After stints heading local-language manufacturing at Disney APAC and HBO Asia, Hong Kong-based Jessica Kam-Engle is now heading CreAsia Studio, a brand new Banijay Asia enterprise in Southeast Asia, within the function of EVP & Enterprise Head.
Sitting down with Deadline in Hong Kong within the run-up to Filmart, Kam-Engle advised us extra concerning the new enterprise, which was first unveiled in early February. She says she’s just lately loved delving into Banijay’s huge library of codecs, a few of that are being lined up for native diversifications, and can be growing a slate of originals throughout a number of territories.
Kam-Engle is reporting into and dealing carefully with Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO, Banijay Asia & Endemol Shine India, who is predicated in Mumbai.
Throughout her time at Disney, Kam-Engle commissioned greater than 60 unique sequence together with Korean dramas Transferring, Large Wager and Join, Japan’s live-action Gannibal, and Chinese language-language anthology sequence Taiwan Crime Tales.
Previous to her stints at Disney and HBO Asia, she additionally labored with MTV Networks/Viacom, MGM Gold Community, Dow Jones Newswires, and Celestial Footage, and from 2008 to 2016 labored as an impartial producer in Hong Kong and Beijing, with credit together with Zhang Meng’s The Piano In A Manufacturing unit.
DEADLINE: Are you able to inform us extra concerning the totally different content material strands you might be growing? How will the Banijay library feed into CreAsia Studio’s manufacturing plans?
JESSICA KAM-ENGLE: CreAsia Studio is a pan-regional manufacturing firm that focuses on creating Asian originals, in addition to producing localized Banijay IP diversifications in Southeast Asia. Banijay’s huge library of codecs, with among the world’s greatest IP manufacturers, is an incredible useful resource for adaptation within the area. We’re eager to carry native variations of thrilling codecs corresponding to Working Wild – Bear Grylls, Large Brother, Survivor, and so forth to new audiences in these markets. Equally, we’d wish to collaborate with native creators to develop unique content material from this a part of the world and develop them into worldwide manufacturers amongst the likes of The Bridge, Rogue Heroes and Marie Antoinette, leveraging the highly effective international distribution community of Banijay.
DL: The place will your group be based mostly? Will you’re employed carefully with Deepak Dhar and India?
JK: Our small core group is at present in Hong Kong and Singapore, however we’ll arrange manufacturing assets primarily the place the markets are. I strongly consider in serving markets domestically with native skills and sensibilities. And the place we will’t absolutely cowl, we’ll depend on trusted native partnerships to enhance our attain.
Banijay Asia has achieved large success in India beneath the management of Deepak Dhar. As we prolong this momentum to Southeast Asia, there are established infrastructures in India that we will make the most of to assist us construct our new enterprise in Southeast Asia. For instance, for sure exhibits like Large Brother or MasterChef, which have already got ongoing productions in India, it may be cheaper for brand spanking new productions to be shot within the established Indian units.
We will even discover creating different manufacturing hubs in Southeast Asia for particular codecs, as we begin producing extra in these markets. There are many synergies we will create along with our India base in addition to with our European counterparts. In having Banijay Rights positioned in India for distribution functions, we even have proximity to the group’s invaluable market information and community honed for completed tape functions.
DL: Which Asian territories are you at present most enthusiastic about by way of the expertise accessible and the potential to provide?
JK: Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. Sizable markets, good expertise swimming pools, and many potential to develop.
DL: Do you see the worldwide streamers’ latest pullback in local-language manufacturing as a chance to fill the hole – or are they prone to be buying much less additionally? Who would be the main patrons for CreAsia Studio’s productions?
JK: Should you don’t cook dinner dinner tonight, you’d exit and purchase, since you nonetheless have to eat. And Asians can’t eat burgers day-after-day. Native content material has confirmed to be quintessential in driving native subscription and engagement for audiences in Asia. I count on that as streamers are pulling again on native manufacturing, the necessity for them to amass native content material shall be greater. And that’s a great alternative for us as a platform-agnostic content material supplier to fill the hole. I absolutely respect the aggressive surroundings is intense, therefore a powerful positioning is extra vital than ever.
CreAsia’s patrons are the regional and native streamers, in addition to the native broadcasters. Drawing on the strengths of our group’s experience, we’re growing a really fascinating slate of premium unique content material with among the finest creators within the area. On the identical time, we even have the world’s greatest catalogue of codecs to adapt from, and codecs are inclined to characterize a safer guess in a turbulent market. This distinctive mixture offers us the benefit to supply the widest vary of content material to cater to the wants of our consumer.
DL: Are you producing principally for Asian audiences, or do you see potential for some content material to journey additional afield?
JK: The precedence is all the time to serve the native viewers first within the native market. We’d all the time like to provide a present that could be a native success. For unique exhibits, we attempt to choose those which have the potential to journey or be tailored in different markets. With Banijay’s energy in worldwide distribution through Banijay Rights, and experience in creating world-renowned TV codecs, we hope to have the chance to create some international franchises from this a part of the world.
DL: Will you get become involved in co-financing and retaining some rights for any of your productions?
JK: We’re fairly versatile by way of partnership fashions, which may vary from absolutely commissioned productions to numerous methods of licensing the place we personal or share IPs. We are going to discover what makes most sense for a partnership on a case-by-case foundation.
DL: As a Hong Kong resident, what are your prime ideas for locations to go to throughout Filmart?
JK: Foodwise: apart from the myriad Michelin-starred fancy eating places you possibly can simply discover on Google search, I’d advocate Sang Kee, Oriental Vegetarian, Kam’s Roast Goose and Yixin Restaurant close to the Conference Heart; or the contemporary seafood in Lei Yue Mun or Saikung. Should additionally attempt some dim sum or “cha chan teng” (HK model cafes) within the neighborhood.
To do: Discuss a stroll alongside the newly revamped harbour entrance promenades that stretch all the way in which from Kennedy City to Quarry Bay.
