ruminations ahead of dmd lineup 2026
tomorrow morning DMD will host it's 3rd lineup event, something that typically strikes terror and delight into the hearts of the girls in equal measure every year. Now, I've been the Boo Radley of this village for both a long time and and not; DMD as a production house first came onto my radar in 2022 when they decided to hire everyone's favourite Australian ensemble cast member in their new BL, and air their show alongside the other, more internationally successful show that Australian was also in. I have been following the career of one Special Boy Who is Also Maybe a Girl for about five years now. I have only lived here After NuNew (ANN), and what I know about Before NuNew (BNN) I can only piece together, that DMD started out as a Hot Dudes Travel Influencer Channel, that somewhere along the way they decided to diversify into scripted production, and made a BL called Why R U, which was (???) popular but also exposed them to the ever gaping maw of Fujoshi Expectations for which they did seem really unprepared. As the Village Legend goes, they had poor promotion and event management, a bad track record of damaged merchandise and terrible customer service, and perhaps most damning of all to the girls, Zee had his heart broken or something.
But then they made Cutie Pie the Series.
While not as popular as Kinnporsche or even Bad Buddy, Cutie Pie the Series was an incredible success, which was great for DMD, because unlike BOC, who had Mile Connections, or GMMTv, which has a corporate mandate and sponsor budget, DMD was one Starry Eyed Gay With a Dream named P'Aof and not a lot of cash. In fact the series itself didn't make a lot of money, it was aired domestically and also on DMD's own Youtube channel with subtitles, but what it did make was some highly marketable BL Couples and this is where I come into the picture with my own observations (ANN).
DMD had plans to make three other shows alongside Cutie Pie, but some stuff happened, and so lukewarm on the heels of the success of that show, DMD held a line up event in 2023 to reset and renew their intentions. Promotional Trailers were shown for all past promised projects and two (nu)new shows, a music label was announced, and a new cast of boys were introduced. Everything was beautiful, and unbeknownst to DMD, who were having a fancy investors meeting about plans they'd like to execute if only they could have some Money, the fanclubs transcribed everything presented as a contract written in blood.
I'm not going to go into all the details of the past five years, but with the conclusion of Love Upon a Time this past weekend, DMD has now delivered on all of the shows they planned in 2021, reasserted in 2023, and even one from their second line up event in 2025, with a second currently filming, and a third slated to begin "soon". I am DMD's largest apologist, mostly because a lot of the time the Villager Complaining tends to be the sort of unhinged hobbyless behaviour of the terminally online, but even I had my heart broken waiting years for a show that suffered from what I considered to be the usual DMD weaknesses.
But here's how I know I can still win.
What I can speak to, from my time here, is that I have watched DMD make mistakes, but never the same one twice. They are hyper sensitive to the needs of their fanbase, they welcome feedback, and if it is actually reasonable and constructive, they act on it. I know this, because in 2024 I filled out their fan survey and very politely asked that they give more than a month's notice about concert dates and overseas events to enable international fans time to plan and travel, which they have consistently done since. DMD is very much a bunch of creatives stacked in a production company trench coat, and they are learning business as they go. That also means they are improving as they go, and as evidence I will present the suite of shows they have released since The Next Prince last year, all of which have become huge hits: Khemjira, Duang with You, and Love Upon a Time. And even though The Next Prince was just kind of whelming, it was certainly more produced and less nonsensical than the shows that came before it.
We have to give some credit for this to P'Den, who directed both Khemjira and Love Upon a Time and came on board at DMD to serve as an acting coach for The Next Prince. His industry credits also include screen writing for Shine and the OG Only Friends, and if his relationship with DMD continues, he will provide the company with something it was lacking before, which is someone with narrative vision. P'Aof is a sweetheart of a man who I think is terrific, but his strength as a director lies in live events and unscripted content. The fact that DMD seems to recognize the need for, or now be able to financially afford, collaborative production talent means their output is only going to get thematically stronger.
So I'm hopeful, on this DMD Line Up Eve, and I think you should be too, because while DMD's progress has not always appeared smooth, it has been very calculatedly linear, and I think we can expect great things from them as they continue to build their company and build on their success. I'll see you all back here tomorrow morning for whatever insanity they've cooked up, and I wish you all a merry get the present you want, and a happy get the present you didn't know you deserved.
