Since picking up a camera at university, Lee Feng Nian has made it his career.

What’s your story?
With a love of language and an inquisitive spirit, I started off wanting to be a journalist, and subsequently entered into a communications course in polytechnic. However, it was then that I found myself inundated with courses that weren’t what I was after.
Interestingly enough, I was assigned a camera during one of the courses and it was then that a connection was formed when I was wielding it. It felt easier to convey my ideas with the moving image rather than the written word. It was a firm handshake between man and machine.
I then enrolled in a film degree at a local university, forsaking the traditional majors from the other local universities.
I now film commercials, promos and branded content. Most recently, I finished shooting a segment of an omnibus movie.
Life always takes you on unexpected journeys.

What excites you most about your industry?
The thing about this industry goes counter against what one would describe as having a desk job. Every single day presents a different challenge and this forces me to solve problems in various ways.
One day I could be in the jungles of southern China battling floods and other natural disasters and the next, in a presidential complex shooting an interview. We wouldn’t know what comes or what goes. This is the most exciting thing about this industry.

What’s your connection to Asia?
Asian and English speaking, I was born and raised in Singapore. I’m happy and lucky to be educated here as I am able to cross cultures and borders easily with a better understanding of the world.

1966319_10152333738176183_7805476280657228766_o 10639359_10152419672958513_4587489111549813303_n

Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore. It’s multinational and multilingual with many people coming here from different nationalities. So the interaction I have with different people comes on a daily basis.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
To have “The skin of a rhino, soul of an angel and the heart of a lion.”

Who inspires you?
It is a combination of various people but mostly, they are market disruptors like Brian Chesky (Airbnb) and Travis Kalanick (Uber). That being said, there is still traditional wisdom to be learnt from the classics like the Art of War.

What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
It is neither the brightest who will succeed nor is success simply the sum of decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is a gift. Those who succeed are those who have been given opportunities and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t. One is a summation of past experiences and I have no regrets going through every single up or down. I have come close to death, experienced failure and tasted success – all of which add up to my world view and the way I live my life now.

How do you unwind?
Listening to good music, watching Netflix and reading up on the latest visual trends on trade magazines.

Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Thailand. Visit the north to chill and relax in the highlands and fly down south to Bangkok where everything can be bought for a fee!

Everyone in business should read this book:
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell

Shameless plug for your business:
It’s all on my site. www.screenfeng.com to see some stuff I have done.
Hit me up if you need interesting visual ideas or concepts.

How can people connect with you?
Email: [email protected]
Site: www.screenfeng.com

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

CallumConnectsCallum Laing invests and buys small businesses in a range of industries around Asia. He has previously started, built and sold half a dozen businesses and is the founder & owner of Fitness-Buffet a company delivering employee wellness solutions in 12 countries. He is a Director of, amongst others, Key Person of Influence. A 40 week training program for business owners and executives.

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

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: Alice Walton, a Walmart heiress, has a $1.5 billion philanthropic footprint, including a $390 million donation in 2023 to support the Alice L Walton School of Medicine. However, her philanthropic efforts raise questions about the societal costs of billionaire giving and the genuineness of her contributions. The broader social and economic costs of […]
Key Takeaway: CubeSats, affordable, lightweight satellites, are revolutionizing space exploration by focusing on single scientific goals like observing asteroids or tracking water on the Moon. They travel as secondary payloads, minimizing space debris and accelerating discovery. CubeSats are also unlocking mysteries of distant worlds, paving the way for humanity’s dreams of becoming a multiplanetary species. […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaway: Advancements in telescope technology have led to more discoveries about the universe than ever before. As new, groundbreaking observatories are set to launch over the next 20 years, they are expected to push the boundaries of cosmology even further. Chile is home to two ambitious ground-based telescopes, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and […]
Key Takeaway: Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries but also causing significant environmental costs. As AI systems require vast computational power, they increase greenhouse gas emissions, making it difficult for companies like Google to achieve net-zero goals by 2030. As traditional energy sources struggle with intermittency, tech leaders are exploring nuclear power, particularly nuclear fusion, […]
Key Takeaway: Hackers exploit everyday habits, such as giving personal information in stores or connecting to unsecured networks, to steal personal information and steal login credentials. These actions can be exploited by phishing and email-delivered malware, which are the leading cyberattack vectors. To protect oneself, individuals should use VPNs, use anti-phishing systems, and take basic […]
Key Takeaway: Hurricane Milton in Florida sparked a rise in extreme weather conspiracy theories, which often arise after catastrophic events. These theories aim to explain significant events by attributing them to the secret actions of powerful groups. However, these theories often require a plausible group capable of executing the secretive actions they propose. People embrace […]
Key Takeaway: Personality tests often suggest that personality is static, but modern psychology shows that traits can evolve over time. People can reshape their personality traits to align with their goals in life. Personality traits are not fixed and can evolve over time, with conscious effort and behavioral adjustments. Studies show that intentional effort can […]

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