Simon Fuller, the man behind hit international reality shows (and also the Spice Girls), speaks to Mirror about his new venture.

It is a new pop group, actually. The idea of a group that had different members from different countries was something I have been thinking about for many years now, shares Simon Fuller, best known as the creator of the Idol series (American Idol, Indian Idol), a popular reality TV franchise. For Fuller, who was in Mumbai to scout talent for his new venture, reality TV shows is not the only feather in his cap. He is certified as the most successful British music manager of all time by Billboard magazine, and has managed superstars such as the Spice Girls (when they were at their peak), David and Victoria Beckham, Kelly Clarkson and the late Amy Winehouse.

The primary motivation was my interest in the notion of a global star. In my mind, I feel that the viewers will perceive it both as local and global. Local, because the artiste from their country will be interesting to watch, and global, because they will get to see all these other artistes, says Fuller about his new venture, which will see talents from 11 countries, including India, forming a group called Now United.

To bring together this group, they have already selected two people from each of the 11 countries. The selected participants will be taken to Los Angeles where the final 11 for the group will be chosen. The idea is that when they come together, everything that they do will be seen by everyone. Every dance class, recording session, hair and makeup session, media training class the whole journey will be filmed and will be open for everyone to see. You can learn everything that the real group learns; you can attend everything that they have attended, says Fuller. My thinking and the big idea is that everybody, even the viewers, is in the group. These 11 participants will become the voice that connects everyone out there, who, in turn, will also learn and participate in real time with them, he adds.

The man, who is known for his gamut of reality shows, had a different vision when he first started to conceptualise the show. His original idea of a reality show was about integrity, talent and making dreams come true. But nowadays, shows focus more on a contestants back story than his/her talent in some cases, the participants socio-economic status or personal situations are used to gain the audiences sympathy. I think the producers were forced to mix it up to make it more interesting. Thats not interesting to me. That was never the point in any of my shows, he remarks.

What sets Fullers new project apart from his earlier ones is that this will be showcased on an online platform, and not on telly. The site will also give others a chance to showcase their talents by uploading videos. The process for the project is an evolving one. The people wholl be following this platform can be part of this group as well. So, the group is always changing. This will not be a proper group which stays together forever. We can change it whenever we want to. Its almost like a football or cricket team. If someone really great comes up then well put them in the team and take someone out. Or we could swap a country and bring another one, says the 56-year-old entrepreneur.

Two girls have been chosen from India one from Rajasthan and another from Mumbai. The audition process was conducted through various local dance and music schools in different cities in the country.

Fuller plans to go live with the project in October. He cautiously adds that the project might start slowly, as theres no rush (because its not a televised series), and that people may join in late but they can always go back to the beginning to see how the journey began. My ultimate dream would be when we do an arena show to have the group on stage but everyone in the audience should also know the dance routines and songs. So, while the 11 kids will be on stage, when you look around, everyone else also is a part of the group, says Fuller.

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IN TRANSIT: The Idol Maker - Mumbai Mirror