Chapter one

The beginning

My journey started in 2003, when I studied Diploma in Interactive Media Design at Temasek School of Design, Singapore. I wanted to be an animator. I drew comics as a kid. But design school introduced me to the world of storytelling, and filmmaking chose me. There was no looking back. I went on to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Film and TV at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Chapter two

The breakthrough

My thesis film, "Break," gave me my first taste of international recognition. It received a Gold Remi Award at the 44th WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, the prestigious Orson Welles Award at the California Film Awards, and an Award of Excellence from the Los Angeles Movie Awards.

That momentum carried into 2011, when "The Team," a short film I wrote and directed, won Overall Best Film and Best Editing at Cine65, a Singapore short film competition. It was later invited to screen at Japan's Short Shorts Film Festival Asia in 2012. My next film, "Closer to Me," won awards at the ASEAN International Film Festival and Japan's Festival Asia TV and Film on Journey. It became a finalist at the Louis Vuitton Journey Awards, and I was named runner-up in Yahoo Singapore's 9 Entertainment category.

These films gave me my first break into commercial filmmaking. I started working with brands including AIA, KFC, Grab, Singtel, Essilor-Crizal, and Nivea, alongside national campaigns for Singapore government ministries, growing to over 15 brand partnerships across the decade that followed.

Chapter three

Where it led

In 2020, during the pandemic, I tried something different: creating content on my own instead of marketing for a brand. I grew a TikTok following to over ten million views in two months, then crafted a user generated content campaign for Amazon Prime. That real world platform experience now underpins my second practice, training marketing executives and content creators, while I keep directing commercials for brands through Catharsis.

Since 2015, I've trained teams at more than 20 institutions, including LinkedIn, Bosch, TikTok Singapore, UOB, Standard Chartered, and the President's Office at Istana. I've taught learners ranging from polytechnic and ITE students to spectrum learners at Pathlight School and participants in the Yellow Ribbon Project. I teach what I practice, on set and on screen.

Recognition

Louis Vuitton Journey Awards, dual nominee  ·  Runner up for Yahoo Singapore 9 Entertainment Category  ·  World Event Young Artists, London 2012  ·  JCI TOYP, Singapore Merit Award  ·  Sapporo Short Fest, Director's Spotlight  ·  Orson Welles Award at the California FilmAwards