“ABU TV-CON” – A totally new activity from the ABU Programme Department!

It is a conference and a convention of the TV producers, by the TV producers, for the TV producers! Unlike the usual conference with a serious and formal atmosphere, ABU TV-CON will be a stage show with comedy and music mixed in, letting all participants gain information and have fun at the same time!

ABU TV-CON will be hosted from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 17th & 18th of May, 2022, as a “hybrid conference”, streamed over the internet so program makers can attend from around the world.

This first-ever event will feature great presentations and discussions, many of which will include video footage, by past ABU Prize winners as well as top media creators. Participants will be introduced to new ideas and techniques for future TV productions. As well as sharing information on TV production in the Asia-Pacific region, the event is designed to improve production capabilities and support international co-productions.

For many years, the ABU Programme Department has been organizing well-received seminars and workshop sessions in specific genres such as documentaries, children’s programs and dramas. This has encouraged the ABU Programme Department to run more activities in other genres such as entertainment or educational programming. TV-CON will include those new TV genres.

ABU TV-CON will help the development of TV program production, encourage young program makers and strengthen relationships between all producers, as well as introducing current activities from the Programme Department such as the ABU Prizes, TV Song Festivals, ABU Doc and the Children Media Hub Workshop. We hope to make this very first event a success to become a regular annual event in the future. Please join us in May!

DATES
17 – 18 May 2022

Special Guest

“Ken Watanabe, a world-class actor from Japan will appear on TV-CON”

Ken will talk about his acting theory, his career in Hollywood, digital media, and much more. Don’t miss his exclusive interview at TV-CON!

Ken Watanabe

He was born on October 21, 1959, in Uonuma, Japan. He made his first TV appearance in 1983. In 1987, his big career breakthrough came when he starred in a leading role in the Japanese national TV drama series called “Dokuganryu Masamune” (NHK). He has appeared in numerous TV dramas, movies, and theatrical performances.

In “The Last Samurai” (2003), he was nominated for the 76th Academy Awards and the 61st Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor. He has appeared in many Hollywood blockbuster films such as “Batman Begins” (2005), “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005), “Letters from Iwo Jima” (2006), “Inception” (2010), “GODZILLA” (2014), “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” (2019), and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019).

Ken made his Broadway debut in 2015 in the Lincoln Center Theater’s revival production of “The King and I” in the title role, and he received his first Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical at the 69th Tony Awards for his role.

Special Performer

Oja “Hijau”

Daninas Huza Daud or better known as OJA is a popular Malaysian singer songwriter from late 90s. He was one of the performers of a local reality show the 7^th GEGAR VAGANZA.

Hakim Amir Head of Malay, Sports & News

Hakim is heading the content creation & international/domestic collaborations for Harimau Entertainment, a brand new content company in Malaysia. 23 years experience working with Astro from 1996 as part of the pioneer batch to 2019, where his last position was being in charge of ideation, new formats & content development to fill the content needs of Astro channels. He led the team that developed the first ever Islamic-reality programme, ‘Imam Muda‘ (Young Imam) for Astro Oasis channel which won critical acclaims. He has served in various Executive Producer & Channel Management capacities. Hakim is also a regular creative content trainer/speaker/ facilitator for various content workshops in Malaysia and also internationally. He is also a regular international jury for various content awards/festivals such as International Emmy Awards, ABU TV Prizes, Japan Prizes, AIBD content awards and others.

Tomohisa Arai
Senior Producer, NEP
Tomohisa Arai is a senior producer at Event Department / Creative Business Center at NHK Enterprise, Inc. He joined NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1995. After working on news programs, he has mainly produced programs in scientific genres such as disasters, medical care, and nature. He has been a producer of Robocon (Robot Contest in Japan) since 2017. He is also the ABU Robocon Deputy Secretariat Chief.

Keiko Bang
CEO, Bang Singapore Pte Ltd
Keiko Bang is the CEO of Bang Singapore Pte Ltd, a pan-Asian entertainment company with more than 25 years of experience in producing documentaries, movies, music videos and digital content.   Keiko first started her career as a journalist working for news companies such as CNN, ABC News and what is currently CNBC Asia.  She later went on to be a pioneer in Asian independent documentary production, creating more than 50 international collaborations with broadcasters around the world,  including Arte, ZDF, PBS, Canal Plus, Channel 5 (UK), Discovery, National Geographic, NHK, TV Asahi, IFC, Celestial, etc.  Her specialty has been focusing on high quality storytelling with Asian perspectives that speak to international audiences.  Bang Singapore’s critically acclaimed projects are known for their dynamic production quality and powerful storytelling: stories such as the Mysterious Hanging Coffins of China, Hip Korea, Secrets of the Battleship Yamato, Crossings with Jackie Chan and Millenasia digital brands promoting the Korean wave into India.  Most recently Bang Singapore produced a K-Pop music video for youth audiences together with UNESCO called “Be The Future” which was nominated for 4 Shorty for Good Awards and won for Best Music and Dance in 2020.  Keiko is a member of the International Academy for Television Arts and Sciences and has been an advisor for the ABU for over 10 years.

Vikram Channa
Discovery, Inc. Vice President
As Discovery Inc.’s Vice President and Head of Content & Products for East and South East Asia, Vikram Channa leads all Discovery contents, productions, broadcasts and curation for the region. Vikram first joined Discovery in 1995, he has taken on various roles within the company from on-air promotions to programming and production. As a senior management team member for the region, together with his team, he executive produced over 1,200 documentaries, and around 100 hours of the shows are on air through Discovery global networks every year. Among those products, China: Time of Xi, The Very Edge of China, The Day I Ran China, Master Class, Tears of the Dragon, The Next Pandemic: Are We Ready Yet, How China Works, China by Numbers, Can Video Games Change the World, etc. have won high reputation both nationwide and worldwide. Vikram was nominated for the 2016 International Emmy Award, he is the winner of more than 18 Asia Television Awards and Asian Academy Creative Awards since 2003, and he was also awarded in Oscar, Promax, New York Festival, Omni Intermedia, etc. Vikram is an academic advisor for Tsinghua University and an adjunct professor for Beijing Normal University.c

Hyunsook Chung
Senior Excutive Producer, EBS
Hyunsook Chung is a senior executive producer at Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), Korea. A programme-maker for 35 years, she has produced many award-winning children’s programmes, dramas and documentaries. Long interested in international media work and co-productions, she started the first ever Asian drama coproduction season in 2004, and directed the EBS International Documentary Festival between 2010 and 2012. Hyunsook has worked on developing local content at both the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development, and since 2004 has served as chairperson of ABU Kids. She has served as jury member at many international festivals including Japan Prize, Prix Jeunesse, Documenta Madrid, the ABU Prize, the AIBD Prize and the BaKa Forum. After completing her PhD in the UK, Hyunsook returned in 2015 to international children’s programme development, executive producing/directing Asian co-productions such as “Baby on the Way”, “Future School”, “Family Asia”, and “Beasts of Asia”.

Duilio Giammaria
Senior Editor, RAI
Duilio Giammaria is one of the outstanding journalists and producer at RAI, Italian public television in the disclosure of international political issues.  He was the author of “Extra”, the first European co-production program. From 1991 to 1996 he worked at Raitre and produced the reportage “Les enfants de la Mafia” in collaboration with the French television network TF1. Since 1998 he has been working at TG 1 in the “Long Feature Reportage” department. As a war correspondent, he has covered extensively wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, working for the new bulletin as well as producing long feature documentaries. He obtained two special mentions for his work. His numerous reportages and documentaries have been awarded in international festivals, such as the FIPA of Biarritz, and the TV Festival of Montecarlo.  He has directed the jury of the International Satellite Television Eutelsat Awards. He has collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Bank, and UNESCO on issues related to the enhancement of cultural heritage, and has produced “East Meet West, an Italian Journey in Central Asia”, a documentary on the Italian Archeologist in Central Asia between Afghanistan and Pakistan which has won the United Nations Correspondent Association award. He is the author of Silk and Poisons. Tales from Central Asia (Feltrinelli, 2009). Since 2013 he has been the author and host of the weekly investigative television program ‘Petrolio’ and for two years since January 2020, he has been the Director of the newly formed RAI DOCUMENTARI. The first documentary produced by the newborn RAI DOCUMENTARI was indeed “Breathless”, the documentary that is honored with your appreciated recognition.  He is currently working on a new book on his twenty years of experience in Afghanistan, among current affairs, history, and archaeology, and preparing a new program of investigative journalism.

Soobass Latchman
Coordinator Broadcast Technology, MBS
Soobass Latchman, Coordinator Broadcast Technology at MBC (Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation), has more than 30 years of experience as a broadcast professional in Mauritius. He is acting as MBC’s Coordinator Broadcast Technology since 2013 and he is also the officer in charge for Outside Broadcast and Radio & Television Sections at MBC. He is also the Vice-Chairperson of ABU Digital Media Group.

Xiaobo Lu
DEPUTY DIRECTOR / SENIOR MEDIA PRODUCER, CCTV-1 PROGRAM DEPARTMENT
Xiaobo Lu,Deputy, director of the CCTV-1 (China Central Television) Program Department, senior media producer, has previously produced large-scale seasonal programs such as “China in the Classics”, “China in Stories”, “2019 CCTV Host Contest”, and “Challenge the Impossible”. Programs have won the “Magnolia Award” at the 26th and 27th Shanghai Television Festival, and the 23rd and 24th China Television Arts “Starlight Award”. The production of “Challenge the Impossible” has also won the 53rd Television Entertainment Awards of Aisa-Pacific Broadcasting Union, which is the second time Winning major awards of Aisa-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

Riyaad Minty
Director of Digital, TRT
Riyaad Minty is the Director of Digital for TRT (Turkish Radio Television Corporation), the public broadcaster of Turkey. He joined TRT in 2016 where he has been part of the core leadership team responsible for the digital transformation of the network. TRT has seen immense growth across digital platforms both domestically and internationally ensuring the network is a global leader in industry. Previously with Al Jazeera he was the founder of AJ+ one of the world’s largest news outlets for the digital generation and contributed towards the network’s global strategy as Head of Social Media. He is recognised as a leader in the space of digital media and believes in the power of digital storytelling as a means to connect people around the world through shared experiences. He is also the Chairperson of ABU Digital Media Group.

Jinsu Shin
Producer, EBS
Jinsu Shin started working in EBS (Korea, Educational Broadcasting System) as a TV program director in 2015. After directing reality TV show “Gone Mom” and children’s live-action show “Ding Dong Dang Kindergarten” “Happy Trampoline”, he started working as a producer of children‘s animated series such as “Duda & Dada S.3”, “Tish Tash” and “Let’s go Space Guards”.　He participated in the 16th series of ABU Children’s TV Drama Co-Production in 2021. He directed 15 minutes drama “MANGO IS A PENGUIN NOT AN OWL …” the story about how different perspectives collide and reconcile between a young boy and his grandmother. It received the Producers’ Choice Award.

Yoichiro Takahashi
Senior Director, NHK
Yoichiro Takahashi began his NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) career in documentaries then moved into drama. His first feature film, “Fishes in August” (1998), has won numerous awards including the New Directors Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Golden Alexander Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. His second feature film, “Sunday’s Dream” (2000), was an official selection in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Chicago International Film Festival. Takahashi’s most notable television work includes “Yoko” (1992) and “Violent Teacher” (1996), which won Japan’s Broadcasting Culture Fund Award. Takahashi has been the Executive Producer of ABU Children’s Drama Co-Production since its 12th Series.

Markus Tomsche
Writer, Director
Markus Tomsche studied at Academy of Media Arts KHM, Cologne, Germany. He works freelance as an author, cameraman, and director. Markus Tomsche works for children’s television for way over a decade, and he also runs his own “WorldKids.tv” channel on YouTube for two years now. He was granted several prizes for the special “We are having a baby!” of “The show with the elephant”, which he directed, wrote, and shot the video segments for. He lives in Cologne, Germany.

Kotaro Urakami
Senior Producer, NEP
Kotaro Urakami is a senior producer at Entertainment Program Department at NHK Enterprises, inc.. He joined NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 1990. Having directed numerous Music and Entertainment programs such as “Pop Jam” (1993), “Asia Live” (1995-), “GLAY Documentary” (1999), “Kohaku- Red and White Song Battle-“ (1998), “Tonight with Kiyoshi” (2009), he has been producing variety of Entertainment programs in NHK, NHK Enterprises and NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc. in New York City. His productions include “SONGS” (2013), “Jared Diamond’s Rise of the Third Chimpanzee” (2017 NHK, PBS), “Jared Diamond’s Wisdom of Mankind” (2019), “ABU TV Song Festival” (2019 Tokyo, 2020 Online), “Music For Tomorrow 2021 – 10 year commemoration of the Great East Japan Earthquake-“ (2021). He has also lead numbers of 8K projects such as “A New York Jazz Legend- The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra featuring Lew Tabackin” (2016 8K), “Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock Live in New York” (2016 8K), “Sting and Shaggy Live in Philadelphia” (2018 8K), “A Story of Mr. Joe Price, an American who found Jakuchu” (2018 8K), “New York Subway Art and Performances” (2019 8K), “Gen Hoshino Live in New York” (2019 8K) and more.

Shen Yan
TV Drama Director
Shen Yan is a renowned Chinese TV drama director. He made his directorial debut with “Chinese Style Divorce” in 2004, and had since then directed celebrated productions of “Cellphone” (2010), “Hot Mom!” (2013), “Chinese Style Relationship” (2016), “The First Half of My Life” (2017), among others. He won the Best Director Award in the 2017 Shanghai TV Festival and the Best TV Drama Award in the 2013 Chinese American Film Festival. In 2020, Shen co-directed “With You” which won the Best TV Drama Award in 2021 ABU Prizes Award.