Ang Korean TV host at news anchor na si Grace Lee ang founder ng Glimmer, ang content production company na may pangunahing layunin na dalhin sa Pilipinas at sa Southeast Asia ang “best Korean entertainment collaboration.”
Tatlong taon pa lamang ang Glimmer pero pinagkakatiwalaan na ito at may partnership sa mahigit dalawampung (20) entertainment company sa Korea tulad ng Lotte Entertainment, Showbox, BTV, at CJ Entertainment.
Ito ay dahil sa magandang reputasyon umano ng kompanya ni Grace na sangkot sa film production, film distribution, at promoter ng mga Korean concert sa Pilipinas.
Wala ni katiting na dugong Pilipino si Grace na sampung taon pa lamang ang edad nang lumipat sa Pilipinas mula sa South Korea, pero mas matindi pa raw sa isang tunay na Pilipino ang pagmamahal niya sa ating bansa.
Malaki ang tiwala ni Grace sa husay ng mga Pilipino kaya sa pamamagitan ng Glimmer, gusto niyang makilala sa buong mundo ang talento ng mga kababayan natin.
Pahayag niya sa Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph), “I really believe first in Filipino talent. I believe there’s so much room for Philippine content to grow in terms of technique, in terms of quality.
“We have such great writers and a lot of great content, the baseline are great writers and we have to really invest in being able to grow artists who write, not just artista. Iba yung on-cam talent.
“In Korea, there is such a huge demand for great writers and great producers that they are being invested in by these different companies so that they can grow and blossom into their full potential just like ng ginagawa natin sa mga artista natin.
“But I feel that Philippines still lack very much in investing in talents who are behind cam, and so that’s what Glimmer wants to do.
“And that’s we’re doing. For example, this year, the reason why we accepted the project with a big company in Korea to shoot, I cannot divulge the details kasi sa November pa siya lalabas.
"So, at the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is bring in as much Korean production here to collaborate with the local production and the local crew so there’s an exchange of culture and talent.
“Itong three-month project namin ng Glimmer with Korea, we had to cast about thirty [30] Filipino talents, and these Filipino talents are gonna be shown all over the world.”
Nakausap ng PEP.ph si Grace ngayong Miyerkules ng hapon, August 17, 2022, sa Shanghai Saloon, ang restaurant sa Podium na isa sa maraming restaurant na pag-aari niya at personal ang kanyang pamamahala.
THE ROUNDUP, HUNT PH SCREENINGS
Bukod sa movie production, nagdadala ang kompanya ni Grace sa Pilipinas ng blockbuster Korean movies gaya ng Roundup at ng action-packed movie na Hunt.
Tampok sa Roundup sina Ma Dong-seok, na napanood sa Train To Busan, at Son Suk-ku, ang gumanap na Mr. Gu sa Netflix series na My Liberation Notes.
Bida naman sa Hunt ang mga sikat na aktor na sina Jung Woo-sung (A Moment To Remember) at ang Squid Game star na si Lee Jung-jae, na siya ring direktor ng pelikula.
Nag-premiere ang Hunt sa Cannes International Film Festival ngayong 2022.
Saad ni Grace, “We do licensing also so there are three aspects to our business. Ang una diyan is co-production, gumagawa kami ng partnership with Korean production companies for movies or series or concert and then we collaborate.
“Number two is licensing. We just buy the license and distribute it here. For example, for the movies we’ve been showing like The Roundup and Hunt.
“Hunt is going to be showing in local cinemas [on August 31]... This movie has been invited to most of the biggest international film festivals so we are very proud of this movie.
“Because of the good reputation of Glimmer in Korea, as soon as December of 2021, we were being flooded with requests. The only reason we couldn’t accommodate most of them is because tayo mismo’yung lockdown but they wanted to come here na.”
May Korean movies na kinunan noon sa Pilipinas at hindi naging maganda ang karanasan ng Korean producers dahil naranasan nilang lokohin ng kanilang Filipino partners.
Once again, si Grace ang nagtanggol sa mga Pilipino at nagpaliwanag sa mga Korean producer na may mga pagkakamali rin sila.
Aniya, “Taxes were not properly being filed so they would get into trouble after. The visas were not being properly applied so parang everything was parang backdoor job, kumbaga.
“Ang nangyari, out of mga ten productions na ginawa sa Pilipinas, eight ang horror stories. Yung itinakbo yung pera ng ganitong local partner.
"So, every time I’m there, siyempre I get angry. 'Hindi niyo iniisip kayo ang may kasalanan. E, bakit kayo nakipag-partner sa ganyan?'
“Every time I encounter that, I always tell them, 'You know what, you have to come to the Philippines and you have to meet the people here, you have to work here to know and you’ll experience on your own.
“'You come to the Philippines through Glimmer, through us, and I will show you what real Philippines is.'"
Kuwento pa ni Grace, “Una ko silang dinadala sa BGC. 'O, di ba, sabi ko sa inyo, mukhang Singapore ang Philippines?'
“At nakita rin naman nila na our country is very safe. It’s not as dangerous as they think it is.
“It’s all about perception and I want to change that perception, so ipinakita rin namin ang mga hotel dito, mga leisure locations na ang ganda-ganda.
"So, lahat ng mga proyekto na kinukuha ng Glimmer is to showcase also the good side of the Philippines.
“Glimmer is just a three-year-old company so I’m learning a lot, but I do want our company to play a very crucial role in cultural and content exchange of Filipinos and Korea so I will do my best.
“Alam nyo naman, I’m always going to be your Koreana Pusong Pinay.”