HONG KONG: Production company Deansee Entertainment under its newly-formed Chiseen label has signed a distribution deal with MTV Networks Asia.
Chiseen will produce the stunt and prank-related content for the show, MTV Whatever Things, which MTV Networks will license and distribute for an initial period of 18 months beginning at the end of August.
Set in Asia's vast urban landscape, the show exposes the odd, risque, shocking and humorous elements of street and pop culture. By closely examining its intricacies in a deliberately haphazard style, Chiseen's blend of physical stunts, celebrity pranks, provocative journalism and pure-situational randomness will be a new experience for Asian audiences.
MTV Asia's senior VP David Flack was quoted in an official release saying, "MTV has found the perfect partner in Chiseen. With our commitment to bring our youth audience unique humour-based programming that they can relate to, and Chiseen's commitment to pushing the boundaries of television as we know it, look out for a show that will put a smile on the faces of young people across Asia."
The show will air on eight MTV networks throughout Asia. The estimated audience reach of the show is 170 million households. A recent prank involving a man-dressed-as-a-gorilla stealing bananas from a fruit stand and the subsequent attack by the 80-year-old shopkeeper who thought the ape was a ghost, started a media frenzy in many local and international newspapers, snatching the entire front page of Apple Daily news.
Deansee Entertainment's credits include Tai Tai which was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It also made The Wedding Race a 12-episode reality adventure game show produced in Australia that achieved China distribution covering a potential 750 million viewers.
Chiseen is popular Chinese slang for crazy. The Chiseen experience, borne out of an individual's search for identity, has emerged as a new brand celebrating the underground and obscure elements of Asian urban pop culture. The label's popular website showcases running content from Asia.