Jay Soo found his true calling in video production, this led to him to found his own video production company.
What’s your story?
I graduated from the Musicians Institute, Los Angeles and worked as a full-time musician for many years playing with some of Asia’s biggest singers. As a sideline, I started scoring & producing jingles for television commercials. Then I got interested in how those commercials were made, and to keep a long story short, I decided that video production was going to be my vocation of choice.
What excites you most about your industry?
The rapid change of technology means that we are constantly challenged to find new ways to produce quality work.
What’s your connection to Asia?
I was born & bred in Singapore.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore, because it is so open. At the same time, I hate it, because any fool can come in and compete with you. But I guess that’s what makes you sharper.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best advice I ever got was when a famous local musician said to me: “You may want to consider doing something else for a living.” He wasn’t being cruel. He was being real. I just did not have enough natural musical talent.
Who inspires you?
My wife.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
Donald Trump becoming POTUS.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I’d learn Mandarin seriously, and learn a lot more about how to craft effective stories. All selling is about effective storytelling.
How do you unwind?
I watch TV, movies, listen to music.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Tokyo. It’s just magical and a culture unto itself.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Shameless plug for your business:
Our creative work and visual productions have won awards & accolades in competitions across the world. And you will be very surprised at the budget points which we are able to do this at. Mostly because our full-time, in-house post-production team gives us full & total control over the end result. At a price that is highly competitive and cost-effective.
How can people connect with you?
They can hit me up on LinkedIn
Twitter handle?
@jaysookt
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here: twitter.com/laingcallum linkedin.com/in/callumlaing Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
