Creative Industry

A list of all the episodes you will find in the So This Is My Why podcast that features people working in the creative industry, including show notes, links and other episodes that you might find interesting. Past interviewees include artists, dancers, stunt actresses, photographers, writers and more.

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)

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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.

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

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)

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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 »

Ep 20: Tan Kheng Hua (陳瓊華) – Actress/Producer

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Tan Kheng Hua is a well-known and respected award-winning actress/producer in Singapore and Malaysia. Kheng has been seen in The Philanthropist (NBC), The Patriarch (UFA), and Serangoon Road (HBO Asia Original Series). Her recent role, as “Empress Dowager” in Netflix’s Original Series, Marco Polo, has garnered attention of many viewers. She is now seen in the movie adaptation of Singapore-born Kevin Kwan’s best selling novel, Crazy Rich Asians, where she plays “Kerry Chu”, the mother of protagonist Rachel Chu played by Constance Wu.

Besides film and television, Kheng is also highly respected in Singapore theatre scene where she’s a prolific actress and independent creative producer in Singapore. She creates and produces stage and television content of all genres including cabaret, drama, comedy, dramatic comedies, musicals, etc. One of the television dramas she created and produced was titled Do Not Disturb, which was the first local English-language TV series to receive the maximum 5-star rating from Singapore’s main newspaper, The Straits Times. She has also created and produced festivals such as The SIN-PEN Colony at the Georgetown Festival in Penang and The 20-Something Festival in Singapore.’

She was named to be one of 20 Singaporean contemporary artists representing Singapore in Singapore: Inside Out in NYC, London, and Beijing. Kheng has also been nominated for and won many awards including The Art Nation Award (Best Actress), DBS Life! Theatre Award (Best Actress), Asian Television Award (Best Comedic Performance by an Actress), Asian Television Award (Dramatic Performance by an Actress), Star Awards (Nominated Best Supporting Actress), Asian Television Award (Best Current Affairs & Magazine Presenter), JCCI Singapore Foundation Culture Awards for Contributions to Singapore, and the Critics Choice Award (Best Actor) at the Cairo International Festival of Experimental Theatre.

Since Crazy Rich Asians, Kheng Hua has gone on to score roles in UK Channel4’s four-part miniseries Chimerica, feature film The Garden of the Evening Mist based on the novel of same name, written by Tan Twan Eng. She has also appeared in Netflix show Medical Police, crime series Magnum P.I. and medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. It was recently announced that she has landed a role in the pilot of the reboot of 1970s martial arts drama serial Kung Fu from American TV network The CW.

Ep 20: Tan Kheng Hua (陳瓊華) – Actress/Producer Read More »

Episode page header - Patricia Kelikani - Multiple Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker, producer, cinematographer & Christian entrepreneur

Ep 19: Patricia Kelikani – Emmy Award Winning Documentary Filmmaker & Entrepreneur

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Patricia Kelikani is an award-winning filmmaker and videographer. Having spent 12 years working at Loma Linda University where she became Director of Advancement Films, she is also the producer, director and cinematographer of the 12-time Emmy award winning TV documentary series, “Life on the Line”, narrated by Lisa Ling. In 2014, Patricia became a freelancer and founded Kelikani Films & Kelikani Consulting, where she teaches people how to make lucrative videos from home.

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Dr Jason Leong - Former doctor turned Malaysian stand-up comedian and star of Netflix special Hashtag Blessed - Episode page header

Ep 18: Dr Jason Leong (Doctor turned Stand-Up Comedian & Netflix Special Star of Hashtag Blessed)

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Dr Jason Leong is a former doctor turned Malaysian stand-up comedian star who has been enthralling his audience since 2010 when he did his first open mic gig at Zouk KL. He has since become the first Malaysians to win the 7th International HK Comedy Competition 2013 & win the title of Crowd Favourite, performed at Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Asia and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, opened for Harith Iskandar’s To Know Malaysia is to Laugh Malaysia at Stadium Putra, and also was the first Malaysia who performed a full professional set at Hollywood’s Laugh Factory and New York’s Gotham Comedy Club.

Ep 18: Dr Jason Leong (Doctor turned Stand-Up Comedian & Netflix Special Star of Hashtag Blessed) Read More »

Yi Jun Loh - Malaysiaan food blogger, writer, podcaster - BFM's Breading Bread & Take a Bao

Ep 15: Yi Jun Loh – Malaysian Food Blogger, Writer & Podcaster

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Yi Jun Loh is a Malaysian cook, food blogger, writer and food podcaster. A Cambridge-educated engineer, he immersed himself in food after graduating by learning to cook in Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, USA. He is now based in Malaysia, obsessing over food culture and kooky food ideas through his recipe blog ‘Jun & Tonic’, which was nominated for the Saveur Blog Awards in 2018. He also hosts ‘Breaking Bread’ on BFM, his own podcast, ‘Take A Bap’ and can be found regularly contributing to Food52, Taste and Saveur.

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Episode header - Morgan Then - Slumberjack - Australia electronic music artist

Ep 11: Morgan Then – Electronic Music Artist (Slumberjack)

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Morgan Then is one half of the popular Australian electronic duo, Slumberjack. Since launching their career with a No. 1 track on Triple J’s influential sister station, Unearthed, SLUMBERJACK have released four EPs—including their newest effort, Black & Blue—and over 10 singles. They’ve received 2 ARIA Gold Records (for their 2014 self-titled debut and their 2017 single, “Fracture”), while their second EP, Fracture, debuted at No. 1 on iTunes Australia’s electronic chart.

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Benjamin Von Wong - viral artist, podcaster, amplify social impact

Ep 10: Benjamin Von Wong – Viral Artivist on Generating 100+ Million Views for Social Impact

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Benjamin Von Wong is a mining engineer turned artist who designs campaigns around social impact and has succeeded in raising over 100 million views for different causes including plastics, fast fashion and electronic waste. He has a Guinness Book Record, a community of over 500,000 followers and tries to change the world through amplifying positive impact.

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Barbara Woolsey - freelance journalist Reuters, VICE, USA Today, Lonely Planet - Episode page header - Podcast interview So This Is My Why

Ep 8: Barbara Woolsey – Freelance Journalist

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Barbara Woolsey was raised on the Canadian prairies in a culturally-vibrant family. Barbara is am of Filipino, Scottish and Irish heritage, and this unique experience has shaped her passion for journalism, storytelling, and wordsmanship.

As a freelance journalist, Barbara Woolsey has covered a wide range of topics, including lifestyle, culture, food, travel, and politics, for a variety of publications: Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph, USA Today, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Tasting Table, Thrillist, Time Out, Roads & Kingdoms, Vice, and others.

Prior to becoming a freelance journalist, Barbara worked for the Bangkok Post, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a television and radio reporter, and In Channel (formerly True Visions 92), a former English-language channel in Bangkok.

Barbara’s live moderation experience includes: emceeing the Digital Innovation Awards (DIA) in Bangkok in 2013, and participating in a panel on travel journalism in 2014. In 2018, she moderated the Digital Science Match, a gathering of over 1,000 science and tech specialists, put on by the German daily newspaper Tagesspiegel in Berlin.

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Episode page header - Ashley Dean First Artist The Royal Ballet company in London UK

Ep 6: Ashley Dean – First Artist of the Royal Ballet

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South African dancer Ashley Dean is a First Artist of The Royal Ballet. She trained at English National Ballet School and graduated into The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme in 2014, entering the Company in 2015 and promoted to First Artist in 2019.

Dean started dancing at the age of five and trained at Cape Junior Ballet Company before joining English National Ballet School in 2011. Awards while a student included bronze medal at the 2011 Genée International Ballet Competition and the Royal Academy of Dance’s Solo Seal Award in 2013. While a student she performed with English National Ballet as Flower (Le Corsaire) and Snowflake (The Nutcracker) and with The Royal Ballet on tour in Manon in Moscow and Romeo and Juliet in Taipei.

Roles since joining The Royal Ballet have included Clara (The Nutcracker), White Cat (The Sleeping Beauty), Young Girl’s Friend (The Two Pigeons), Cygnets (Swan Lake) and in the world premieres of Hofesh Shechter’s Untouchable and Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern.

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