Dreams Come True on brainWAVE - Singapore's First Intellectual Property Reality TV Series Debuting this November

Singapore, 21 October 2003 – Do you dream? Dreams come true. It begins with brainWAVE. After six months of preparation, Singapore’s first reality TV show on Intellectual Property (IP), brainWAVE - the Essence of Invention, is making its debut in November 2003. brainWAVE is a 4-part series which will be aired every Saturday on Channel i, from 1 - 22 November 2003.
brainWAVE is initiated by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and created by Essence Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd. IPOS wants to bring the message of IP to the masses in a fun and exciting way. Mr Wong Sheng Kwai, Assistant Director-General (Infrastructure Development Division), IPOS, elaborated on the intent of IPOS in this initiative. He remarked that, "Anyone can be an IP creator. We all have dreams. We all have ideas. The challenge is in bringing those ingenious ideas to market and making money. I want to get the message out there that IP is not just about law - its about business strategy, its about the process of making dreams come true. brainWave is a dream come true for IPOS. We are always looking for new and creative ways to bring our message to all in Singapore. What better way to do this than to demonstrate it through a reality based IP show aired on national TV for maximum reach and mass appeal!"
Speaking at the media conference, Mr Jon Messinger, CEO of Essence Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd explained that "brainWAVE is a new genre of TV that demonstrates what it takes to make dreams come true. Through the popular genre of reality TV, brainWAVE demonstrates that making dreams come true requires teamwork, inspiration, endurance, creativity, ingenuity, courage, a lot of planning and strategy, and of course good relationships. We didn't script it or make it happen, because this is a reality show, it just happened. But it goes to show what can happen in life when you never say quit, never say die, keep a positive attitude and apply teamwork, ingenuity and build strong relationships."
A "must watch" for aspiring dreamers and entrepreneurs, brainWAVE weaves in themes, such as teamwork, inspiration, ingenuity and tenacity to overcome one's limitations, as the characters make their learning journey through the many challenges thrown their way. In the series, we follow the adventures of Crusaders - four groups of young, energetic polytechnic students, as they challenge themselves to dream, and turn those dreams into reality.
The Crusaders were put through two different sets of challenges - an outdoor "boot camp" and the design and marketing of a product. In the boot camp challenge, the Crusaders went through physical, mental and psychological challenges to bring out the entrepreneur in them. Through it all, they emerge stronger and more confident, having tested their resilience and resolve.
Next the Crusaders were pitted against each other in the area of creativity. In the process, they created valuable IP - new designs and marketing collaterals for two product sponsors, Kong Guan and Chng Kee’s. In all, S$10,000 in prize money is up for grabs for Crusaders who perform best in the boot camp and product challenges.
Our excitement is not about a TV show called brainWAVE. The real exciting story is the one about the human spirit and what the Crusaders learned about themselves, each other and how to successfully take an idea and make it real to earn a living. The exciting and unexpected twist of fortunes is one that should lift the spirits of everyone who is in need of encouragement because everyone was born with the ability to make their dreams come true.

For media enquiry, please contact:

Ms Tangie Kay
Senior Executive
Media & Marketing Communications
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
DID: 6331 6573
Fax: 6331 6562
Email: Tangie_Kay@ipos.gov.sg

Jonathan Messinger
Essence Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Tel: 6777 6066
Fax: 6777 5155
Email: jdmessinger@essence.com.sg

About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore or IPOS (http://www.ipos.gov.sg) is the lead government agency that formulates and regulates intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the greater development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. Formerly known as the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents, IPOS was established as a statutory board of the Ministry of Law on 1 April 2001.

About Essence
Essence Holdings (S) Pte Ltd (www.essence.com.sg) is an educational solutions provider for organisations and individuals. We create, design and produce educational solutions to help people to achieve their mission by accelerating their learning process. Our solutions are based on our model to take “Ideas to Commercialization” i2CTM. All our solutions are uniquely designed to simulate life experiences in creative and entertaining ways. Our mission is to help individuals find their unique essence and make their dreams come true. Essence generates the Power To Move Minds.