Moon&Back, SM Entertainment parter on boy band series
November 16, 2023
K-pop entertainment company SM Entertainment has partnered with UK television production heavyweights at the newly launched Moon&Back Media to create and debut a new UK boy band to TV audiences worldwide.
The new series unites power players in both K-pop and global television production to find the next worldwide boy band sensation. Korea’s SM Entertainment is widely credited with being the company that created K-pop and launched over a dozen globally successful pop groups like NCT, aespa, SuperM, Red Velvet, RIIZE and more. Meanwhile, Moon&Back was founded by multi-BAFTA-winning producer Nigel Hall, acclaimed broadcast leader Dawn Airey, and leading talent manager Russ Lindsay. Asylum Entertainment Group invested in Moon&Back earlier this year.
The series’ executive team includes music industry executive Ben Karter and multi-award-winning producer and Emmy-nominated showrunner James McKinlay and BAFTA-winning Executive Producer David Hall.
Shot over the course of six months, the TV series will follow a fledgling boy band as they depart London in early 2024 on the adventure of a lifetime. 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.”
Airey added: “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. “