Jaclyn Victor on Prime Time

With a vision of being a leading global content creator and provider, Media Prima Berhad’s latest baby, Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd, is all set to go.

A brainchild of Media Prima International chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farid Redzuan, the idea was first mooted five years ago but was put on the back burner since Media Prima Group’s priority then was to consolidate its television business. But now, with the group’s strong hold in the local broadcasting industry (with four television stations and two radio stations under its umbrella), Primeworks Studios is ready to fulfil its goal.

Already supplying content to Brunei and Singapore, Primeworks Studios’ target is the bigger market like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. “We want to expand on a global platform by exporting more Malaysian-made content of all genres. If we don’t do this now, we will never move forward and we will never get our products out.”

Primeworks Studios’ content is divided into various genres. They are Chinese Drama/Movie, Chinese Entertainment, Movies/Drama, Malay/English Magazine/Documentary, Malay/English Entertainment, Sports, Corporate Affairs, Artistes/Talent Management, Creative & Technical Services and Content & Industry Development.

Primeworks Studios may be a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Media Prima Group but Farisha hopes the company will be viewed as an entity of its own. There have also been talk that Primeworks Studios may monopolise the programmes aired on the group’s TV stations.

“Previously, programmes like entertainment and magazines shows were sourced internally as it reduced costs. But when it comes to dramas, our Grand Brilliance Sdn Bhd (GBSB) provides less than 20 per cent of the titles. The remainder goes to outside production houses.” (GBSB has been absorbed into Primeworks Studios.)

Farisha also touched on its Artistes/Talent Management department, which will see 8TV’s 8 Unit come under them, which means artistes like such as Faizal Tahir, Jaclyn Victor and Ayu Damit will be managed by Primeworks Studios.

There are also plans to relocate the Primeworks Studios on a designated area in Petaling Jaya that can house 10 studios, to be used for any kind of recording or even as a concert site. It is currently operating at Sri Pentas in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.

This sounds like Primeworks Studios is heading towards becoming the next Universal Studios (in the US) which houses huge movie sets and backdrops, Farisha smiled and said: “Well, that is the eventuality.”