Producer and distributor, Media Ranch has begun representation of two Korean formats from DiTurn, the company of “The Masked Singer” creator Park Wonwoo.
“Round Table” is a proven singing game-show format created by Park that was a hit in Korea on KBS 2. It involves celebrities without singing ability needing to sing to win the contest.
“Love Maze,” in which a maze stands between two potential lovers, is a new format co-created by Park and Something Special CEO Hwang Jin Woo, who introduced the parties.
This contract is the first deal between Media Ranch and DiTurn. It has the goal of building a collection of intellectual property from leading format creator Park, who also created another global hit show “Lotto Singer.”
The representation deal is also the continuation of a productive relationship between Media Ranch and Something Special. They have already seen four other formats go to market over the last two years.
Hwang, a former head of formats at CJ ENM and current chairman of the Korean Format Association, part of entertainment industry promotion agency KOCCA, previously produced the hit travel comedy show “Grandpas Over Flowers,” which enjoyed two seasons as “Better Late Than Never” on NBC in the U.S.
Media Ranch’s head of content and storytelling, Philip Kalin-Hajdu, will lead development on both formats.
With headquarters in Montreal, and offices in Los Angeles and Amsterdam, Media Ranch represents, and produces a catalogue of internationally renowned titles. In March 2019, it announced a major partnership with Denmark’s largest broadcaster, DR, to represent its entire formats catalog. In 2020, Media Ranch entered into a multi-year, first look deal with FormatEast, a subsidiary of Korea’s SBS for its Horsepower initiative.
“[Park] and [Hwang] have such fantastic successes under their belt,” said Media Ranch’s president and founder Sophie Ferron. “We can’t wait to present ‘Love Maze’ to our broadcast partners. And we are excited to bring ‘Round Table’ to new audiences.”