Singapore / Hong Kong, Aug 14, 2009 – STAR and HP today
announced the launch of HP SPACE, an original pan-Asian reality television
series that celebrates the spirit of creative innovation in Asia and
encourages aspiring talents to discover their potential through the use of
technology.
The show creates a unique space for creative individuals to express
themselves throughout the eight, one-hour episodes. Contestants will be
chosen by way of an elaborate audition process starting August 24 and there
will be on-ground activities to drive awareness and participation.
Participants will be invited to record their audition pitch and post it on
www.hpspace.com. In China, contestants
will be drawn from HP’s “My Computer My Stage” youth campaign, which will
start its 3rd wave soon. A total of 36 contestants will then be auditioned
‘live’ in China, India and South East Asia. 12 lucky finalists will be
shortlisted to fly to Singapore where they will get to work with well known
creative gurus from the world of design, film, advertising, music and art.
Each week, the contestants will be challenged with a new creative task
ranging from multi-media and visual art, to product design, music, fashion
and publishing. They will be provided with the latest product innovations
from HP to assist them in successfully completing these creative challenges.
Announcing the partnership, Jonathan Ellis, STAR’s Senior Vice President, Ad
Sales, said, “HP SPACE is a first of its kind initiative, providing a
platform for talented people across the region to unleash their creative
energy. With STAR’s production capability, as well as our extensive reach
online and on air across Asia, we have a real opportunity to raise the level
of creative discourse and truly grow the creative “SPACE” in Asia.” Ellis
continued, “Through their innovative products, which truly strike a chord
with creatively minded consumers across the region, HP is the perfect
partner for us to join hands with in order to achieve this vision.”
Ajay Mohan, Vice President Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP Asia
Pacific and Japan, added, “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing,
taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun. We believe
that this television series is a perfect platform that allows this.
Embracing the edgy and living up to our ‘computer is personal again’
philosophy, we have been trying to create meaningful experiences for our
users. HP’s 70 years of technological innovation and STAR’s leadership in
entertainment is an ideal marriage to bring that experience to life.”
As the contestants stretch their imagination beyond the conventional, they
will be judged on the basis of their performance and votes from the viewers,
and rewarded with prizes and opportunities to fuel their creative passion.
The overall winner stands to win a grand prize of US$50,000 and also earn a
once in a lifetime opportunity - a fully paid job on the production of mega
blockbuster remake of cult anime classic Bubblegum Crisis, in Australia.
The TV series will premiere on November 10 on Channel [V] in India, SE Asia,
Mainland China and Taiwan and on November 11 on STAR WORLD in India, SE
Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. STAR WORLD and Channel [V] are distributed to 26
million and 27 million homes respectively.
About HP:
HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology
experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans
printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More
information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at
www.hp.com
About STAR
STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts
over 60 television services in 13 languages to more than 300 million viewers
across 53 Asian countries. STAR and its joint venture channels cover all
genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese
Channel, Star World, Star One, Star Utsav, Star Jalsha, Star Pravah, Vijay,
Asianet, Asianet Plus, Sitara, Suvarna, antv, Phoenix Chinese Channel),
sports (ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star
Chinese Movies 2, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and
current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Star Majha, Phoenix InfoNews
Channel).
STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also
owns the world's largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than
600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and
Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies, STAR businesses extend to
filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems and distribution,
direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital
services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation.
www.startv.com
Contact:
Singapore
HP
Liana Teo +65 6727 5095
liana.teo@hp.com
Edelman for HP
Suchitra Viswanathan +65 6347 2329
suchitra.viswanathan@edelman.com
Kim Danker +65 6347 2303
kim.danker@edelman.com
STAR
Cheryl Er +65 63253829
cheryler@sg.startv.com
Hong Kong
HP
Kit Chan +852 3559 7146
kit.chan@hp.com
STAR
Eric Abelev +852 2621 8606
eabelev@startv.com
Paul Calder +852 2621 8608
paulcalder@startv.com
Malaysia
HP
Kenneth Low +603-2332 8433
low.kenneth@hp.com
STAR
Shamel Tengku +603-2615 0063
tengku.shamel@sg.startv.com
Indonesia
JavaPR for HP
Bambang Moegono +62 21 7231149
moegono.bambang@javapr.com
STAR
Shamel Tengku +603-2615 0063
tengku.shamel@sg.startv.com
Vietnam
Galaxy for HP
Nguyen Mai Thao +84-8 39102 007
thaonguyen@galaxy.com.vn
Thailand
HP
Dusanee Intraha +66 2353 9351
dusanee.intraha@hp.com
India
HP
Alka Sharma +91-124-2566111
alka.sharma@hp.com
STAR
Preeti Hingorani +91-22 6722 8308
preetih@in.startv.com