Digital media has radically altered the way we consume and interact with news. For more than 50 years, newspapers and TV have dominated news coverage almost everywhere until the internet created the low cost opportunity to go global. Today, moving into the new normal, strategies by content creators have been forced to be reassessed.
Suhaimi Sulaiman, Chairman of Bernama, Malaysian National News Agency (second row, left), Kent Chan, Head, Content Creation and Services of MM2 Entertainment Sdn Bhd (second row, centre) and Ming Han, Creative Director of The Core Studios & TheMingThing (extreme right) together with the moderator of the webinar, Roberto Calleja, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Communication and Law (first row, left) and Sanique Lim, emcee of the event (first row, centre) posing happily for an e-photograph taken after the webinar.
Traditional methods of working for creatives have been turned on their heads because of the pandemic. Social distancing guidelines and months of lockdown have created a challenging landscape for content creators to work in. ‘Spilling The Tea’, part of INTI’s Webinar Series discussed the evolution of content creation and changes in the media world with leading industry experts.
The session had Suhaimi Sulaiman, Chairman of Bernama, Malaysian National News Agency, Kent Chan, Head, Content Creation and Services of MM2 Entertainment Sdn Bhd and Ming Han, Creative Director of The Core Studios & TheMingThing (Youtube channel) on board, moderated by Roberto Calleja, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Communication and Law.
“We have realised that competitors have become collaborators in the new norm. When you realise you are stuck completing a task you have been doing all this while and you realise your competitor is doing something different but similar and they would need your help to complete that particular assignment, a strategic alliance can be formed. For an instance, in Bernama, we worked with other media organisations and content creators,” shared Suhami.
He further explained, “During the Movement Control Order (MCO), we collaborated with the founder of Fatbidin.com, Zan Azlee and his wife cum producer of Fatbidin.com, Sheril A. Bustaman on a mini documentary competition. We found the content created for the show out of the box, hence, we decided to form a strategic alliance with the duo besides doing a co-production.”
Suhaimi also elaborated that media organisations today are encouraged to work together with their competitors to churn out content for the public. Therefore, co-marketing and revenue sharing between various media owners locally and globally will bloom ahead of time.
Kent Chan, the Head of Content Creation and Services at MM2 Entertainment Sdn Bhd explained to the participants about the future of filmmaking in Malaysia and how COVID-19 has impacted the industry as a whole.
“Change in the film industry is often an extremely gradual process. The views of those involved tend to be entrenched and hard to shift. Therefore, how the film industry will operate one year can reasonably be expected to be very close to that of the year before. Not so 2020,” said Kent about the film industry.
‘Spilling The Tea’ webinar poster.
He also expressed that the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced a number of huge changes upon the sector over a matter of days. Cinemas are shut, productions are on hiatus and almost everyone is at home watching television and video on demand (VOD) content.
Ming Han, a Youtube sensation for the TheMingThing channel started off his session on a humorous yet serious note, “Compared to what the other two speakers have contributed to the industry and have done thus far, I’m definitely nowhere near. So, please take everything I say with absolute caution and please complete your degree, do not have any idea of dropping out of school.”
Ming also shared the four elements that helped him and his teammates as content creators, creative evolution, sensitivity, competence and efficiency, “These are the four golden rules and pillars of being an online creator that one need to adhere to. If you comply to these pillars, there will always be a balance in the story you are conveying to the audience; there will be balance between there’s always a story to tell and meeting the audience where they are.”
The lesson imparted from the webinar was not to allow the lean season dissuade one from focusing on their objectives especially content creators. The wheels need to keep running to ensure continuous productivity instead of restarting. Hence, the easiest, practical, and meaningful way of ensuring to staying relevant is by getting great content out.