Ray ChoonWhat Project Runway did for aspiring fashion designers, HP SPACE, touted as Asia’s first original reality television series, plans to do for a spectrum of creative types.
Weekly, from Nov 10, the 16 finalists, selected from 2,000 digital auditions/submissions from all over the region, will pit their creative talent, skills and determination against each other in solving creative challenges that range from multi-media and visual art to product design, music, fashion and publishing.
“HP SPACE will be an adventure that will push [the contestants] out of their comfort zone, expanding their boundaries of creativity,” said executive producer of HP SPACE David Searl. He’s known for adapting international reality programmes such as Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader for local TV audiences.
It bodes well for our entertainment that the organisers were forced to increase of the number of finalists from 12 to 16, due to the “high standard of work exhibited at the auditions”, according to Searl. The “vibrant personalities” of the short-listed contestants, he added, also convinced them to make this decision.
Similar to existing reality TV programmes, HP SPACE will have elimination rounds, where one or more participants will be ejected each week. The final contestant left standing will grab the coveted grand prize of US$50,000(S$69,950) as well as a fully-paid job on the live-action remake of cult anime Bubblegum Crisis in Australia.
Guiding the contestants in the race to win the competition are Ban Yih Jheow, founder of poseable ball-socket toys StikfastTM , and Sean Cummins, creator of “The Best Job in the World” campaign . In addition to these 2 permanent judges, there’ll be guest judges and mentors from all disciplines will also help the finalists throughout the different stages of the competition.
Hosting the show is one of Asia’s most popular TV personalities, Paula Malai Ali, who expressed her delight at her upcoming role during a one-on-one interview with UrbanWire. She is eagerly anticipating the challenge, as she “will only take one take” to get the contestants’ reaction. Most important to her, the ESPN STAR Sports presenter, added, her job is “about bringing the best out of the contestants.”
Meet The Contestants
Before the final 16 were selected, 65 contestants were shortlisted to attend auditions in China, Singapore and India, where they were subjected to a set of mini-challenges, working with complete strangers and having to meet strict deadlines. The ones who made the cut did it on their overall creative talent, leadership, teamwork, as well as their comfort level in front of the camera.
UrbanWire spoke to 3 contestants you might want look out for:
Kaz Cai, Director/Producer, Singapore
If she wasn’t trying to take part in a contest giveaway that Channel [V] was hosting, Kaz Cai, aka “Spiderfingers” wouldn’t even have stumbled upon the HP SPACE website. “I was trying to win the white flying V that the channel was giving away,” said Kaz, cackling at her recollection.
Now, winning the “white flying V” is not an issue. The 28 year-old director-producer is set to “go all the way”.
Besides wanting to win the competition, she views it as a platform to learn from. “ I want to see how the professionals do it,” added Kaz.
Being able to “think straight for a solution” when she encounters a mishap is attributed to her “nerves of steel”, definitely a quality that will be of an advantage to her in the competition.
Prior to the competition, she directed a number of rock concerts, including that of English indie band Kasabian and her favourite band, The All American Rejects. Being a rock chick at heart, her passion for music was developed when she used to sing Latin hymns in a choir during her teenage years. “Music is in me,” she added.
Brandon Liu, Architect, Australia/Singapore
27-year-old architect Brandon Liu views HP SPACE as a chance to work and live with people from various cultures, backgrounds and different creative industries. “It’s a new opportunity for us to develop our own creativity of moving further and diversifying our creativity as well,” he said.
He considers his flexibility in working with others an advantage in the competition. Given the nature of his work, he has “to know when to work hard as an individual and in a team”, “to take leadership in certain situations” and also to “learn to step back and learn from others”. These attributes, he believes, will help him in the long run of the competition.
Before coming to Singapore 2 years ago Brandon fulfilled his childhood ambition by studying architecture in Sydney. He plans to apply as a permanent resident here and probably set up his own company one day.
Lora Lee, Design Student, China
Being the youngest contestant on the competition, Lora Lee, 21, naturally feels the pressure. However, her enthusiasm and inquisitive nature seem to help her overcome it.
Lora’s one of the 2 contestants from China who won HP’s “My Computer My Stage” (MCMS) youth campaign there. The programme, now into its third wave, allows the youths to express their creativity, and their desire to connect and share.
She joined the competition with an open mind to learn, and to integrate the skills that she gathered from 4 years of professional training in the digital animation field.
Most importantly, she believes that “being grateful” for every aspect of your life will make you “view things in a beautiful manner”. Hence, it’ll allow you to make an honest connection with people through your work.
Prior to the competition, she was a grade 3 student majoring in animation at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
HP SPACE will make its premiere on Nov 10 STAR WORLD in India, Channel [V] in India, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Visit www.hpspace.com, for more information.
Images courtesy of Fox International Channels (SG)