SINGAPORE — Is Singapore ready to go down the path of Korea’s successful entertainment business model of grooming young talents into singing, dancing and acting stars?

It certainly looks that way with FLY Entertainment and JM Artiste Network joining forces to manage the cast of Ah Boys To Men (ABTM).

The cast, who recently signed on with FLY and JM after appearing in director Jack Neo’s record-grossing two-part film about army life, comprises Charlie Goh, Joshua Tan, Maxi Lim, Noah Yap, Tosh Zhang and Wang Wei Liang.

For the next two years, Fly and JM will focus on different aspects of the artistes’ careers.

FLY, as the commercial agent, will be handling celebrity appearances, ambassadorships, endorsements and engagements. JM, meanwhile, will be concentrating on developing their careers in movies, television shows, music and online programs such as The Makan Kings, which is currently on JTeam’s online channel (http://jtv.sg/).

“I’m really excited about this arrangement as this is a milestone for us. It is the first time we are co-managing artistes with another company. With FLY Entertainment’s connections and expertise in artiste management, combined with JM Artiste Network focusing on developing their creative fields, I am sure that we are opening new doors for the boys to strive as artistes locally and regionally,” says Irene Ang, founder and CEO of FLY Entertainment.

The arrangement aims to optimise opportunities for the talents and play on the strengths of both FLY and JM.

“The overwhelming success of the Ah Boys To Men 1 and 2 came as a pleasant surprise, and showed that we have plenty of raw talent in Singapore. In this dynamic collaboration, I foresee that our artistes will be pushed to further develop themselves as artistes and individuals. This synergetic move will tap us into a larger network, optimizing the opportunities and potential of the boys.” says Jack Neo, CEO, Founder and Director of JTeam.

“With FLY Entertainment and JM Artiste Network combining our strengths, we hope to bring local artistes into regional markets and extend our reach beyond local shores. This collaboration is bringing both FLY Entertainment and JM Artiste Network to a new level. FLY’s experiences and connections will give our new artistes an edge and we are certain that the industry will be seeing a lot more from us,” says Melvin Ang, Executive Director of JM Artiste Network.