Man Shu Sum has resigned as director of the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) and director of strategic relations for the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA).

He will join Mark Burnett Productions Asia (MBPA) as CEO to produce Asian television content for the international market. The company is a new $20m joint venture between the US television producer (Survivor, The Contender) and Genting International, a Singapore-listed gaming and entertainment giant.

MBPA will eventually be located in Resorts World at Sentosa and make use of the facilities for its productions when it opens in 2010. The S$5bn mega-resort is currently being built by Genting and will house a Universal Studios.

'Singapore is poised to be one of Asia's rising media capitals. The Singapore media industry is moving in the right direction and becoming internationally-recognised, and will be able to capitalise on the rising global demand for Asian content,' said Man. 'It is with this assurance that I have decided to move on to another media company that will be in the business of creating Asian content for the international market.'

Man had been instrumental in raising the international profile of Singapore during his three years at MDA. 'With his long and rich experience, Shu Sum brought a much valued perspective to our push to nurture the Singapore media industry. There will be opportunities to work with him in his new capacity,' said MDA's CEO Dr Christopher Chia, adding that a search for his replacement is ongoing.

Man's last day at MDA is May 14 but he will stay on as a board member of the SFC.

A media industry veteran with 30 years of experience, he started out as a journalist in Hong Kong and worked with various broadcasters such as TVB, RTHK, HKRTV and HKCTV before relocating to Singapore in the 1980s.

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