''The Firm'' is
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
's first
corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...
reality television programme produced by
Popiah Pictures Popiah Pictures is a television drama, reality TV and Television production, production house from Malaysia. Founded by Anne Low and award-winning film director Ng Ping Ho, the company has produced numerous programmes for television stations such as ...
and
ntv7. Hosted by
Peter Pek
Peter Pek is a Malaysian businessman, and the chief executive of the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation that manages and supports a range of programmes. He is also the executive producer of the World Branding Awards. He is th ...
and
Chan Boon Yong
Chan Boon Yong, a second-generation diamantaire born in Malaysia and currently based in Shanghai since 2008, is a prominent jeweller specialising in large diamonds and founder of The Carat Club.
Upon graduating from the London School of Econom ...
, the show is directed by award-winning director Ng Ping Ho of ''Kopitiam'' fame. In ''The Firm'', a group of professionals compete in an elimination-style competition to find the next corporate high-flyer.
The show attempts to separate the weak from the strong, the under-achievers from the over-achievers and the followers from the leaders. Each week, candidates compete in a series of tasks dealing with different disciplines in business that is imperative to the success of a corporate high-flier. Amongst others, these include branding, promotions, positioning and catering to target markets. The
catch phrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
used in the show is "You're terminated". The show premièred prime time on ntv7 and
Astro
Astro may refer to:
Entertainment and media
* Astro (South Korean band), a South Korean boy band
* Astro (UB40) (1957–2021), member of the British reggae band UB40
* Astro (Chilean band), a Chilean indie rock band
* Astro (Japanese band), ...
channel 7 on 24 June 2007.
Although the show initially drew comparisons to
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...
's ''
The Apprentice
''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...
'', it became quite apparent that it is quite different in that there are two corporate leaders who lead each team and decide who gets eliminated when their team fails to win a challenge. In addition, in episode 7, both corporate leaders leave their jobs as mentors to the teams and a new CEO enters the picture.
''The Firm'' has reached its second season, which premièred on ntv7 and Astro 107 on 2 August 2008.
Hosts/Judges
The Firm has two corporate leaders, and a CEO, who all judge the candidates at different stages:
*
Peter Pek
Peter Pek is a Malaysian businessman, and the chief executive of the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit organisation that manages and supports a range of programmes. He is also the executive producer of the World Branding Awards. He is th ...
: renowned brand guru, writer, columnist, editor, publisher, designer, creative director, public speaker, and head of Malaysia's largest branding agency,
Mercatus+.
*
Chan Boon Yong
Chan Boon Yong, a second-generation diamantaire born in Malaysia and currently based in Shanghai since 2008, is a prominent jeweller specialising in large diamonds and founder of The Carat Club.
Upon graduating from the London School of Econom ...
: entrepreneur and founder of The Carat Club, a diamond retailer.
*
Tengku Zafrul Aziz
Tengku Zafrul bin Tengku Abdul Aziz ( Jawi: ; born 25 June 1973) is a Malaysian politician and investor who has served as Minister of International Trade and Industry in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibra ...
: CEO of CIMB Investment Banking.
History
Season 1
Season one of ''the Firm'' premiered on Malaysian television on 24 June 2007, featuring ten aspiring entrepreneurs divided into two teams, Dynamic and Momentum, led by Pek and Chan respectively, vying for a top position in "the Firm", which turned out to be a job offer in
Tune Money, among other prizes. Tengku Zafrul's identity remained undisclosed for the earlier half of the season until the remaining contestants merge in the run-up to the finale. The grand prize fell in the hands of
Joel Neoh Eu-Jin
Joel Neoh Eu-Jin (born 11 October 1983) is a Malaysian entrepreneur, speaker, and investor. He is best known for his role as the founder of Groupon Malaysia and as the International Vice President of Groupon Asia Pacific. He is the founder of Fa ...
, who is now known for pioneering "youth entrepreneurship".
Season 2
Season two premiered on 2 August 2008, in which fourteen aspiring entrepreneurs vie for the position of Assistant CEO in "The Firm", again divided into two teams – Equity and Asset, led by Pek and Chan respectively. The line up of contestants were:
1) Toh Joo Lee
2) Terrence Lee
3) Choi Kian You
4) Dian Azmi
5) Ain
6) Yuen Wai
7) Salasiah Abbas
8) Chris Lo
9) Boon Yew
10) Jennifer Eu
11) Masami
12) Anoop
13) CA
14) Ridzuan
Azti Dian Fitri Azmi, a 31-year-old publications manager emerged the winner. She took home a cash prize worth $100,000 and a job contract to work for Tune Money.
References
* Taib, Shuib (28 June 2007)
Looking for the head honcho ''New Straits Times.'' Retrieved 1 July 2007.
* Chandran, Sheela (27 June 2007)
You’re fired! – Watch how 10 contestants battle to scale the corporate ladder in Ntv7’s The Firm ''The Star.'' Retrieved 27 June 2007.
* Zaidi Isham Ismail (19 June 2007)
ntv7 sees 600,000 viewers tuning in to 'The Firm' ''Business Times.'' Retrieved 20 June 2007.
* Sharifah Arfah (21 June 2007)
Weekend Watch: Run-up to Merdeka ''The New Straits Times Online.'' Retrieved 24 June 2007.
* Sheela Chandran (27 August 2007)
Victorious Joel ''The Star''. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
External links
*
ntv7's The Firm microsite* ''The Firm'' preview o
YouTubeDiscussion on every episode of The Firm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firm, The
2007 Malaysian television series debuts
Malaysian reality television series
NTV7 original programming