Singapore Tourism Board launches web series in collaboration with BookMyShow

In a bid to engage with consumers from one of the fastest growing traveler-markets – India, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has partnered with BookMyShow (BMS), India’s leading entertainment destination, to give users a glimpse of the iconic culture and beauty of Singapore. A part of STB’s latest consumer engagement experience ‘My Singapore Connect’, this initiative brings together acclaimed talents from India and Singapore, through a four-part web series which will be released exclusively on the streaming platform BookMyShow Online, on November 28 and 29 and December 5 and 6.

A reflection of the initiative’s tagline ‘Where Passions Meet’, the web series celebrates creativity across various art forms, including film-making, music, food and comedy through interesting, candid conversation between renowned artists across India and Singapore. Each episode will be headlined by an Indian artist in an engaging interaction and conversation with their Singaporean counterpart, giving consumers a rare opportunity to catch them as they share stories of their passion for their respective crafts.

The line-up will feature Chef Ranveer Brar, MasterChef India judge partner with Chef Bjorn Shen, MasterChef Singapore judge to share their culinary pursuits, passion for food and what keeps them busy when they are not cooking.  Zoya Akhtar, critically acclaimed director-producer of ‘Gully Boy’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and Boo Junfeng, an award-winning Singapore film director will share how they unwind after a hectic filming schedule, why food plays a prominent role in deciding a shoot location and what first excited them to pursue filmmaking.

Audiences will witness the candid bonhomie between Singapore’s home-grown DJ and music producer Manfred Lim (Myrne) and Prateek Kuhad, singer-songwriter who was among the line-up of international artists at the off-track entertainment gala at the 2016 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix and see them perform their popular music sets and chat about how they keep their fans engaged during this pandemic and the urge to perform live once again. Varun Thakur, the crowd-favourite Indian comedian who performed in Singapore in 2018 and Sharul Channa, Singapore female stand-up comedian artist will reminisce the time they met in Mumbai, upcoming gigs they are planning and test each other on who can remember the most number of shopping brands at the Changi airport.

This partnership between STB and BookMyShow will leverage the ever-growing and evolving virtual medium, keeping audiences engaged and entertained in these extraordinary times. While entertaining audiences with lesser known facts about the artists from both countries, the videos will also showcase the different locations in Singapore and the affinity between the artists, thus furthering the initiative’s underlying theme of ‘My Singapore Connect - Where Passions Meet’. 

Speaking about this initiative, G B Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia (IMESA), Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said, “India and Singapore share many cultural similarities and we want to use this opportunity to further highlight and strengthen the emotional connect between both countries. We are delighted to bring together these virtual experiences and continue reaching out to people of common passions. The STB’s association with BookMyShow reaffirms our commitment to innovatively engage with our consumers by bringing together renowned artistes from both countries to collaborate and deliver engaging, entertaining content. We hope that the ‘My Singapore Connect’ videos will delight the viewers and inspire visits to Singapore, when the time is right.”

Talking about the partnership and the initiative, Marzdi Kalianiwala, Head – Marketing and Business Intelligence, BookMyShow, said, “India and Singapore have a shared culture with love and enthusiasm for all out-of-home experiences. BookMyShow’s extensive capabilities of robust data analytics, customer insights and an entertainment-loving user base of millions of loyal consumers along with STB’s rich and deep understanding of the cultural ethos of Singapore as one of the most loved global travel destinations meant this partnership was a natural fit. We are excited to extend this unique experience to and offer our consumers, an opportunity to be a part of enriching conversations amongst renowned artists across cinema, music, comedy and food through the virtual experience of the ‘My Singapore Connect’ initiative.”

Beyond the episodes, the partnership will also look to take ‘My Singapore Connect’ to the next level by enabling the artists to meet in person in Singapore, when normalcy returns and travel is possible, to turn their inspirations to reality across their art forms.