Content powerhouse Banijay Entertainment today confirms it has acquired the worldwide format rights to My Name Is Gabriel (Mai Neim Ijeu Gabeuriel), from Korea’s TEO Corp, a content production studio led by PD Kim Tae-ho (Infinite Challenge), and PD Jung Jong-yeon (The Devil’s Plan). The original series was produced for JTBC and Disney+.
My Name Is Gabriel is a reality format which takes celebrities out of their comfort zones and gives them a new identity through a life swap. Participants assume the life of someone else, in another country, where no one recognises them. In doing so, they experience living as their alter ego for three days, in an entirely new culture, even taking on their job, with each experiment culminating with meeting the real person behind their assumed identity. Kim Tae-ho, the producer of the program, wanted to convey there is no such thing as a meaningless life, and if you peel back the layers of anyone’s life, you will find beauty. How will the celebrities fare without the glamourous trappings of fame they have become accustomed to, and will they gain an empathy and understanding of others’ lives beyond their star-studded circles?
Helen Greatorex, Head of Format Acquisitions at Banijay Entertainment says: “My Name Is Gabriel is a clever reality format which strips back the identity of well-known faces and brings them back to earth with a bump, as they get to experience the lives of everyday people, without the trappings of celebrity. The universality of celebrity culture makes this format ideal for the international market, and we are confident it will appeal to local buyers.”
Recent additions to Banijay Entertainment’s third-party portfolio include factual-entertainment format, Atypical Critics, created, developed and produced in French-Canada by Pixcom; heist-themed gameshow The Infiltrators, from Cowshed Studios;
The Game of Wool, from Hello Halo, part of STV Studios; innovative dating reality show Alumni Lovers, from MBC; and Genuis Game from CJ ENM. These strategic acquisitions sit complementary to the group’s expansive 200k-hour catalogue of multi-genre, premium content.