The K-Formula To Success: Filipino-South Korean Show “Dream Maker” Takes Pop To The Next Level Under Korean Veteran Producer’s Guidance

When we take a look at the history of K-Pop, the golden 3rd generation was characterized by one big development: the rise of survival reality shows, project groups, and audition programs. Today, these shows form the core of the current generation and have become rather commonplace, with numerous production houses trying their hands at the idol survival game. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that this phenomenon has influenced global entertainment beyond borders.

The Philippine commercial broadcast network ABS-CBN is hosting its newest idol survival reality competition program, in partnership with MLD Entertainment led by CEO Lee HyungJin and KAMP Korea, set to create the next generation’s global male pop group. This is “Dream Maker” and in this article, we’re diving deep into why this show marks a significant moment in Asia’s cultural history. Let’s get into it!

 

The First All-Filipino Boy Group To Train & Debut In South Korea

Much like the rest of the world, the Korean Wave crash-landed in The Philippines with immense force that continues to grow by leaps and bounds. From K-Dramas in the early 2000s getting dubbed in Tagalog, piquing the audience’s interest with novelty and K-Pop champions like Wonder Girls, SUPER JUNIOR, and PSY making their way into the country, K-Food, K-Beauty, K-Fashion invading the local culture and transforming into a lifestyle for fans to variety shows formatted on their Korean counterparts like “Running Man Philippines” and now, a brand new survival show based on the “Produce 101” franchise – “Dream Maker”, The Philippines have come a long way and are now one of the biggest consumers of Hallyu in the world. As a matter of fact, a large number of Kpopmap’s readers are also from The Philippines!

As it goes with admiration, inspiration comes in tow and it was about time that The Philippines came through with a global pop group of their own, especially during a time when P-Pop is slowly but steadily gaining a foothold in the global music scene with the popularity of groups like BGYO and SB19 who were also influenced in part by K-Pop. Naturally, this meant looking for diamonds in the rough with the tried-and-true lens of a survival show, albeit with a fresh twist. While there have been numerous talent competition shows in The Philippines, for the first time in 2022, we got a Filipino survival reality show that mirrored the concept and format of “Produce 101” – arguably one of the most successful idol audition programs of all time.

It is no new knowledge that South Korea’s idol training system has been hailed worldwide, and the “K-Pop model” is being adopted internationally to create global artists with the hope of achieving the breakthrough success of K-Pop. It is now unanimously agreed that K-Pop is not exclusive to South Korea(ns) but is rather a global affair, and as such, it is natural that the “K-Formula” will be sought-after. What The Philippines did was apply this to the nation’s own homegrown music scene to create the “next big thing”.

Many fans noted that simply watching this “K-format” being implemented by The Philippines on national television was a big step towards validating the country’s K-Pop fanbase and popularising P-Pop globally in the process because fans of the original format will be curious to check it out and perhaps even dip their toes into the wondrous world of P-Pop. Viewers who were not originally fans of K-Pop are also entertained by the show, which means there is a constant flux of fans from K-Pop to P-Pop and vice versa. By joining forces with MLD Entertainment and KAMP Korea on the one hand and veteran producer Lee EungGu on the other, “Dream Maker” essentially got its hands on the elixir of success, not just for the show itself but also for the group that it is set to debut. Expectations are sky-high, and “Dream Maker” is delivering.

For the uninitiated, “Dream Maker”, hosted by Ryan Bang and Kim Chiu, is a “Produce” style show that starts off with 60 aspirants who compete for the top 7 spots and the chance to train and debut in South Korea as a global pop group. Auditions were held all across The Philippines by Star Hunt, looking for contestants who were talented in singing, dancing, or rapping.

Once on the show, the participants, now known as Dream Chasers, are guided by a set of Korean Dream Mentors (Bae WanHee, Seo WonJin, Bae YoonJung, BULL$EYE, and Thunder) and Filipino Dream Mentors (Angeline Quinto, Darren Espanto, Bailey May and Maymay Entrata) to improve their skills. Through a set of missions, participants must prove their mettle, appeal to the public, survive the eliminations, and try to make it to the top.

Voting is carried out through joinnow.ph (free 100 votes per contestant per device per voting cycle) and ktx.ph (paid unlimited voting) and determines the ranks of the participants (when combined with mentors’ evaluation). For the third and final voting cycles, only votes from joinnow.ph are counted alongside those from dreammaker.ph (10 votes per account per day). As a bonus, mall shows were also added to showcase the contestants’ talents and charms to a live audience.

Elements of K-Pop such as the “Position Mission“, and “Chosen Oppa“/”Most Wanted Chingu” polls were peppered throughout the show. Much like “Produce”, “Dream Maker” also has a theme song called ‘Take My Hand‘, performed by the Dream Chasers and directed by Lee EungGu, which currently stands at 413K views on YouTube and a combined total of 1 million views across MLD Entertainment’s YouTube, Dream Maker’s Facebook, YouTube and TikTok and 1theK’s YouTube.

Fun fact: The final group to debut will be named by the audience themselves! After a hashtag campaign to choose the most creative names for the group was held from January 21, 2023, to February 3, 2023, 5 names were shortlisted: B2IN, PR7ME, HORI7ON, DM7, BRIGHT7, that are currently up for consideration on dreammaker.ph. It is open to votes from the public until February 11, 23:00 (PHT).

As of the third voting cycle, combining mentors’ points and public points, the ranking from 1-7 is as follows: Vinci Malizon, Marcus Cabais, Kyler Chua, Reyster Yton, Jeromy Batac, Winston Pineda, and Wilson Budoy. You can watch “Dream Maker” by streaming it via iWantTFC and Kapamilya Online Live or internationally through MYX Global and TFC.

Given the fact that this group will be debuting in South Korea, it is inevitably drawing attention from international fans who are eager to see if an all-Filipino group can capture the attention of a global audience. Currently, Filipino and half-Filipino K-Pop idols are enjoying great popularity globally, such as Lapillus’ Chanty and cignature’s Belle, to name a few. So, it will certainly be interesting to see how an all-foreign group breaks into the K-Pop scene.

 

About Lee EungGu – The Mastermind Who Changed The Survival Show System

So far, we gave you a brief breakdown of what “Dream Maker” is aiming to bring to the music industry, from The Philippines to the world. Here, we’re introducing you to the genius who brought it all to fruition – Lee EungGu – a name that you might recognize from the previous section.

Currently, the CEO of his own company “Sole 9 Media”, Lee EungGu was formerly the Chief Producer of CJ E&M (Mnet). In simple words, this is the man behind some of the most popular and groundbreaking Korean reality shows like “M COUNTDOWN” & “Global M COUNTDOWN in Taiwan & Japan”, “Hit The Stage”, “Song JiHyo’s Beautiful Life”, “Music Triangle”, and more. He is also the one who directed the outstanding performance by EXO and CL for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony (K-Pop part)!

True to his status as a star PD, Lee EungGu, who has also worked on “MAMA” and “K-CON Japan”, has accurately predicted trends and rising stars throughout his illustrious career. As it turns out, besides creating revolutionary programs, he also has a penchant and passion for disseminating the Korean Wave with renewed impetus, which explains his active participation in works that bring Hallyu to the forefront.

Previously, through the popular Japanese TV show “Power Of K”, which was broadcast by Japan’s largest Hallyu satellite channel KNTV and DATV – an Asian entertainment channel, as well as Docomo TV, Lee EungGu aimed to make Korean music of various genres more well-known to the general public of Japan. He recognized the popularity of K-Pop and utilized it to promote the diversity of music in South Korea, such as the indie, hip-hop, and band scenes. Once again, this show was the first of its kind and greatly appreciated by both Korean and Japanese fans.

With this mindset of proliferation, versatility, and growth, Lee EungGu stepped in as a producer for “Dream Maker”, this time to bring notable talent from The Philippines to South Korea. Not only is this a novel project but also a culturally significant one that acknowledges the global nature of K-Pop and contributes to the same in turn. In addition, as this is the first time for such a format to be executed in The Philippines, Lee EungGu singlehandedly took charge of making sure that even the most intricate details translated seamlessly onto this new canvas. He drew the foundation, outlined it with his experience and know-how of Korean survival reality shows, and colored it in for the Filipino screen, bringing us the best of both worlds.

Lee EungGu wonderfully blended the storytelling of Korean reality shows into “Dream Maker” by conveying the backgrounds and personalities of the contestants as well as their dreams, passions, and aspirations to the audience so that they could connect with them on a human level and empathize with them, thereby increasing immersion and building a loyal fanbase even before their debut. Fandoms are undoubtedly one of the biggest strengths of K-Pop, so by lending this foolproof method to “Dream Maker”, not only is an impactful debut confirmed but also a successful career trajectory is established.

At the same time, by giving wings to the Dream Chasers’ K-Pop dreams and creating a group that will debut in South Korea, he is effectively integrating the global into K-Pop, thereby making it even more multidimensional and transnational. This is also one of the reasons why “Dream Maker” is scaling globally, whereas previous Filipino competition reality shows like “Pinoy Boyband Superstar” were not able to. Lee EungGu pioneers expansion by incorporation, and that is the key to his success.

For all viewers who have been supporting their favorite contestants and are eagerly waiting for the Top 7, the final episode of “Dream Maker” will be broadcast live this Sunday, February 12, at 8:30 PM PHT, announcing the winners to the world. Are you ready to welcome the next global boy group from The Philippines? We know we are!

Are you watching “Dream Maker”? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section down below!