Mei Tian, Metan Develop Online Sitcom

First Chinese Media Company To Use Web for Piloting Domestic and Global TV Projects

BEIJING – Beijing-based entertainment company Mei Tian Mei Yu (Mei Tian) will launch a new Web / TV sitcom “Planet Homebuddies,” a humorous look at the new trend among China’s white collar youth who live and work at home.  The six-part series will debut online on top China portals Youku, iQiyi and SINA, reaching over 800 million unique monthly viewers, the week of February 8 to coincide with the weeklong Chinese New Year celebration.

A first for China, the series, penned by TV writers, is also being developed as a TV/Web format for global audiences. Additionally, the show will have specifically designed content for smartphones and tablets. The series marks the first time a China media company will use the Web to pilot domestic and global TV projects.

"Planet Homebuddies” follows the lives of six, twenty/thirty somethings, three guys and three girls, who because of various circumstances gather together in a large loft. The lead character Jerry is depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend and losing his advertising business.  To get over his misfortune, he decides to rent a large loft with two good friends, Andy, an  IT specialist and Sean, a DJ. Together they become “homebuddies” - young people who work and live at home, a new terminology created by Mei Tian.

To help Jerry get over his troubles, Andy invites Molly, Jerry’s older sister from Los Angeles,  to visit them at the loft.  Andy also invites his cousin Bingxue to hang out with them, and add new neighbor Vivian, a self-employed art curator, into the mix, and you have “Planet Homebuddies,” a group of young men and women who share every life moment, mostly in the comfort zone of the loft.

“Mei Tian has been keeping a close eye on the cultural trends developing among China’s youth,” commented Jean Zhang, President, Mei Tian.“We noticed that working around the clock on weekdays and hanging out with friends on weekends is how most of today’s youth in China live their lives, with more and more adopting a “homebody” lifestyle. Our new series will serve as the voice of today’s 20-30 year old set in China, and examine this emerging trend.”

“The series represents the current young generation who not only pursue white collar jobs, but also choose to live life on their own terms, be their own boss, and explore a new kind of human dynamic and interaction,” added Larry Namer, President/CEO of Metan Development Group (Metan), the strategic consultant to the project. “ The Internet audience in China is used to longer form programming than what we see from Western audiences. Couple that with the sheer size of the potential audience and it provides an ideal testing ground for TV piloting.”

Metan serves as development and business strategy consultants on the project.  Mei Tian selected Metan for its creative team that understands storytelling across multiple platforms, as well as expertise in understanding foreign market business opportunities.

Agang, chief writer and art director of Planet Homebuddies, has been a scriptwriter for television and movies for over 10 years and a TV commercial director for 16 years.  The series’ cast features top Chinese TV personality An Hu, known for his humorous hosting style.

The show’s theme song was written by Danny Wilde of The Rembrandts, creator of  the theme music for “Friends”. Elliot Lurie, former head of music for 20th Century Fox, serves as the series’ musical consultant.

Mei Tian Mei Yu is a Beijing-based entertainment company that has working partnerships with over 50 TV stations in China. The company produces the weekly entertainment news magazine “Hello! Hollywood” and is soon to debut sitcom “Return to Da Foo Tsun.”

Source: Metan Development Group