Singapore – The second instalment of the popular made-in-Asia original production, Every Singaporean Son (ESS), will make its TV premiere on the National Geographic Channel (NGC), almost two years after its inaugural season. Named Every Singaporean Son II: The Making of an Officer (ESS II), the six-part series comes after NGC renewed its collaboration with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to produce the TV adaptation that will follow the lives of full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) as they undergo the rigours of leadership training at the Officer Cadet School (OCS).
The 21-part web-series was originally featured on the Cyberpioneer YouTube channel, drawing global audiences to Singapore-specific content. The NGC version of ESS II will be remade for TV by incorporating exclusive access to bring regional audiences behind-the-scenes and into the lives of full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) as they undergo trials, tribulations and celebrations during their 38-week journey at the famed Officer Cadet School (OCS).
NGC’s continued partnership with MINDEF reflects the channel’s consistent effort in producing Asia-specific programming after the success of the first season’s strong resonance with local audiences. Its predecessor, ESS, received impressive ratings in Singapore, garnering eight times more viewers tuning in to its premiere, placing the channel at the top of the charts across all English-language cable television channels in the same time slot. ESS remains the highest-rated programme across all factual entertainment channels on Singapore Cable TV to this day.
The continued collaboration between NGC and MINDEF will see the latter joining a whole host of local and regional partners that have partnered with the award-winning factual entertainment channel in recent years. Along with MINDEF, NGC has also joined hands with the likes of Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Zoological Gardens to produce authentic and original stories from Singapore.
Yvonne Tay, Deputy General Manager, FIC Singapore said, “The second season of Every Singaporean Son will add to the growing collection of original Asia productions by NGC. Over the last two years, we’ve tied up with regional and local partners to produce many localised productions including Mega-Structures: Gardens by the Bay; Panda’s Wild Moveand the upcoming I Wouldn’t Go In There, which is National Geographic Channel’s first full length original series developed out of Asia, written and produced specifically for audiences around the region. Such sterling programmes have opened doors for further regionally-produced programmes with supportive partners like that of MINDEF and The Media Development Authority.”
Mr. Mark Francis, Vice President Production & Development of FIC and National Geographic Channel, added, “Renewing our collaboration with MINDEF is in line with one of the key initiatives of FIC, which is to develop more returnable series and localised content that resonates deeply with local audiences. NGC has been synonymous with producing quality programming, and we’ve had a long tradition of obtaining unique access into hidden worlds, giving our viewers a rare look at some remarkable people, places and institutions. The Singapore Army certainly ticks that box.”
Every Singaporean Son II: The Making of an Officer will premiere with back-to-back episodes on August 6, 2013, on National Geographic Channel. In addition, National Geographic Channel will air a catch-up marathon of the first season of Every Singaporean Son on August 4, 2013 for viewers to re-live the joys and hardships of Basic Military Training experienced by every Singaporean male.
