In an announcement this week Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) has partnered with the Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), in a year-long collaboration. This will see the pair upskill and co-create content with emerging and established production companies in Singapore for technologies such as 4K and virtual reality (VR).
The $5 million USD partnership aims to nurture new and upcoming producers, as well as helping established producers in Singapore showcase their expertise to a global audience. Local producers will have the opportunity to learn the latest techniques, train in using new technologies, experiment with various content formats and present them across multi-channel platforms that will premiere on Discovery’s platforms globally.
“Discovery is a pioneer in using cutting-edge technology to tell amazing stories. Together with IMDA, a long-time partner and supporter of the development and growth of our homegrown talent, we are pleased to have the opportunity to help mentor and invest in the next generation of Singapore producers,” said Louis Boswell, General Manager, Discovery Southeast Asia. “Building on Discovery’s expertise across the globe, together with the industry’s top players, we will establish a training ground for Singapore producers to showcase great content that can resonate around the world.”
The initiative will begin next month with a public call for entries and pitch brief, follwed by a boot camp aimed at taking aspiring producers through DNAP’s best practices of documentary-making. In partnership with Viddsee, an online video platform for short-films in the region, the training aims to prepare these upstarts for the big leagues across both linear and digital platforms.
“We are pleased to partner Discovery to create this opportunity for Singapore’s media talent to tell their stories using new production technologies that deliver a more immersive and engaging experience for the viewer. We are confident that this combination of Discovery’s experience in innovation with the creativity of Singapore’s media talent will result in a series of new shows that will delight global audiences.” said Angeline Poh, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Content & Innovation Group, IMDA.
Discovery was an early adopter of VR, launching its Discovery VR app back in August 2015 for the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition and Google Cardboard. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Discovery, reporting back with any further announcements.