K-pop entertainment company SM Entertainment has partnered with UK television production executives at the newly launched Moon&Back Media to create a new UK boy band for TV audiences worldwide.
The music and entertainment deal is billed as the first partnership of its kind between South Korea and the UK. The new series unites top executives in both K-pop and global television production in the search to find a new global boy band.
South Korea’s SM Entertainment has played a pivotal role in the rise of K-pop and launched over a dozen globally successful pop groups including NCT, Aespa, SuperM, Red Velvet, Riize, and more.
Moon&Back was founded by BAFTA-winning producer Nigel Hall (Britain’s Got Talent, The X Factor, One Direction), broadcast leader Dawn Airey (C4, C5, ITV, Sky, Getty Images) and talent manager Russ Lindsay (Ant & Dec, Simon Cowell). Asylum Entertainment Group invested in Moon&Back earlier this year.
The series’ executive team includes music industry executive Ben Karter, award-winning producer and Emmy-nominated showrunner James McKinlay (X Factor, America’s Got Talent) and BAFTA-winning executive producer David Hall (Deal or No Deal, The Chase, The Greatest Dancer).
This alchemy will create compelling television and a boy band that will entertain the world
Dawn Airey
Shot over the course of six months, the TV series will follow a fledgling boy band as they depart London in early 2024 on their music journey. Pre-production for the series, which will be shot in the UK and South Korea, is underway as are discussions with major broadcasters, record labels and music publishers.
Joseph Chang, CEO of SM & Kakao Entertainment America, said: “This collaboration signifies our first footprint in Europe. Our expansion blueprint will continue to span across North and South America, Europe, and other pivotal markets, leveraging SM Entertainment’s vast artist roster and extensive networks for unprecedented synergies ahead. We are thrilled to partner with power players who were critical in the creation and success of One Direction, and together we are aiming to find that next global sensation.”
Dawn Airey, co-founder, Moon&Back, said: “Take one of the world’s best entertainment producers and combine it with the world’s best K-pop producer and watch the magic unfold. This is a global first, creating a British boy band and exposing them to the wonders and rigours of the premier K-pop process with SM Entertainment. This alchemy will create compelling television and a boy band that will entertain the world.”
PHOTO: (L-R) Sung-su Lee (Chief A&R Officer, SM), Nigel Hall (co-founder, Moon&Back), Russ Lindsay (co-founder, Moon&Back), Dawn Airey (co-founder, Moon&Back), Cheol-hyuk Jang (CEO, SM), Kangta (creative executive and artist, SM), Ben Karter (BKM Artists), Joseph Chang (CEO, SM Kakao Entertainment America)
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