Alexi Wheeler’s Wheel in Motion, The Co-Production Company and August Media Group have joined forces to co-develop a unique new live-action/animated preschool series starring a buzzy performer named Syrena The Singapore Mermaid (200,000 Instagram subscribers). 

Syrena (real name Cara Neo) dresses as a mermaid and performs in underwater shows for a living. She has been featured on CNN, HGTV and in a 2023 Netflix docuseries called MerPeople about the professional mermaid industry—a niche market estimated to be worth around US$500 million annually. She also runs a school where she teaches her craft to would-be mermaids of all ages. 

In Syrena’s Mermaid Show (52 x 11 minutes), she will guide kids on musically-scored underwater adventures, teaching them about the ocean’s many species of fish and sea creatures along the way. Lexie Kahanovitz (Apple TV+’s Frog and Toad) created the series concept, and music supervisor Ego Plum (The Patrick Star Show) and composer Ricky Ho (Barangay 143) are already on board.  

Wheeler, a former head of animated series at Netflix EMEA, plans to be very involved in the show’s development. He set up Wheel in Motion with Superprod Group—which also owns The Co-Production Company—in June. 

Syrena’s Mermaid Show will be filmed in Singapore, with English and Mandarin versions produced at the same time. All three companies are attending MIPCOM armed with a pitched deck and a mini-pilot featuring Syrena singing an original song. 

Syrena’s Mermaid School. Courtesy of Syrena.