Direk Njel, pasabog ang bagong online platform

Ni ARCHIE LIAO

May bagong streaming platform at global brand na ipinakikilala ang Palanca award-winning filmmaker na si Njel de Mesa.

“It’s NDM Plus.. Actually, the fascinating thing is we celebrated 25 years already. So it’s going to be an exclusive portal for all the content of NDM Studios,” aniya. “So all original, all fresh. NDM is the home of unique storytelling. So basically, we’re appealing to enthusiasts,”dugtong niya.

Sa nasabing platform, kasama niya sa board sina Will Devaughn, Daiana Menezes, Carlo Alvarez, managing director Junna Marie, chief legal counsel Jiji Jorge, at ang misis niyang si Jan Christine.

” We have a prestigious board. NDM Plus is situated in Singapore. And so, it’s the first homegrown, sort of homegrown, premium global streaming platform na nagki-cater sa iba-ibang kultura. So, hindi katulad sa ibang streaming platform, pasintabi naman, kasi iba yung kini-cater nilang market.What we cater to is a very, very wide audience. Meaning to say, all cultures, borderless. So, we have Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai content. We have BL, we have GL, we have LGBTQIA stuff, we have rom-coms, we have suspense thrills, we have documentaries, we have art films, we have award-winning films. So, all sorts of things. But, basically kami, yung streaming platform that has a very unique quality because yung mga kwento na kadalasan ay sasabihin sa ibang streaming platforms or ibang network na, ay, hindi tayo kikita dyan. Hindi tayo kikita dyan eh, kahit maganda yung kwento rin. Hindi yan kakagatin ng masa. Ito po ang tahanan. Pero ito iyong gumagawa ng streaming para sa filmmakers. Kaya, pagpapansinin ninyo, we’re holding grand auditions in Osaka, in Laguna, in Taiwan, “pagbabahagi niya.

Ipinagmamalaki rin niya ang naging kolaborasyon niya sa mga kilalang global brands.

” We’re very, very proud to say that we have partnered with Fox, with Sony, with Crunchyroll, with Shudder. So, iba-ibang streaming platforms din po.So, gusto din namin maipakita sa mga Pilipino na kaya natin makipagsabayan. Kaya natin makipagsabayan sa ibang streaming platforms globally, ” paliwanag niya.

Nilinaw din niya na iba ang layunin ng kanilang kumpanya kumpara sa ibang online streaming platform.

” Kasi sa amin, we produce, we co-produce. So, our business model is we build, not buy. So, acquisition is out of the picture. So, hindi kami nag-aacquire. Usually, they come to us with a project in mind and then dadaan yun sa proseso. Kasi kami, we’re trying to, number one, build brand trust. So, gusto namin pulido talaga yung trabaho. Ikalawa, gusto namin mag-build ng community kasi hindi po namin kina-cater ang masa. Kina-cater po namin yung mga taong interesado din sa amin. So, yun yung kakaiba.So, hindi namin kailangan ng marami. In fact, may limit po yung subscription namin. Ang limit namin is up until 100,000 lang ang limit namin, “bulalas niya.

Proud din siya dahil sa kasalukuyan ay patuloy ang suportang nakukuha ng kanilang platform sa online community.

” Meron na kami parang roughly 20,000 namin yung nag-sign up and subscribers namin or new subscribers. So, konting-konti na lang, masa-saturate namin yung market.. Kasi, ang target namin ng 100,000 subscribers is for next year. So, with the current trend of subscription, parang mari-reach ata namin yung target earlier than expected, “pagtatapos niya.

Bukod sa mga nagawa na niyang mga obra tulad ng Malditas in Maldives at Coronaphobia, may access din ang loyal subscribers nila sa events ng grupo na tinawag nilang” NDM experience”.

Isa sa mga aabangan sa NDM Plus ang exciting anthology na “Redband Anthology Series” na idinirehe ni Carlo Alvarez.

Tampok dito sina Beverly Benny Hilary Vergara, Rechelle Smith, Marco Aguilar, Zuher Bautista, Drew Luis, Vas Palacay, Katrina Yap, Dave Ravena at Aileen Velasco.