Category: SOOS OIO Reflections

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The SOOS-Tube BootCamp Dream





The SOOS-Tube BootCamp Dream is to have an event whereby participants with a passion come together to learn and create online videos, in an encouraging and collaborative environment. This became a reality last Saturday on 27 August 2016. With a clear focus to have participants who are passionate about content creation, I made a hard decision not to have popular YouTubers and celebrities to headline this event. Instead, I invited speakers who work behind the popular online names whom I believe are able to give a different, and perhaps a broader perspective on content creation. This is to draw participants who sincerely want to learn about online content creation. As some of you might have guessed, this means fewer opportunities for sponsorships and also publicity. I am thankful for the generous sponsorship from Resorts World Sentosa (Special shout out to Andrea, Paul, Sharom, Wee Giap, Adzim, Saufi, Shaun, Addy, Danny, Andzhorie, Wak Jan, Bobo, David, Edmund and Jun Kiat) , APACTix (Chad, Shawn, Roy, Shamie, Diana & Cynthia), AYAM Brand (Herve & Norman), and Pezzo Pizza (ZX, Bronson, Angie, Angela, kitchen staff at Sentosa branch who had to make pizzas earlier than usual working hours!), plus partners like OneClickWonders and KCON.TV, made this all possible. Sincere thanks to Richard Frias and Mylen Yamamoto who put things on hold & flew half way round the world to do this with us!

SOOS-Tube Bootcamp Group

Just the night before on 26 August while we were setting up the theatre, I looked at the vastness of this beautiful 1,600 seat hall and asked, “O God, I am super thankful for this beautiful theatre but why did you give me such a big space when I only expected a small turnout?” Potential. The word I got was POTENTIAL. It was shaking me up a little with the realisation that the journey SOOS-Tube Bootcamp starts the participants on, SOOS-Tube is going through as well. The seats remind me that it is possible to fill up 1600 theatre and even larger spaces. Just like how each of the participants has the potential to have thousands and thousands of views and subscribers, making an impact in many people’s lives.

As much as we all want to start with a big bang, with huge numbers and fanfare to brag, most start with humble beginnings and hard work. Same for the SOOS-Tube Bootcamp. Same for many of us. We all worked extra hard, and I am thankful for faithful friends who are like family who came alongside. It takes time to build, sometimes years. There were moments when I questioned the practicality of this dream and thought maybe it was just one of those crazy ideas. There were times when I wanted to drop it completely, or maybe postpone it. When I took a step back, I concluded: “isn’t this all part of life?” I am glad I pushed through to tell the beginning of the story. Yes, the story is still being written just like each of the participant’s journey. I hope that each of the participants will also push through to do what you are passionate about. There are many times we need to adjust and improve, to make things better, but do not lose hope. It is the process that makes us ready for the bigger things ahead!

I was blown away when I saw participants taking out pens and notebooks, diligently scribbling while the speaker sessions were going on. These small actions are cues to me that what was put out  is of value to the participants. When I saw the groups persevering to finish the video challenge, my heart went all out to help them succeed. Murphy’s Law did find its way somehow, while some groups had problems with their editing software and the crazy upload rush meant slower Internet speed, etc all of us did it TOGETHER. It is heart warming to see how groups were helping each other despite having the same time crunch and dealing with various challenges. A special shout out to Group SnapDeaf, who overcame loads of obstacles to get their video up.

53% of the groups are new to video content creation, with new YouTube channels set up. We are so proud of all of them that they completed the challenge by uploading their videos within 4 hours during the SOOS-Tube Bootcamp. The time constraint is designed to help participants to have the first-hand experience in the possibility to create videos within a short time frame, even for beginners. This proves that frequent and consistent video posts are possible and they will definitely get better over time with experience.

Below are the judging criteria for the videos. The top three groups get an opportunity to pitch for a CJ E&M USD 10,000 video production grant! So keep a look out for updates on the grant winner.

JUDGING CRITERIA
CONTENT (Message, Story, Purpose, Clarity, Fluency, etc)40%
PRODUCTION (Quality of video, effectiveness of communicating the content and purpose, etc)30%
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE (Ability to captivate audience, “shareability“ of the video, etc)20%
VIEWS OF VIDEO (Actual number of views of the YouTube Video – Promotion part of things. The numbers will be limited by time but everyone in the challenge has the same amount of time to garner views so it is relative to each other.)10%
If two groups collaborate or help each other in one way or another, we will award 10% to both groups. Maximum is 10% per group.

 

The Challenge Results

Here are the top three groups and a special mention of a video by our amazing deaf participants doing the video for the first time:

If you want to view all the videos submissions, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTAFGPkmrFaDyYgDsvJQ-Iqm1q38_MT9. Some of the participants took their videos off from public viewing after the SOOS-Tube BootCamp but quite a number are still available. Do subscribe and like their videos, and even share if you love it, as this is a very practical and tangible way of showing your support!

Photos of the Bootcamp can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1632725063685330.1073741833.1518417041782800&type=1&l=5f5b009983 

AYAM Brand Instagram Challenge

We had a whole bunch of AYAM brand products like sardines and tuna at the event with 20 x $100 AYAM Brand Hampers to be won in the Instagram challenge! The participants had loads of fun and these two fine gentlemen had their little game for the stash.

 

We’ll be Back!

We are not going to stop after the first SOOS-Tube Bootcamp, just as we want to encourage the participants to continue creating content after the bootcamp. We will come back next year, hopefully, bigger and better! So keep a look out for us.

 

 

Winning Videos

Here are the winning videos for your easy viewing but do check out the other videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTAFGPkmrFaDyYgDsvJQ-Iqm1q38_MT9:

 

FIRST: 5 Makeup MUST HAVES! IMHO | Soos-Tube Bootcamp by Jynn Looi

SECOND: PUMP X Resorts World Sentosa by PUMP Do You

THIRD: Can You Help Me? by The Hidden Good

SPECIAL MENTION: SnapDeaf by Deaf Video Singapore

Event Page and Event Details: https://www.soos-oio.com/event/soos-tube-bootcamp-2016/

Special Thanks to:

  • Samantha Danielle Lee, who has been an amazing support especially with her lovely smile!
  • Daniel Ho, who has supported this in many ways than one.
  • Richard Frias, who immediately agreed to come when I told him the idea
  • Mylen Yamamoto, who came even though her own wedding is happening a week after the bootcamp.
  • Lucian Teo, whose humble spirit and support in this has been such great encouragement.
  • Tiffany Yong, who volunteered her help, even as a last minute stand-in when the emcee MIA.
  • Marilyn, who has volunteered since David Choi days.
  • Nic Khoo, who believed in this dream and supported in many ways.
  • Very dear friends who have been so generous with encouragements and practical support.
  • I am very blessed and thank God for each of you! To God be the glory! =)
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SOOS OIO at SHINE Fest 2016

SOOS OIO SHINE Booth
Our booth is parked right next to the stage in front of Mandarin Gallery! Interesting enough, we got “upgraded” to the stage when there was no performances happening there.




SOOS OIO had a little booth at SHINE Fest this year, a very pleasant surprise when NYC invited us to be part of their community fair! As we are launching songwriters.sg, the focus of this booth is geared towards music. We had no products or merchandise to sell but with a passion to gather people for music. So out goes the pop-corn man and here comes the sound man, setting up a simple Sing and Play, i.e. open mic session.

Krysta anchored the Sing & Play sessions, playing the guitar for all those who wanted to come up and sing! She herself garnered quite a bit of crowd over the 3 days as she played and sang. We were glad that everyone had fun over music, be it those who sang, played, or watched. =)

We want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to:

  • SHINE Fest committee for all the hard work and sweat in putting this up
  • NYC for the booth which gives all of us, especially the musicians to come forward and share their music in Orchard Road
  • Nizam for the amazing sound at our booth
  • Firdaus for the amazing sound at the stage, and being SUPER AWESOME!
  • Alex, Krysta, Tricia, Keona and Li Kai for taking care of the booth
  • Movement Music for the Reverend Guitars to jam
  • All who came and made it such a fun & memorable event for each and everyone of us!

Here is one of the videos of Krysta doing an impromptu duet with Shah whom she met the first time at the booth. For more videos, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/soos.oio.sg/ or https://www.facebook.com/songwriters.sg.

 

What People Think

Here are some of the feedback and testimonies we received from those who came to the booth. Thank you SHINE Fest for putting everything together!

Ezekiel @ SHINE Fest
Here’s Ezekiel’s FB Post about sharing a few of his own originals!
I love the passion and energy that surrounds SHINE Fest; the many talented performers that stepped up to our Open-Mic sessions, as well as the encouragements I received from the audience after performing my own compositions. Shine Festival was truly a laboratory to check out the test tubes of up and coming social and creative experimentations that our youths are undertaking, as well as a place to foster broader and deeper connections amongst likeminded creative Singaporeans. – Ezekiel Ang (26 year old guitar teacher)
Fiona @ SHINE Fest
Fiona and PeiRong are friends from Uninhibited Spaces, our neighbouring booth, who became great friends and supporters of Krysta!

 

Keona @ SHINE Fest
16 year old Keona had her first taste of singing in the streets of Orchard Road and she did amazingly well! I believe she has won herself some fans out there. =)

 

Ho Li Kai @ SHINE Fest
One of the winners of Neil Zaza Guitar Contest, Ho Li Kai, came by to lend his support with his crazy guitar skills! Oooohoooo! Thank you Movement Music for providing Reverend Guitars for jamming at the booth!

 

It has been a very liberating experience for me during the Shine Festival 2016.
There has been many amazing talents and emerging potentials whom I had
the privilege of engaging in conversations during the festival.
And in most of the conversations, many had spoken about their dreams
and passions of what they are hoping to achieve. Many had taken up the
challenge and to some the privilege of performing to crowds with their
original composition or their covers of songs. The very fact that they
were hoping to share their talents and passion has deeply encouraged
around what would I do with my hopes and passion in my life. Indeed
their energy and hopeful living has been a fantastic experience for me
to be bless with. – Alex Tan, volunteer at the SOOS OIO Booth in SHINE Fest 2016

 

Krysta @ SHINE Fest
Krysta is a volunteer at the booth. We are super delighted that she soared beyond giving out flyers but drew a crowd for the 3 nights. So proud of you!
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Neil Zaza – the Guitar Papa

Neil Zaza I'm Alright Video with 2 Winners



Neil Zaza finally arrived in Changi Airport on 14 Jun 2016 (Tue) after the long wait of slightly more than 6 months. In my heart I was praying that all his baggage arrived in good order, especially his guitar. I spotted him at the baggage belt after about 15min wait. He got all his stuff rather fast, kudos to Changi Airport. Within the first 5min of receiving him, I popped the question if he needed wifi and passed him a hot spot dongle. The flight-wearied face suddenly lit up and immediately I got a big hug from him! Wifi is the way to make friends within a minute! >_<

Neil Zaza Guitar Contest

First thing lined up for the day was sound check the next day. Following that, a video recording with the 2 winners of the Neil Zaza Guitar Contest. I put Marcello Brandon (winner) and Ho Li Kai (Runner up) in a whatsapp group chat a few days before to make the necessary arrangements. Brandon arranged to collect his prize of a brand new Reverend Guitar with compliments from Movement Music the day before to prepare himself for the big day! Their excitement geared me up for Neil’s arrival. Excitement is contagious and so is their passion!

When they finally met their guitar hero in person, Li Kai was shaking up so visibly but I am sure Brandon was as well but hidden beneath his cool demeanour. I believe the most nerve wracking part was to play I’m Alright together with their guitar inspiration. The atmosphere in the Media Hub at *SCAPE was super charged up with PASSION. The three guitarists filled the room with energy that was explosive! I looked around and everyone had smiles on their faces, enjoying the moment.

The part that deeply touched me was the bonding and love the two young gentlemen have for each other, strangers until the whatsapp group chat. There is a mutual respect between these two that I admire. They worked through with Neil how the song should be played while waiting for Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders) and Samantha Lee (@simsumsam) set up for the video recording.

I love the fairy lights and the two round light thingy (pardon my pathetic vocabulary!). My favourite part of the video is at 1:56-2:02. The few seconds of wordless communication captured by the camera hits home for me that this is the community that SOOS OIO is about. Established artists who have gone ahead are great inspiration for the next generation, forming relationships and communities to fire each other’s passion. I believe that these two young men will spur each other to be better in their guitar skills and fuel each other’s passion in the road ahead. I have somehow lovingly called them Neil’s Singapore Kids already. So Neil Zaza is unofficially the Guitar Papa!

Brandon & Li Kai have fun at the Recording Set
Brandon & Li Kai have fun at the Recording Set. By Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders)

Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop at *SCAPE

The cosy room was packed with almost 30 participants anxiously waiting to learn from their guitar hero. It is a pity that Neil’s iPad decided to act up 30 min before the workshop. After much troubleshooting, with our fantastic sound guy Nizam exploring all possible solutions, Neil used his iPhone back up backing tracks for the workshop. As many of you know, Singaporeans are not the most participative and responsive crowd, especially in a classroom & workshop setting. Yet in this workshop, the opposite was true. It was fascinating and amazing to see how interested the attendees were. They raised their hands to ask very good questions and once again, the PASSION for guitar was oozing out of everyone.

Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop Team Photo
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop Team Photo. Thank you to one of the attendee who offered to take this photo for us!

Neil Zaza Live in Singapore at Esplanade

A big shout out to the production team! Neil was completely blown away by the sound when he took off his in-ears during sound check just to busk in the quality of sound in the Recital Studio. Neil’s supersonic fingers on the guitar fret sounded so crisp and clear which not many sound systems can relay. I broke the usual rule of no photography allowed in Esplanade to no flash photography, wanting everyone to be able to capture their piece of memory in the show. The audience was amazing and it was so good to see you at the Meet & Greet session after. I love the fact there the age range of Neil’s fans ranges from pre-teens to adults!

Neil Zaza - the Guitar Papa
Neil Zaza in Esplanade 2016. By Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders)

Conclusion

I want to thank the amazing team, lean and mean in a super awesome way. Each of you has made the week so memorable and I want to thank:

  • Neil Zaza – Your music reflects who you are in person – AMAZING!
  • Samantha Lee – What do I do without you?! =)
  • Daniel Ho – You are way more amazing than the photos and videos you take!
  • Angus Sham – You have quietly taken such good care of Neil Zaza. I did not even have to worry a single bit!
  • *SCAPE – Special shout out to Kenneth and Japheth who provided great support.
  • Esplanade – Special shout out to Jacklyn, Ben, Hock Hoe and your team. Awesome work!
  • Nizam – The sound guy for the workshop & video who gives 110%!
  • Wenling – For responding to the call for merch help so last minute.
  • Movement Music – You guys set up your booth so impressively and tirelessly for two days. Appreciate all the support you have given to us, especially the Reverend Guitar for Brandon.

One lesson that came across so clearly this week is that passion is contagious and infectious. Neil’s passion for guitar has inspired Brandon and Li Kai. When these three come together, their passion is crazy explosive dynamite. My conclusion is when passionate people comes together with respect and appreciation of each other, the effect is greater than addition and multiplication, but EXPONENTIATION.

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For more photos of Neil Zaza in Singapore: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1606091413015362.1073741830.1518417041782800&type=1&l=7ddc0f3e73