By Chris Richburg
Entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has joined forces with Emmy winning producer Mark Burnett to lead the search for the next music superstar on a newly approved MTV reality series.
The show, titled StarMaker, was greenlit by the network for January 2009.
It will feature a group of aspiring solo artists handpicked by Combs, who will compete against each other for a chance to obtain stardom while living together.
Contestants will go through StarMaker boot camp, in addition to being evaluated on various tasks whish include how well they handle photo shoots, deal with paparazzi and physically perform on stage.
MTV’s approval of StarMaker comes two years after the network and Combs began developing the show in the fall of 2007.
Burnett, who is best known for his hit reality shows Survivor, The Apprentice, Contender and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?, was recruited to work on the series in this Spring.
According to Combs, the alliance with Burnett can only amount to success for StarMaker.
“It’s a privilege to partner with Mark Burnett on my latest television venture,” said Combs who labeled Burnett as “one of the industry’s best.” “I am confident that we will do great things together with StarMaker and beyond.”
Although StarMaker will provide its share of entertainment for viewers, Burnett believes the series will serve as a vehicle for the “tremendous amount of talent out there just waiting to be discovered.”
“We've created a platform that will allow new and emerging artists a chance to showcase their talents to some of the industry’s best,” he added.
StarMaker is the latest reality show under Combs, who has executive-produced the hit MTV series Making The Band, Run’s House and VH1’s I Want to Work For Diddy.