"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
That John Lennon quote is the inspiration behind English-language reality television show Dream On, which aims to help Hong Kong residents in underprivileged communities achieve their goals.
Nick Daryanani, a psychology graduate, and former Deloitte employee Natalie Chan quit their jobs to host and produce the show.
"We've both been told in the past that our dreams are ridiculous," says Daryanani, "and for minorities in Hong Kong, there is a genuine lack of opportunity. We want to bring the issues of their communities to light and give them a chance to achieve their dreams."
Each 30-minute episode will follow an inspiring dreamer, telling their life story and making their ambition a reality for a day.
Dixon, an immigrant from Ghana who wants to tackle cultural prejudice through rap music, is the star of the pilot.
"His story is about racism," says Daryanani. "Dixon loves Hong Kong and wants people to integrate more. We give him that chance to make a difference: on his dream day, we take him on a photo shoot and into a studio to record his single."
A TV show can't change lives overnight but the pair hope their will alter mindsets and encourage people from all walks of life to aspire to a better future.
For Daryanani and Chan, making a TV show has long been an ambition - a parallelism that isn't lost on the pair: "While our dreams come true, we're helping the dreams of our characters come true, too," he says.
To film the Dream On series, the pair need to raise US$120,000. To donate, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/dream-on-redefining-the-power-of-community#/story.
