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Korean soap opera to start filming in Oct.
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Posted on Aug 09 2005
A Korean production company is expected to start filming a new television series on Saipan in October 2005, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority.
MVA marketing officer Glenda Calvo said yesterday that the tourism agency was moving forward with the proposed filming of a new drama series in the Northern Marianas.
She said MVA would be meeting with representatives from Castle in the Sky Productions Co. Ltd. to discuss opportunities for the CNMI to leverage publicity by serving as location for the TV program.
Castle in the Sky, which will produce the drama series, will start shooting in the Northern Marianas in October. Sixteen of the program’s 20 episodes will be filmed in the islands.
Last month, the 14th Legislature passed House Bill 14-358 allocating $750,000 for MVA’s sponsorship of the drama series. The bill has yet to be signed into law.
MVA expects to receive about $18 million worth of exposure from this program, which will be syndicated throughout the Asian travel market.
“The MVA sees this as an opportunity to leverage the awareness of the CNMI in the core travel markets. This program will enable the CNMI to generate added publicity of the destination—Saipan, Tinian, and Rota,” MVA managing director Vicky Benavente said.
World Resort Saipan general manager B.K. Park, who chairs the MVA board’s public relations and advertising committee for Korea, China, and other markets, noted that Korean drama programs are very popular throughout Asia.
“We are definitely looking at this [project] as it would entail great publicity for the islands and eventually be one of the most effective marketing advertisements for the CNMI,” Park said.
Korean TV drama programs are reportedly exported to the Northern Marianas’ tourist markets in Asia countries. About 19 percent of the programs are syndicated in Japan, 24.5 percent in Taiwan, 18.6 percent in China, and 3.3 percent in Hong Kong.
There is also demand for Korean TV drama from other countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
