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6 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE: America’s undiscovered K-pop stars are getting their shot at fame.
LA producer-distributor The Gurin Company and Titan Content, the U.S.-based K-pop company launched by former SM Entertainment CEO Nikki Semin Han, have teamed to created TV talent search format K-Pop Dreams (working title). UTA packaged the deal.
K-Pop Dreams is being billed as a “ten-episode non-conventional talent search format aimed at making “American K-pop dreams come true.” It will look to open doors for undiscovered K-pop talent in cities across the U.S.
The Gurin Company will produce the series and sell it through its distribution subsidiary, TGC Global Entertainment. Gurin, who switched representation from CAA to UTA last September, has finished tape and format rights.
Viewers will follow an immersive journey that goes from initial talent discovery and planning sessions to the meticulous development and shaping of K-pop spectacles. The producers say it will offer “unparalleled insights from discovery to the debut show of the new group.”
South Korean K-pop culture is becoming more mainstream in the U.S., as the success of bands such as Blackpink and BTS grows. Semin Han has been at the forefront of the movement in both countries, first as CEO of Korean entertainment management giant SM Entertainment, which represents the likes of BoA, Girls’ Generation, EXO and Super Junior.
After exiting his CEO post, he moved to become President of Extraordinary Attorney Woo producer Astory and then launched the LA-based Titan Content in November last year.
“Over the past two decades, K-pop has swept around the globe, winning hearts, minds and fans on every continent, and it’s fair to say that Nikki Semin Han has played a pivotal role in turning what started as a local cultural wave into today’s global tsunami,” said Gurin, who is known for shows such as Shark Tank.
“Nikki is genuinely a titan of K-Pop, but his vision goes far beyond nurturing new U.S.-based music talent. He wants to spark a global K-revolution — and part of that entails creating television concepts that bridge the gap between East and West, as well as the gap between traditional technology and futuristic innovation. K-Pop Dreams is his first step towards realising his own global K-Pop dream — and we can’t wait to help him do that.”
Han, who is Chairman of Titan, added: “This collaboration is not simply a talent search, it is about showing the audience the real K-Pop as a lifestyle, and how we work together to make the dreams of numerous future K-Pop star wannabes come true in a way never seen before. We are honored to work with The Gurin Company to make these K-Pop dreams come true.”
Titan’s executive team includes Han’s fellow K-pop luminaries Katie Kang, who is CEO, Lia Kim (Chief Performance Officer), Guiom Lee (Chief Visual Officer) and Dom Rodriguez (Chief Business Officer).
