Behind the Birth of Flowers on the Edge of the Abyss, Lesley Simpson's Trail to Build a Digital Series Industry

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - The figure behind various popular series in Indonesia, Lesley Simpson, is back with a new work.

Telkomsel Indonesia's Executive Producer was one of the figures who helped create the drama series Bunga di Tepi Jurang.

In the gala premiere held at Grand Indonesia, Jakarta, Thursday (23/7), the series was introduced as a drama that offers a new approach to the Indonesian series landscape through a combination of psychological drama, romance, and mystery.

"We want to present something different for the audience. Flowers on the Edge of the Abyss is not just a normal love story, but an exploration of life choices, sacrifices, and decisions made when a person is at a crisis point. We are proud that this project can finally be enjoyed by the public," said Lesley when interviewed on the sidelines of the gala premiere.

The Curtin University of Technology graduate with an executive certificate program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said that Flowers on the Edge of the Abyss was developed as an effort to present an alternative entertainment that offers story depth, not just focusing on the love story alone. The development process of the series took quite a long time to ensure the quality of the script, character development, to the visual aspect was able to present a strong viewing experience for the audience.

Flowers on the Edge of the Abyss tells the dynamics of the lives of a number of figures who are faced with various difficult choices, with a storyline filled with emotional conflicts and plot twists in each episode. The implementation of cinematography, artistic arrangement, and background music are some of the aspects that received attention in the production process.

The series is starring a number of big names in the entertainment industry, including Claresta Taufan, Stefan William, Erika Carlina, Aliando Syarief, Rachel Vennya, Derby Romero, Olla Ramlan, Hana Saraswati, to senior actor Anjasmara who plays the character of Burhan.

Bunga at the Edge of the Abyss adds to the long list of entertainment projects under Lesley Simpson's leadership in developing Indonesian digital content. Over the past few years, Lesley has been known to actively encourage the birth of various original series that strengthen the position of local streaming platforms in the midst of competition in the digital entertainment industry.

One of the achievements that has been in the spotlight is the Indonesian web series Layangan Putus winning the Special Award for Foreign Drama at the 2022 Tokyo Drama Awards. In addition, the original series Little Mom managed to set a record for the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) as the Indonesian Web Series that is Trending in the Most Countries, after being discussed in 22 countries since its airing in 2021. This achievement is one of the important milestones for the Indonesian web series industry in the international market.

Under the development of the digital content line he led, the WeTV Indonesia platform also continues to expand the production of original content. Entering its fourth year of operation in Indonesia, WeTV has produced dozens of original series with various genres, ranging from teen dramas, romance, thrillers, to families, involving filmmakers, production houses, and local talents.

Apart from working in the entertainment industry, Lesley is also active in encouraging the development of the national digital ecosystem through various cross-sector collaborations. One of them is through support for the Indonesian game and esports industry, including Telkomsel's involvement in supporting the Kagendra team to represent Indonesia at the Honor of Kings World Cup 2025, as part of strengthening the digital-based creative economy industry.