Shine International in Japanese Development, Production Deal

MIAMI: A variety show created and executive produced by Heroes alum Masi Oka is the first project to come out of a development and production deal announced today between Shine International and Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo.

The companies will develop, produce and distribute content for the U.S. and Japanese marketplaces; Shine’s U.S. arm, Reveille, will team with Yoshimoto to create original unscripted formats for the U.S. or Japan and reversion them for the other territory. Shine International will handle worldwide distribution of the formats. The first project is Masi Oka’s Spice of Life, which will feature five hosts or commentators and a live studio audience. Japanese broadcaster TBS is already on board.

Announcing the alliance, Chris Grant, Shine International’s president, noted, “The deal with Yoshimoto brings together two of the most significant companies in the global content space and we hope this deal opens the door to further collaboration between the U.S. and Japanese formats market. We also hope to capitalize on the global potential of this deal, which will take advantage of both Shine’s distribution and production assets in close coordination with Yoshimoto’s incredible wealth of knowledge and experience outside of Japan.”

Aki Yohiro, CEO of Yoshimoto Entertainment, added, “As Yoshimoto Kogyo continues its cross-border expansion into the U.S. and Europe, we see our partnership with Shine International as a template for that growth. Designating quality partners, such as Shine International and finding properties to produce and distribute together to bring to a global audience is core to our goals in the coming years.”