandpas Over Flowers which enjoyed 2 successful seasons on NBC in the U.S.

Love Maze is a unique matchmaking game show where – for the first time in format history – a single elaborate maze stands in the way of two people falling in love. Round Table is a hilarious proven game show where celebrity contestants without any singing skills must sing to win!

Head of Content and Storytelling at Media Ranch, Philip Kalin-Hajdu, will lead development on both formats

Prime Video revives fan-favourite murder mystery drama Nuit Blanche for season two

Plus in Canada. Season One will also be available on Prime Video

Filled with even more paranoia and intrigue, Season Two continues to follow the Hébert family in two time frames, one in the present as they investigate the murder of the family’s matriarch, plus the family’s past, this time set in the 1980s. Leading the cast is esteemed actress, host, singer, France Castel, who reprises her role as LouLou Hébert. Further details on casting to be announced at a later date.

Global video streaming service Prime Video announces the return of the fanfavourite scripted drama and murder mystery, Nuit Blanche (8×60). A first in Canada, Prime Video partners with Séries Plus, a specialty channel owned by Canadian media company

Corus Entertainment, to revive the popular drama. The second season begins production this summer with Quebec’s Pixcom. At launch, Season Two of Nuit Blanche will be exclusively available on Prime Video and later on television with Séries

Produced by Pixcom in association with Amazon Studios and Séries Plus, the series is executive produced by Nicola Merola, Charles Lafortune, and Sylvie Desrochers and produced by Nathalie Cecyre. The creator and writer for the show is Julie Hivon (Alertes)

Bomanbridge Media sends award-winning kids-live action Dino Dana to Japanese broadcaster NHK Japan

NHK Japan has picked up Canadian live-action series Dino Dana, produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment (Odd Squad, Endlings) for Amazon Prime and

TVO Kids. This sale brings season one of the hybrid CGI franchise to Japanese television for the first time. Dino Dana premiered on NHK E (E-Tele) last 13 February 2023.

Bomanbridge has previously licensed the successful series to other key Asian platforms including Korea’s Coupang, Malaysia’s Astro, Thailand’s Thai Public Broadcasting, Philippines’s GMA, and more recently to Chinese streamer Youku. A hit show with kids and families worldwide, Dino Dana follows the adventures of a young palaeontologist as she discovers the wonders of dinosaurs. With its blend of live-action and animation, “Dino Dana” has captured the imaginations of audiences around the globe and has become one of the most sought-after children’s programs in international markets. The series has won three Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Performer in a Children’s, Family Viewing or Special Class Program.

Winsing Animation unveiled a slate of new animations at HKFilmart

operating the in-person trade event in three years for the first time, the quest for the market’s recovery is accelerating. Winsing seizes the chance to grow and expand in animation production during the hard times. Accordingly, in this four-day film and TV rights market, Winsing prepared a content-rich lineup, with more than ten titles of new animated series and films to release. Taking the lead is the latest animated feature film of the GG Bond Racing franchise, Racing 72H, a highly anticipated family film set to premiere in theatre this year.

progress animation titles that target different age groups at HKFILMART, particularly exquisite youth-oriented 3D-animated series regarding genres of fantasy adventure, mecha action, cyber conception, handpainted-style sitcoms, and Chinese traditional culture and myths.

Winsing Animation was at Asia’s leading entertainment content marketplace – HK International Film and TV Market (HKFILMART)

– last March 13-16 and unveiled its upcoming slate of new animations in Guangdong Pavilion. With the return of HKFILMART

In addition to the well-known animated series of Winsing’s flagship IP referring to GG Bond and GOGOBUS, in parallel with ‘Team S.T.E.A.M.!’ which aired on Hong Kong VIU TV last February 27, Winsing unveiled multiple work-in-

In addition to the well-known animated series of Winsing’s flagship IP referring to GG Bond and GOGOBUS, in parallel with ‘Team S.T.E.A.M.!’ which aired on Hong Kong VIU TV last February 27, Winsing unveiled multiple work-inprogress animation titles that target different age groups at HKFILMART, particularly exquisite youth-oriented 3D-animated series regarding genres of fantasy adventure, mecha action, cyber conception, handpainted-style sitcoms, and Chinese traditional culture and myths.

BBC Studios licenses Doctor Foster format to Nippon TV in Japan

the lead character, Yoko Makabe, is played by acclaimed actress Izumi Inamori, her husband, Makabe Kota, is played by actor Hisashi Yoshizawa and Kota’s adulterous partner, Rio Sakura, is played by actress Mio Yuki.

At its annual showcase event, BBC Studios and Nippon TV, Japan’s leading media and entertainment company, announced a new scripted format agreement that will see gripping psychological drama Doctor Foster remade for the Japanese audience. The Japanese adaptation

will broadcast from 7 April on NTV. Originally written by Mike Bartlett and produced by Drama Republic, the BAFTA award-winning series centres around a trusted doctor whose life implodes when she suspects her husband of having an affair. In the Japanese adaptation

Doctor Foster has already been successfully adapted in markets such as South Korea, France, Turkey, the Philippines and Indonesia. In South Korea the format (known locally as The World of the Married) was the country’s highest-rated drama in cable TV history when it was broadcast in 2020.

The agreement with Nippon TV was brokered on behalf of BBC Studios by Gayatri Singh, Senior Sales Manager for formats in Asia.

Nippon TV announces comedy series Ariyoshi Assists to stream globally on Netflix

Having captured the Annual Individual Viewer Ratings Triple Crown title for the 12th consecutive year in 2022 and currently celebrating its 70th Anniversary, Nippon TV announced that the company has finalized a deal with Netflix to produce a new Netflix comedy series Ariyoshi Assists (approx. 30-60 min. episodes). This

deal marks the first time that Nippon TV will produce a show exclusively for a global streamer which will not air nor stream on Nippon TV. Ariyoshi Assists, which is filmed in Japan in the Japanese language, will stream globally on Netflix in over 190 countries on March 14, 2023. There will be 10 episodes in the series which will be sub-titled for viewers around the world.

Ariyoshi Assists is set to star Hiroiki Ariyoshi, one of the most famous and popular hosts in Japanese TV today, who will assist 10 guest hosts, including artists and professional athletes, who will each host their own episode. Every episode is built

around a unique concept and format catered to highlight the special talents of the hosts. Experienced comedians, including both veterans and up-and-comers, participate and attempt to conquer the various segments proposed by the hosts, all while trying to land jokes about the absurd set-ups that Ariyoshi suddenly throws at them. This variety series promises to deliver maximum passion and unpredictable moments. The series’ creators and show runners will be Kazuaki Hashimoto and Toshiyuki Yokozawa, creators of the TV entertainment/variety shows Ariyoshi no Kabe and Ariyoshi Zemi, both airing weekly on primetime on Nippon TV and its network stations.

GoQuest Media Licenses Dramas TO SVOD Platform VOYO Bulgaria

content is one of the pillars of the service, especially content produced in our neighboring countries. It always brings a huge amount of interest and generates great viewership. Our market expertise helps us to select content that suits our local needs best.”

Global independent content distributor GoQuest Media has finalized sales for three captivating series from its growing portfolio of dramas. bTV Media Group’s digital platform VOYO Bulgaria has acquired the SVOD rights to the award-winning and gripping crime thriller Rats (6 x 55’), the Serbian spy thriller Civil Servant

(36 x 50’) and the romantic drama Secrets of the Grapevine (74 x 50’).

Commenting on the deals Anjela Georgieva, Foreign Acquisition Manager at VOYO Bulgaria said, “VOYO BG operates only in Bulgaria, allowing us to focus our acquisitions only on content that is preferred by our local audience. European

“We’ve kicked off the new year by extending our relationship with VOYO into a new region. While Rats and Civil Servant continue to reach new audiences, we couldn’t be more excited for Secrets of the Grapevine making its debut in the international markets through VOYO Bulgaria. With this, we continue keeping our promise of introducing the best of international content to new audiences worldwide” added Jimmy George, VP Sales & Acquisitions at GoQuest Media.

Executive

Chef livestreams culinary events and courses with Telestream Wirecast

As marketers look to up their game in live and on-demand video in 2023, Telestream® shared the approach of an executive chef who is doing just that. He is taking advantage of Telestream’s WirecastÔ easyto-use professional live video streaming and production studio software to create new experiences for hotel guests as well as inspire and interact with the online food/cooking community on his social channels.

Jacob Burton is Executive Chef at the Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel & Spa, a non-gaming, fullservice hotel on the banks of the Truckee River. It features 200 guest rooms, bars, restaurants, conference venues, and an indoor/

outdoor bocce court. It also features R\LAB, a unique, full-functioning restaurant and culinary event space where Burton and his team run hands-on cooking boot camps and private parties that give people a taste of the celebrity chef experience.

Because he is both teaching the classes and producing the live casts, Burton needs a solution that’s extremely simple. “ Wirecast is a one-stop shop. I don’t need to hire an audio producer, video producer and someone to wire all the cameras together. I just plug myself in via Wirecast’s Firewire feature, fire it up, and I can see the sources. It just works. I love the intuitive layering, so I can put titles and names over shots — it just makes everything easy.”

Chef Burton has created more than 200 instructional cooking videos, including30livestreams.HisYouTube channel has 179,000 followers.

GMA and ABS-CBN announce TV collab to co-produce Unbreak My Heart, to air on TV this year; VIU to stream groundbreaking teleserye

GMA Network and ABS-CBN Corporation have sealed a new historic partnership for the coproduction of a groundbreaking teleserye titled “Unbreak My Heart” with a stellar cast top-billed by the premiere artists of both companies Joshua Garcia, Gabbi Garcia, Richard Yap, and Jodi Sta. Maria.

The romantic-drama series, which will be filmed in Switzerland, will air on GMA this 2023 and stream in 15

territories outside of the Philippines on Viu, PCCW’s leading pan-regional over-the-top video streaming service. The partnership was made official during a contract signing and story conference event held at ABS-CBN with top officials from the three companies led by GMA Senior Vice-President for Programming, Talent Management, Worldwide, and Support Groups Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, ABS-CBN COO of Broadcast Cory Vidanes, and Viu Philippines Deputy Country Manager Vinchi Sy-Quia.

GMA officials who were welcomed at the signing event were First VicePresident for Program Management Department Joey Abacan and Assistant Vice-President for Sparkle Joy Marcelo. Representing ABS-CBN

in the historic event were Group CFO Rick Tan, TV Production and Star Magic Head Lauren Dyogi, International Sales and Distribution Head Pia Laurel, and Dreamscape Entertainment led by its Head Deo Endrinal, Creatives Head Rondel Lindayag, Creatives Manager Joel Mercado, and Business Unit Head Carlina Dela Merced.

The momentous event was also graced by Viu Philippines Senior Project Manager Mil Alcain and Content Partnerships Head Garlic Garcia.

“It’s a first for Philippine TV and I’m sure it’s the audience that will be the winners in this collaboration. We’re very excited to be working with ABS-CBN on TV for the first time,” said Annette at the story conference held on the same day.

HITS NOW makes its debut in Indonesia with First Media

Rewind Networks is thrilled to enthrall audiences in Indonesia with the launch of HITS NOW on First Media, one of the leading providers of fixed broadband internet and cable TV in Indonesia operated by PT Link Net Tbk (LINK). The channel will be the perfect destination for viewers looking to be entertained, amused and captivated by a wide range of first and exclusive premium content, fresh from the US. From exhilarating dramas to side-splitting comedies, thrilling

game shows to immersive reality shows, HITS NOW’s programming will provide viewers with unmatched quality and variety. HITS NOW debuted in Indonesia last February 6th with First Media and will be available in High Definition on Channel #324. At launch, the channel was available for free to all First Media’s cable TV and FirstMediaX subscribers up until February 20th.

Rewind Networks’ flagship channels HITS and HITS MOVIES are currently available in 14 countries and more

than 24 million households, showcasing the greatest hit shows and movies of all time. With its newest offering, HITS NOW, the network is all set to fill a critical need gap in the market & bring the most sought-after entertainment experience to Indonesia as well as other parts of Asia. HITS NOW will continue to strengthen Rewind Networks’ reputation of delivering quality and captivating series handpicked for Asian audiences and will advance into other markets in the coming months.

ONE Channel expands Korean content offering through KC Global Media and MBC partnership

and variety shows on ONE. Fans can now enjoy all genres from MBC including romance fantasy series, Kokdu: Season of Deity, express within 24 hours from South Korea; popular drama series, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo; star-studded travel variety, Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer featuring personalities from K-pop, K-drama, fashion and sports; new variety series, United Fathers, premiering within 1 week from South Korea, as well as long running drama, Game of Witches and many more.

studio, stems from our shared vision in providing the best of premium entertainment from South Korea to across Asia. As we expand our Korean content offerings, fans can now look forward to a freshly curated programming with more volume and variety of the latest popular hits on ONE in 2023 and beyond.”

KC Global Media announced its content partnership with Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), onboarding more premium drama

George Chien, Co-Founder, President and CEO of KC Global Media said, “Our strategic long-term partnership with MBC, South Korea’s leading broadcast network and

Young-ho Lee, Director of Global Business at MBC said, “I am thrilled to continue connecting with our Southeast Asian fans through ONE. MBC’s collaboration with ONE, the biggest Korean Entertainment channel in Southeast Asia, will serve as a positive signal, not only for the business partnership of the two parties but also for the local media ecosystem.”

OUTtv launches full-scale linear channel in South Africa

This follows successful pop-up channels in 2018 and 2020 on DSTv and Showmax respectively. OUTtv is now launching on Openview’s subscription service Ultraview, as a permanent 24-hour linear channel. T he channel launched on 6th March 2023, and will be available to Openview channel 241.

OUTtv, the world’s leading LGBTQ+ television and streaming service, is launching a linear channel in South Africa, on Openview Ultra, a new Pay TV offering from Openview.

OUTtv will be available as part of the Ultraview Pride Bouquet. Viewers can sample the bouquet with a free three-day trial, whereafter a ZAR 74.99 monthly fee will apply for subscribers. Subscribers can cancel at any time. Openview is currently activated in over 3

million homes across South Africa. OUTtv viewers on Ultraview will be able to enjoy OUTtv originals such as “Call Me Mother” – the mother of all drag competitions, queer sex symbol showdown “Hot Haus”, hosted by Tiffany “New York” Pollard, and the racy dance and entertainment contest “GoGo For The Gold”. Also available on OUTtv is British quirky makeover series “Drag SOS” and reality dating show “Finding Prince Charming” The channel additionally houses a documentary strand OutSpoken, featuring a series of one-hour documentaries made by a mix of new and established LGBTQ+ filmmakers.

HITS NOW makes its debut in Indonesia with First Media

Fremantle unveiled an impressive line-up of original feel-good entertainment programming coming to this year’s London Screenings, including: The Second Chance Ex-periment, The Big Celebrity Detox, The Beatbox and DNA Singers. Fremantle’s catalogue of entertainment shows is one of the largest in the world and these latest additions will join global hit franchises including Got Talent, Idol, The X Factor, Farmer Wants a Wife, The Price is Right and Family Feud.

In The Second Chance Ex-periment from Fremantle Portugal, divorced or separated couples are reunited and given a chance to repair their broken relationships. The Big Celebrity Detox sees eight celebrities travel to a wellness resort, to help them cleanse their bodies and change their lives for the better.

Musical gameshow The Beatbox is the ultimate play-along format where two celebrity teams compete by recreating iconic songs with nothing more than household objects. DNA Singers is a

new hit for the Netherlands, after a successful launch in Korea last year. In this family-friendly guessing game contestants who possess a talent for singing and also share DNA with a celebrity singer, take to the stage to perform in front of a panel of judges.

Andrew Llinares, Director of Global Entertainment at Fremantle said: “These new formats are a great example of how Fremantle champions strong and creative concepts that really connect with global audiences.

Xilam Animation Announces New Senior Executive Promotions

A new energy for Cube Creative studio:

Following the departure of Lionel Fages and Majid Loukil, the founders of Cube Creative, Xilam has upped Cécile Hergaux-Essame to the position of General Manager of this subsidiary company, which Xilam acquired in January 2020. Hergaux-Essame has held the position of Production Manager at Cube Creative for six years and then as Head of Xilam Group’s studios for a year. In this new role, she will be supervising current productions and developing new properties for the company, as well as securing premium projects from third parties. Hergaux-Essame will report into Marc du Pontavice, President of Xilam and Cube Creative.

The creation of a content division for Xilam’s studio headed by Caterina Gonnelli-Linden:

Caterina Gonnelli-Linden joined Xilam in 2020 as Head of Editorial, with a goal of steering the continuing growth of Xilam’s portfolio. She now takes on the role of Chief Content Officer (CCO) for a newly created content division, which will bring together several departments: literary development, graphic development and the management of editorial supervisors. Caterina will be responsible for sourcing all of Xilam Group’s content, including editorial supervision of both development and production, and she will be the first point of contact for the group’s clients across these services. She reports into the President of Xilam, Marc du Pontavice.

Cecile Hergaux-Essame

Caterina Gonnelli

Xilam Animation, an independent animation production and distribution company, announced the promotions of Cécile Hergaux-Essame to General Manager of the Xilam Group’s subsidiary, Cube Creative; Caterina Gonnelli-Linden to Chief Content Officer (CCO) and Guillaume Jallot to Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

Xilam’s Technical and IT services regrouped within a single department under the leadership of Guillaume Jallot:

Since joining Xilam in 2019, Guillaume Jallot has propelled the company’s use of 3D animation technology to the highest level, notably with the development of Oggy Oggy and Karate Sheep In his new role of Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Jallot is leading a newly formed department which brings together the R&D, IT and technical departments. He will be responsible for managing the group’s technological investments and strategy, with the goal of offering Xilam’s talent the most effective and ergonomic tools to drive innovation at each stage of production. He will report to Dorothée Lanchier, COO of the Xilam Group.

All3Media International names Amanda Stevens as Director of Global Digital Partnerships

Formerly at Samsung TV Plus, Amanda will be responsible for spearheading the company’s digital partnerships around the world. This will include identifying new opportunities in the FAST and AVOD market as well as maximizing the success of collaborations already established as part of All3Media International’s multi-faceted digital strategy. Reporting to Gary Woolf, EVP Strategic Development, Amanda will join the company in March and will be based at its London headquarters.

Gary Woolf commented, “We’re thrilled to welcome Amanda to the team – her substantial expertise in the monetisation and delivery of content via digital channels will be integral to our success in this continually evolving market. We are already collaborating with a diverse range of channels, platforms and aggregators, and have ambitious plans for our brands and content in the digital space, so Amanda’s thorough understanding of this vibrant market and strong relationships with key partners will be a great asset.”

Guillaume Jallot

Amanda Stevens

All3Media International announced a key appointment in its digital team, as Amanda Stevens joins as Director of Global Digital Partnerships.

Voltes V: Legacy

by Mathew Chan

Home of the Fantaserye

It’s a rare thing to see a big budget TV show on broadcast television. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any but they are usually far and few in between, much less for the epic sci-fi or fantasy genre. These types of shows are usually relegated to premium cable channels or to streaming, where bigger budgets are often found. But that’s not stopping the Philippine network GMA 7.

Since the early 2000s the broadcast network has aired multiple big budget fantasy series (dubbed as fantaserye; fantasy teleserye or fantasy series). One of their most popular and the one that lead to the boom one might argue was Mulawin which premiered in 2004. It was such a hit it spawned a movie and a sequel series as well as a spinoff titled Encantadia, which also saw a reboot in 2016. The network has seen success with these

types of series with a recent, Maria Clara & Ibarra, about a nurse who finds herself in the world of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, which is also streaming on Netflix.

How legacies are made, not born.

GMA First Vice President and Head of Post Production, Paul Ticzon

But the company is taking things to the next level with their fantaserye and are looking at a previously popular IP to do so. Voltes V: Legacy, their upcoming big budget series, according to Paul Ticzon , GMA First Vice President and Head of Post Production, “bears the potential of being the Philippines’ first serious epic sci-fi TV show.” Fantasy series are a staple in the country, given the deep culture and lore they can pull from but a big memorable sci-fi series has yet to be seen. There have been attempts for sure, none have really reached the heights of their known fantasy series.

The Legacy Begins

Voltes V: Legacy is based on the anime of the same name which first premiered in the late 70s and resonated in the Philippines due to the current political climate at the time. It was eventually re-aired in the last 80s after the People Power Revolution and was sporadically broadcasted up until the 2010s.

The original anime series, Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V or Voltes V for short, revolved around the invasion of Earth by the alien race of Boazanians. In a last-ditch effort to defend the planet a top-secret project is initiated thus and the Voltes V robot is brought to life to help.

The live action adaptation comes from GMA Post Production Inc., Riot, Inc. Post Production, & Telesuccess Productions with Mark A. Reyes as Director. Development for the series was going on for years but because of the COVID 19 pandemic, principal photography finally began on May 2021 and finished last April 1, 2023. Production for the series took nearly 2 years, and given the amount of CGI, and other post-production elements needed, it’s no surprise.

How A Legacy is Made

It’s a rare thing to see a big budget TV show on You can only imagine how much time, money, and effort will go into creating a live-action world of Voltes V “Approximately, there are a hundred people working on the post-production of Voltes V: Legacy alone” according to Paul Ticzon. With about 80 episodes for the entire series, with an average run time of 20-25 mins, the amount of post-production work needed is immense. “A movie on the average has a run time of 90 minutes so if you divide 2,000 by 90 that is equivalent of post-producing 22 movies. This is the amount work done to be able to mount something like this,” he continues. With so much work needed to be done, GMA has about a hundred people working on post-production, which is not just graphics but scoring and sound design as well.

“The audio team of the GMA Post Production Department created new and distinct sound to robots, machines, and other characters in Voltes V: Legacy to add modern sound to the live-action adaptation series of the Japanese ‘70s anime” Paul Ticzon says.

And that’s not all they made. Given the scope and the setting of the series, everything was made from scratch.

“All of the elements you will see in Voltes V: Legacy were designed and created from scratch… We created the airplanes, the Boazanian ships, Underground Boazanian castles, the flying saucers etc. Boazan , Camp Big Falcon and Earth Defense Force Set extensions , the buildings and backgrounds destroyed by the Boazanian CGI ships.”

And while the series will premiere sometime soon (no official date has been set at the time of writing the article), the hard work the team put can already be seen via the mega trailer that was released earlier this year. The trailer is 5 minutes and 31 seconds long and has about 2.6 million views. The trailer immediately went viral on social and the feedback seemed positive with a lot of people more curious than ever and exciting long-time fans of the anime. Fans will also be able to get an even bigger glimpse of the series ahead of its premiere on TV with the Voltes V: Legacy: The Cinematic Experience. The cinematic experience will feature new footage from the first 3 weeks of the show and will run from April 19-15, 2023, exclusive to SM Cinemas only.

Seal of Approval

An endeavor like Voltes V: Legacy would not be possible without the close guidance and approval of the Toei Company, Ltd. who owns the rights to the IP, as well as its local licensor Telesuccess Productions, Inc. And as Paul Ticzon said, all the elements from the show from visuals to sound were “approved by TOEI and Telesuccess Inc.”

That’s high praise and a good sign for the show when the original IP holder approved and is impressed with what has been done so far. And all of that would no be possible as well without Riot Inc. Post Production. They were brought on to help with post-production duties for the series particulary for the bigger CGI elements that include the Voltes V robot and the Beast fighters, as per Paul Ticzon.

All eyes are on GMA 7 as the series will premiere very soon. And all the hard work and investment will be tested once the show starts to air to see if all that was indeed worth all the effort. With GMA 7 also planning for more live-action adaptations, Voltes V: Legacy’s success could be a make or break for projects of this size and caliber in the country. But all signs are pointing to its success which is exciting to see as a new breed of content could be born from this new era.

A Tale of Productions Through the Eyes of Nico Antonio

by Mathew Chan

If you have been in your country’s television industry for years like Nico Antonio, getting the chance to work on a show somewhere else can be a breath of fresh air as well as a learning experience. Antonio, a veteran in the film and television industry in the Philippines has been a working actor for almost 20 years. He’s played an array of characters and you’d think he would be slowing down but his career is in full swing with back to back to back projects in both TV and film.

Given his deep ties to the industry and being a veteran, you’d think he would just be constantly offered roles, but he still auditions for roles, “I still do auditions when it is necessary to see if the role really fits me.” And this shows the importance of the audition process. A bad audition can cost you the role, and a good one can change the trajectory of your career and that’s exactly what Antonio experienced. After a tip from his mom regarding the audition, Antonio took the chance. He did two pieces for his audition on Disney+’s Big Bet “I really wanted the role but at the same time, I know that it does always not go your way all the time. But with prayers and some luck, I eventually landed the role and the rest is history,” as Antonio put it, and history indeed as he landed the role and spent about 3 months shooting in Olongapo City in the Philippines, as well as flying to South Korea to shoot interior scenes at a soundstage.

Big Bet tells the story of a legendary kingpin in the casino world in the Philippines but due to unfortunate events, has to make big bets to correct the trajectory of his life. Though the majority of filming took place in the Philippines, how they filmed the series was very

different compared to how local series in the country films. Antonio noted how fast and efficient production was “In terms of working with the Korean production, they were very strict with time. They provided a certain amount of time for a scene and they had to finish around the given time. Afterwards, they moved on to the next scene. They worked very fast but at the same time, they were efficient.“

While for all intents purposes, Big Bet is a Korean Drama, despite it having a predominately Korean production team, there wasn’t any language barrier to slow or hinder things. According to Antonio, there were several Koreans who could speak English and Tagalog as well as Bisaya and Chayacano (languages in the Philippines).

Being on Disney+ the show has a significant budget, bigger than a typical series in the Philippines. But that could change with the upcoming Voltes V: Legacy

series, soon to air on GMA 7 which Antonio is also a part of. And according to him, the scope and scale are almost at par with Big Bet. “You could really feel that GMA Network meticulously prepared for the project. They spent so much from the costumes to the production set. And the actors were really into their roles.”

Having been part of Big Bet, a series produced by another country with different ways of doing things Nico Antonio learned a lot and took away a few things

for future projects, “To be always early,” he said. And if there’s something Philippine productions can adapt from Korean productions he mentions “Aside from bigger budget, I think Philippine production should be given more time to execute their work so that, they can do more shots or camera angles, thus, creating more perspective to either a scene or a character.”

Time will only tell if The Philippines can adopt that style of production but a bigger budget can truly benefit any production, and if Voltes V: Legacy proves to be a success, it gives more incentive for Philippine productions to scale up their budget. As for what’s next for Nico Antonio? He was just in the movie Here Comes The Groom which was part 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival Summer edition, as well as the series Teen Clash on iWant. You’ll see him next as General Ozlack on the forthcoming Voltes V: Legacy on GMA 7.

RisingStories 2023 ‘More Than Just Stories’ assembles media professionals from the UK, South Korea, Taiwan & Singapore to discuss the state of global content creation

by Mathew Chan

On 25th March 2023 at IMDA Pixel, Singapore, the panel sessions “More Than Just Stories” assembled top professionals from the global film and television industry in a timely, energetic and pointed discussion on the state of the global content creation and production industry today.

“More Than Just Stories” was part of a series of industry outreach sessions held in Taiwan and Singapore, in conjunction with the 2023 RisingStories International Scriptwriting Competition (“RisingStories 2023”). Organized by Studio 76 — with Blintn, GroupM, Mission Entertainment, Rising Films, Southern Flame, Taiwan Dream Institute, and Weiyu Films as partners.

Some of the panelists in “More Than Just Stories” — Lester Hsi, Hong Hui-fang, Tan Kheng Hua and Samm Haillay — are also members of the jury in the competition.

Chris Tan, Director, Media Industry Development, Singapore Film Commission, Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) , also graced the event, lending his support to the vision of building a content ecosystem not only between Taiwan and Singapore, but with the rest of the world.

“We have seen successful partnerships with production companies in Singapore. We value the journey of working with storytellers and producers and post-production companies outside of Taiwan and it will be an ongoing process. We won’t stop. I hope Studio76 can bring more Asian stories from Taiwan to work together with everyone in the region,” said Dennis Yang of Studio76. The panel discussions were conducted in both Chinese and English.

The first Chinese session was anchored by Lester Hsi, a director from Taiwan best known for “The Cursed Bridge”

movie franchise and a jury member on the Chinese panel for 2023 RisingStories. The second sharing session was led by Singaporean director Ong Kuo-Sin and actress Hong Hui-Fang. They believe that whatever the content, the story needs to be logical and a journey that hopefully comes full circle for the main character.

The first English session was “The Business of Writing ‘’ with Dennis Yang, CEO & Founder of Studio76.co ; and Peter Choe, Founder & CEO, Blintn , who dialed in from South Korea just for this panel discussion. “I think it made for a great learning experience to have perspectives from our industry peers in Taiwan and South Korea. That regional outlook from both Peter and Dennis was, I hope, very useful to the audience,” said TJ.

Considering how filmmaking is a commercial enterprise, the panel discussed if there is a brighter future for writers who focus on popular genres. Dennis urged the writers to ask themselves instead, “Why do you want to tell the story? Why is it so important? Could this story be told by someone else or are you the best person to tell the story? I want to know the relationship between the story and the creator. It is best that it has a personal connection”.

Dennis added that “Not many writers are multi-skilled enough to take on different genres.” He advised writers to stick to a genre that they are good at and spend

several years polishing their skills in storytelling. “Does genre define the story or does the story define the genre? A lot of writers like to start with the genre. I would say the story is the food itself, and genre the spices that bring out the core message, and that’s my personal opinion.”

One overarching theme that seemed to emerge from the panel discussions was that, no matter where the content originates or which market it is intended for, writers should strive for a personal engagement with the stories they seek to tell, and while they should “write local,” they should also “think global.”