Singapore – Man Shu Sum will join Mark Burnett Productions Asia as chief executive officer, and will leave his position of director of strategic relations at the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore and director of Singapore Film Commission (SFC). He leaves MDA on May 14, 2008, but will remain as a board member of the SFC. To remain based in Singapore, Man will lead Mark Burnett Productions Asia in producing reality shows, game shows, formats and scripted dramas, with a focus on original content for the region. Having co-produced Thai-kickboxing reality series The Contender Asia in Singapore, currently airing across Asia on AXN, Mark Burnett Productions Asia also launched new format Amnesia at MIPCOM in October 2007 while The Apprentice Asia, another reality series, is in the pipeline. With MDA, Man helped Singaporean media and film companies to a higher international profile, and has led various teams of local producers to international markets including MIPTV, MIPCOM, Shanghai Film Market, American Film Market, and the Pusan Film Festival. His tenure at MDA was also highlighted by a various international awards won by local films. Man said, “The Singapore media industry is moving in the right direction and becoming internationally-recognised, and will be able to capitalise on the rising global demand for Asian content. It is with this assurance that I have decided to move on to another media company that will be in the business of creating Asian content for the international market. I believe that I will continue to enjoy a synergistic working relationship with MDA, while sharing the same vision for Singapore media.”