Kenyans to produce a new East African drama

Africa> East Africa> Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, Uganda, Seychelles

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M-Net has confirmed its partnership with Big Ideas Entertainment, a Kenyan TV company that has been commissioned to produce pay-channel's first ever East-African drama series. The news comes five months after M-Net first revealed its intention to create a regionalized drama series.

The group has been receiving creative ideas since it called for series proposals on June 4. The process of selection was rigorous and began immediately after the deadline for entries closed in August.

Four experts evaluated all proposals and six companies were short-listed for the pitching sessions, which were held early in October in Nairobi and it was here that Big Ideas Entertainment put forward their winning pitch.

Telling stories of love, hope, triumph and tragedy, their series follows three couples as they juggle the demands of work, marriage and family.

Set against a contemporary East African backdrop, reflecting the societies in which they live and the challenges which they share, the three couples are at the heart of this entertaining, inspirational, realistic look at modern life in Africa today.

The series is set to make M-Net history, drawing actors from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and using local crews.

The Big Ideas Entertainment team of Njoki Muhoho (Executive Producer), Willie Owusu (DOP) and Aleks Kamau (Editor) will run the show with Serah Mwihaki on the writing staff. Angelo Kinyua, the CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2005 winner is the company director and the show's Line Producer.

Filming of the 13-part, 48-minute weekly series, with an estimated budget of US$900 per minute, will begin early in 2008. DStv audiences will be able to watch the show on M-Net later in the year.