SA: Dream Factory talent show to premiere on Youth Day

Dream Factory was created by 33 and Me Talent Agency head and International Arts Talent Showcase (IATS) producer Elsubie Verlinden. It seeks to provide a platform for young people to showcase their talent in the fields of singing, dancing, acting and modelling while offering them opportunities in arts education.

The talent search will showcase promising talent from all nine provinces in South Africa and will coincide with Youth Day in the country. It follows a series of training workshop facilitated by US songwriter, music producer and casting director Nate Butler, in East London, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The talent on Dream Factory will identified and developed through IATS with the aim of performing on the world stage at the International Modeling and Talent Association, the largest talent convention of its kind in New York.

“The inspiration behind Dream Factory is to manufacture and develop dreams, to nurture and educate talent through the entertainment and fashion industry,” Verlinden said. “Workshops and training is provided by local and international industry professionals. This allows talented individuals to grow and perfect their craft with the ultimate goal of positioning them to work professionally in the industry … The ultimate purpose of the Dream Factory TV show is to motivate aspiring artists to pursue their dreams.”

Verlinden, who is also a successful actress, said the TV show would be just the starting point for local aspiring artists. She said that when she started out in the industry, she found a lack of mentors and educational opportunities to help advance her career. She has played in Leon Schuster’s Mr Bones 2 and several TV television series including Binnelanders, Egoli and Scandal. She has also amassed a long list of accolades in a career spanning 25 years.

Dream Factory will also feature the Atlanta-based songwriter, producer and casting director Nate Butler, who presented a number of entertainment-related educational workshops in South Africa in May. Butler was also part of the local judging panel in three provinces.