So This Is My Why

Cesar Kuriyama, Director, Animator, Visual artist, founder of 1 Second Every Day mobile app

Ep 26: Cesar Kuriyama (Founder, 1 Second Every Day)

Cesar Kuriyama is a video maker, director, producer, animator, and founder of 1 Second Every Day – a mobile application that allows users to record one second of video every day and then chronologically mashes them together into a single film. And an app that is well on track to being the No.1 Downloaded Free App in the App Store!

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Chong Chan Yau - CEO & Co-Founder of Carboncare Innolab Hong Kong, President of Hong Kong Blind Union

Ep 25: Chong Chan-Yau (President, Hong Kong Blind Union & CEO, CarbonCare Innolab

Chan-Yau Chong is currently The CEO of CarbonCare InnoLab, A NGO promoting sustainability. His other social interests include disability rights, and global citizenship. He is the President of the Hong Kong Blind Union, former Chairman and current Director of The Board of the Dialogue in the Dark Hong Kong Foundation, former Chairman of and current Board Director of Carbon Care Asia, former Executive Director of Oxfam Hong Kong. He received awards including Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, MBE, China Poverty Alleviation Award, and Honorary Fellowship from the University of Hong Kong.

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Malek Ali - Founder of KL Classified, BFM 89.9 & Fi Life

Ep 24: Malek Ali (Founder of BFM 89.9 & Fi Life)

Malek Ali is a Malaysian-Singaporean serial entrepreneur who has:
✦ Founded Malaysia’s only business radio station, BFM 89.9, that disproved conventional thinking then that Malaysian radio listeners only wanted entertainment content. BFM has gone on to become the most influential radio station in Malaysia
✦ Founded Fi Life, that aims disprove the adage “insurance is sold and not bought”, by operating Malaysia’s first online life insurance service. Work-in-progress.
✦ Worked with JobStreet.com to disrupt the newspaper recruitment classifieds market in South-East Asia by launching an online job portal and related recruitment tools. That job is done.
✦ Invested in Newswav, a Malaysian news aggregator, so all your news can be in one app. Work-in-progress
✦ Invested in Kakitangan.com, that provides cloud-based payroll and leave services. Work-in-progress.

Currently at Fi Life, he is working towards increasing the financial wellness of Malaysians:
✦ Working with employers to provide financial wellness programmes for their employees.
✦ Moderating weekly webinars on important topics that impact your personal finances
✦ My radio station hosting a weekly radio programme, Ringgit & Sense, to increase your financial literacy
✦ And soon, launching financial advisory services that will develop your own individual financial plan

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Sarah Chen - global investment professional, Malaysia co-founder of lean in Malaysia, board member of 131, co-founder and managing partner of beyond the billion (Washington DC)

Ep 23: Sarah Chen (Co-Founder of Lean in Malaysia & Beyond the Billion)

Sarah Chen is:

A global investment professional – Sarah invests in and builds businesses, having led an American franchise business, pioneered the rollout of a corporate venture capital unit within a $13BN Asian conglomerate, investing into late-stage biotech startups. Today, she is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of The Billion Dollar Fund for Women, a global consortium of venture capital funds that have now pledged beyond US$1Bn to be invested into women-founded companies; now known as Beyond The Billion. Specifically, she works with limited partner investors to diversify their portfolio through venture as a returns strategy.

Passionate about getting more women into leadership, she sits on multiple boards including 131 & counting, a bipartisan effort to fete the unprecedented number of women serving in the House and Senate, to encourage more women to run for office in the United States; and Lean In Malaysia, which she co-founded, recognized as the voice of credibility for professional women issues in Malaysia, boasting beyond 5,000 women within the network, bringing women back into the workforce, accelerating women into leadership positions.

Named World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Forbes 30 Under 30, she is a recognized speaker, commentator and advisor on venture capital, innovation and women, having been featured amongst others on Der Spiegel, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. Sarah is a compelling speaker and moderator, moderating challenging topics with Ministers, Senators and other senior corporate leaders, inspiring global audiences at the World Affairs Council America (DC), the Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit (Paris), the World Bank THK Blended Finance Forum (Bali), the Asia PE-VC Summit (Singapore), Forbes Under 30 Summit (Hong Kong) et al. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B (Hons.) from King’s College London. A proud Malaysian, she spends her time between US- Asia.

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Alena Ose Murang - Sarawakian sape player singer, teacher, speaker, social entrepreneur, visual artist & heritage advocate

Ep 22: Alena Murang (Sarawakian Sape Player, Visual Artist & Heritage Advocate)

Alena Ose’ Murang is Sarawakian sape player singer, teacher, speaker, social entrepreneur, visual artist & heritage advocate. Born in Kuching, Sarawak, to a Kelabit father, Ose Murang and English-Italian mother Valerie Mashman, Alena and her older brother were immersed in their local heritage from young including dance and the local lute instrument, the sape. While Alena has never formally studied music, she answered her calling to be a keeper of stories for her people and in 2016, released her first EP, Flight – a collection of traditional Kenyah & Kelabit songs.

Since then, Alena has performed at many renowned world music festivals including the SXSW (USA), Colors of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Paris Fashion Week (France), Rudolstadt Festival (Germany), OzAsia Festival (Australia), and Rainforest World Music Festival (Malaysia). She was a youth representative at the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris, and UNESCO Asia-Pacific for her work in intangible cultural heritage.

Alena also started Kanid Studio (previously known as ART4 Studio), a social enterprise that uses art and music as a medium for positive impact, grounded in indigenous community values that are strong in the longhouse villages. ​

Alena Murang has been featured on Nat Geo People, Channel News Asia, Asian Nikkei Review, NPR Radio, BBC Radio 2, Radio 6, CBC News, Discovery Channel, Double J, etc.

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Saw Teong Hin - Malaysian director, producer, scriptwriter - film, theatre, television - Puteri Gunung Ledang, Hai Ki Xin Lor (You Mean the World to Me)

Ep 21: Saw Teong Hin – Director, Producer & Writer (Puteri Gunung Ledang, You Mean the World to Me)

Saw Teong Hin is a multiple award-winning writer, producer and director for film, tv and theatre.

A creative industry veteran of more than 30 years, Teong Hin was Louis Vuitton Malaysia’s Generation Next (2003), was Tatler’s 100 People You Must Know In Asia (2006), received the CHT Essence Art Award (2009), was August Man, Men Of The Year (2017) and was Chinese Film Association Malaysia Leading Film Industry Person (2018).

Teong Hin’s directorial debut, “Puteri Gunung Ledang” (2004), is the first Malaysian submission for the Academy Awards and the first Malaysian film invited to the Venice International Film Festival.

His production company, Real Films, provided production support for Ang Lee’s “Lust: Caution”, produced the Sudirman-tribute musical film, “Hoore! Hoore!” (2012) and the Penang Hokkien film “You Mean The World To Me” (2017).

For theatre, Teong Hin co-wrote the book for “Puteri Gunung Ledang – The Musical” (2006). He conceived and directed site-specific works for George Town Festival, namely “Emily of Emerald Hill” (2010), “Silat” (2012) and “You Mean The World To Me” (2014). He also co-wrote and directed “Chow Kit Road! Chow Kit Road!” (2013), at Istana Budaya.

Teong Hin directed the television mini-series “Tangkal Besi”(2010) and the web series “Inikah Cinta” (2010).

He was the creative director for the 29th SEA Games & 9th ASEAN Para Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies (2017).

ACCOLADES

Film
Rise: Ini Kalilah
2019 31st Malaysia Film Festival – 6 nominations including Best Director
You Mean The World To Me
2017 29th Malaysia Film Festival – 3 Awards including Best Screenplay
Jejak Warriors
2016 28th Malaysia Film Festival – 3 nominations including Best Film and Best Director.
Hoore! Hoore!
2012 25th Malaysia Film Festival – 10 nominations including Best Director
Puteri Gunung Ledang (aka Princess of Mount Ledang)
2004 18th Malaysia Film Festival – 6 Awards including Best Director & Best Screenplay

Theatre
Puteri Gunung Ledang – The Musical
2006 Boh Cameronian Awards – Best Writing

General
Chinese Film Association Malaysia
2018 Leading Film Industry Person
August Man
2017 Men Of The Year
CHT Award
2009 Essence Art
Tatler
2006 100 People You Must Know In Asia
Louis Vuitton Malaysia
2003 Generation Next

Short Film
Shikin, Hugin & Roslan
1999 Malaysian Video Awards – Silver (Pro- Category)

Music Video
Awie “Alif Bata Duniaku”
1998 Video M Awards – Best Director
Ziana Zain “Puncak Kasih”
1998 Video M Awards – Most Popular Music Video
KRU “Fanatik”
1998 A.I.M. (Malaysian Music Industry Awards) – Best Music Video
Malaysia Video Awards – Best Music Video
1997 Video M Awards – Multiple Awards including Best Director & Best Music Video

Ep 21: Saw Teong Hin – Director, Producer & Writer (Puteri Gunung Ledang, You Mean the World to Me) Read More »