Critical Content Strikes Co-Pro Deals With Korea’s Something Special & ‘Asia’s Next Top Model’ Maker

Jesse Whittock
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Critical Content’s plan to bolster its international presence has continued with a pair of co-production deals with Asian counterparts.

The Catfish and Celebrity Game Face producer has struck deals with Korean content house Something Special and Singapore’s Refinery Media. Both cover co-creation and co-production, and will look to expand the global reach of Critical’s formats library.

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Something Special is considered one of the main players in the growing international interest in the Korean Wave of unscripted hits.

The company — launched in 2019 by former CJ ENM Head of Formats Jinwoo Hwang and ex-Managing Director of SBS’s FormatEast, InSoon Kim — has previously struck pacts with the likes of Fremantle and Viacom International Studios. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) is funding the pact with Critical.

Refinery has credits including Asia’s Next Top Model, AXN’s Amazing Race, Netflix’s The Apprentice ONE Championship Edition and its own series, SupermodelMe, which won an International Emmy back in 2013. In December, the company launched a global co-production fund that will allocate up to 50% of production budgets for projects exploring the use of virtual production in films, series and unscripted shows.

“With Korean formats continuing to explode, our partnerships with Something Special and Refinery Media represent a significant milestone for Critical Content as we strive to innovate and expand our reach in the international market,” said Critical Content President Jenny Daly. “These companies are forerunners in their regions. We are thrilled to align our original creative with their immense success.”

SK Global-owned Critical recently struck a first-look production deal with ITV Studios France and a first-look distribution deal with Belgium’s Be-Entertainment, the seller of the rights to survival format Destination X, which is set for NBC and the BBC. Critical’s recent launches include Netflix’s Slyvester Stallone documentary Sly and Oxygen’s Deadly Waters with Captain Lee, and talent formats with the likes of Chrissy Teigen, Peyton Manning, Marlon Wayans and Tom Brady are in development.

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