What’s your story?
Started out as a Singapore AIrlines Flight crew. Joined a pagent and won the MISS SINGAPORE INTERCONTINENTAL 1994, which introduced me to the media world.  Became a Radio RJ  and a TV host in Singapore and was head hunted to run a Radio station in Sri Lanka, where I met my Singer/Actor husband from India and together we started out a Production House. 23 Frames Pte Ltd (Singapore). We have produced shows for India and Singapore and also one Malaysia  movie and another is in the pipeline. Our programs aim to marry education and information and the women’s talk show “Achamillai Achamillai” : to motivate and educate women on latest in the working world was a major hit amongst the audience and the Media Authority of Singapore. The second season will be recorded this year for telecast on Vasantham.

What excites you most about your industry?
Everyday is a learning journey. You have to keep upto date to produce content that is current. As such its an exciting and stressful world where you have to keep up with changing times and at the same time think out of the box: quite a paradox indeed!

What’s your connection to Asia?
Born a Singaporean and married to an Indian national. My Parents are also Singaporeans but my roots go back to Sri Lanka. Started out a Production house called Rambutan Productions in India and produced shows for Polimer channel there. Started 24 Frames Sdn Bhd in Malaysia to produce a local movie (Khadalanain) in 2011 and now a second is in the pipeline (Andru). Started out doing TV content for  Vasantham, Singapore Channel in 2009. Our VIDEOGRAPHY was nominated for best videography in Singapore’s Pradhana Vizha 2014. Also “Achamillai Achamillai’, a talk show for ladies(first of its kind in the Tamil media in Singapore) was a hit amongst the audience.

Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore for its infrastructure and transparency. I do have businesses in Malaysia and India as well.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Create memories not statistics!

Who inspires you?
Dr Theyvendran of Stamford Press and MDIS. Rags to Riches story.

What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
A little girl I knew is now a scientist in America and the thing about it is that I had a conversation with her recently and the way she spoke about her research that she is ensuing, blew me away… the passion she exuded

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Nothing… every mistake was a learning experience!

How do you unwind?
Since we run our own business and we (husband and I) have 3 children age 12, 11, and 15months old, we hardly get any time to relax. As such we do “getaway” trips to unwind and “find” ourselves. Once a month we visit an asian country (sans Kids) : Malaysia, Indonesia usually and take at least one trip (sans Kids again) some where far. we also travel with the family at least once a year.

Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Malaysia. WE can just drive across the causeway and its cheap and exotic all at the same time. A great balance of concrete and natural Jungle. Though visiting Ang Kor Wat was an unforgettable memory, Malaysia beats it for relaxation- spa,  food, friends, extended family all makes Malaysia a fav to me.

Everyone in business should read this book:
This is for the women, LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg and THRIVE by Arianna Huffington.

Shameless plug for your business:
We at 23 FRAMES PTE LTD, believe that we do an excellent job in marrying education and entertainment in TV and WEB content. A trustworthy content provider for Radio, TV and Web. Our programs reach out to the masses and almost always inspires them even if the genre is entertainment. Quality is our basic necessity. We also conduct workshops in acting and hosting. I also do grooming courses which again just does not stop there but also serves as an impetus in empowering people.

How can people connect with you?
People connect with me via social media and emails. My phone is always on silent mode and one an almost never reach me on my phone. Emails and texts get responses faster then phone calls. Perhaps I have telephonophobia.

This interview was part of the Callum Connect’s column found on The Asian Entrepreneur:

CallumConnects

Callum Laing has started, built, bought and sold half a dozen businesses in a range of industries across two continents. He is the owner of Fitness-Buffet a company delivering employee wellness solutions in 11 countries and he is also the CEO of Entrevo Asia, a company that runs 40 week Growth Accelerator programs.

Take the ‘Key Person of Influence’ scorecard <http://www.keypersonofinfluence.com/scorecard/>

Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Get his free ‘Asia Snapshot’ report from www.callumlaing.com

Contributor

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: Recent neuroscience research suggests that popular strategies to control dopamine are based on an overly narrow view of its function. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that tracks reactions to rewards, such as food, sex, money, or answering a question correctly. There are many types of dopamine neurons located in the uppermost […]
Key Takeaway: NASA’s independent study team released a report on UFOs, describing them as UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena) to move beyond the stigma associated with UFOs. The report found no evidence that reported UAP observations are extraterrestrial. The report also highlighted the need for transparency and reducing the stigma associated with UFOs. The study team […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaway: George Bernard Shaw referred to Ebenezer Howard’s “garden cities” concept in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which he believed would offer the advantages of town and country without the drawbacks. Recently, a Silicon Valley consortium called Flannery Associates purchased land for California Forever, a contentious project that echoes Howard’s ideas. Howard’s […]
Key Takeaways: Starfield, a highly anticipated video game, allows players to build their own character and spacecraft, travel to multiple planets, and follow multiple story arcs. The game’s interactive music uses a palette of musical language that cultivates a contemplative soundscape, launching the listener into the vastness of space while remaining curious, innocent, and restrained. […]
Key Takeaway: The concept of “nudge theory” has gained prominence 15 years after its 2008 book, “Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness.” The book, which inspired politicians like Barack Obama and David Cameron, led to the creation of government teams to incorporate nudge theory into public policy. However, the success of these nudges […]
Key Takeaways: Nanotechnology is set to revolutionize clothing, transportation, and transportation. Clothing will be tailored to individual needs, with synthesizers in closets creating clothing that fits perfectly. Nanosuits, made of 5 microns thick fabric, will cover the wearer’s body, allowing separate holes for individual hairs and making them weightless. This technology will double the amount […]

Trending

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics

We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics