Grace Lee takes pride in showcasing Filipino talents via Glimmer
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Grace Lee on Filipino talents learning from South Korean productions: “Filipinos are smart, we're driven. I think it's only a matter of time [until] we catch up.”
From being an on-cam talent, former TV host and news anchor Grace Lee now enjoys working behind the camera through her own production company called Glimmer.
Although South Korean-born, the 39-year-old TV personality has grown to be a Filipino at heart after residing in the Philippines for almost three decades with her family.
This is why in Glimmer, Grace is pushing forward the Filipino talents with her collaborations with South Korean companies.
“I really believe first in Filipino talent,” she stressed during an intimate interview held recently with select entertainment media, including GMANetwork.com, at the Shanghai Saloon, a restaurant she owns at The Podium in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong.
She continued, “I believe there's so much room for Filipino content to grow in terms of technique, quality. We have such great writers and a lot of great content.
“The baseline is the great writers and we have to really invest in being able to grow artists who write, not just artista na maganda. Iba yung on-cam talent.
“In Korea, there's such a great demand for great writers and great producers that they are being invested in by these companies so that they can grow and blossom into their full potential.
“Just like 'yung ginagawa natin sa mga artista natin, right? But I feel that the Philippines still lack very much in investing in talents behind cam, and that's what Glimmer wants to do.
“That's what we're doing, for example, this year, that's why we accepted a project with a big company in Korea to shoot… I cannot divulge the details kasi sa November pa siya lalabas.
“So, at the end of the day, what we're trying to do is bring in as much Korean production here to collaborate with the local production and the local crew, so that there's an exchange of culture and talent.
“Itong three-month project namin ng Glimmer with Korea, we had to cast about 30 Filipino talents, and these Filipino talents are gonna be shown all over the world. So, those things I take pride in.”
Aside from the talents, Grace also boasts of the beautiful places in the Philippines which are perfect set locations for movies and even TV series.
“Pinakita rin namin yung hotels dito, mga leisure locations na ang ganda-ganda. Lahat ng proyektong klinukuha ng Glimmer is to showcase also the good side of the Philippines.”
She added, “We have such a beautiful country. We have so many locations to shoot.”
In return, she thinks Filipino talents can learn more about TV and movie production from their collaborations with South Korean companies.
“I believe in the content power of Korea and there's a lot of things that Filipinos need to learn. There are a lot of things that we could benefit from Korea in terms of how widespread Korean content is now.”
Bringing in Korean entertainment
Apart from collaborations with South Korean production companies, Grace also wants to bring Korean entertainment through licensing.
Earlier this year, Grace's Glimmer brought the blockbuster movie The Roundup featuring Ma Dong-seok, who was also part of the hit movie Train To Busan.
Grace is aware that moviegoers are just starting to regain confidence to watch movies in the cinemas, which were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. But this did not discourage her to release South Korean movies through Glimmer.
“Because it was our first experience in releasing cinemas here, we only tied up kasi with SM Cinemas. At that time, cinemas were still not packed. There was still a little bit of worry about getting back to the cinemas.
“So, for us, it's not about making money. It was really making it happen. Sabi ko nga sa team ko, basta huwag tayong malugi. Basta we make this happen and we don't lose money, I'm okay. So, with Roundup, we did quite well given the circumstances, right?
“Now, I think going back to cinemas has really returned to people's itineraries.”
This is why Grace is hoping that the next film that Glimmer will bring will do even better.
Next week, Filipino moviegoers can watch the action-packed movie Hunt starring Lee Jung-jae, who was one of the lead cast of hit Netflix series The Squid Game.
And later this year, Glimmer will bring in another Korean movie. While she did not give details yet, Grace said, “It's the first time in Southeast Asia that Korean actors will actually come here to promote the movie.”
Aside from movies, Grace is also open to collaborations to produce concerts of K-Pop idols.
She mentioned, “I want to make the concerts blend into our business model. We are not just going to bring Korean artists, make them perform, and let them leave--that's just showcasing talent to the Philippine market."
She added, “We want to collaborate more. We can do a program together. Concert can be a small part of it. I want it to be a whole project. There are some things we are working on now. Hopefully, by next year, we will be able to implement it.”
In the end, Grace reiterated her vision for her new production outfit called Glimmer.
“First, I want na through Glimmer, Philippines will be shown in many Korean contents in a very good and beautiful way. So, that's to promote the country enough. And number two, for the Philippines to learn from the Korean productions and maybe, eventually through Glimmer, we're able to produce Filipino content that even South Koreans will say, 'Ah, this production is good.'
“Filipinos are smart, we're driven. I think it's only a matter of time [until] we catch up and I want Glimmer to be in the scene.”
