Remember MapleStory?
With its fun gameplay and cute monsters, the online role-playing game was a hit in the early 2000s. But while other kids were content with advancing their characters’ jobs and slaying slimes, one Primary 5 boy was going one step further, posting videos of the MapleStory adventures of him and his trusted pet bunny “Bugs Bunny” on a fledgling platform called “YouTube”.
At that time, no one knew that YouTube would grow into the world’s most popular video-sharing platform. Neither did Kevin Ng know that his homemade videos would spark his interest in film-making—and lead to him becoming the boss of his own video production studio, Vicinity Studio, 12 years later at the tender age of 23.
Five years into operations, that studio would also take the huge and unconventional step of expanding into Malaysia.
Developing His Videography Skills And Network
Kevin initially put his MapleStory videos together using the entry-level Windows Movie Maker video editing software. But encouraged by the views and likes that his videos were racking up on YouTube, he began researching the industry-standard After Effects visual effects software during secondary school. He also took on freelance wedding and events photo booth work during the weekends to hone his skills and earn extra pocket money.
Taking up a Diploma in Film, Sound & Video at Ngee Ann Polytechnic was a natural choice after completing secondary school. During this time, Kevin also began volunteering his services to non-profit organisations, such as DBS Foundation and TOUCH Community Services, to network and be mentored by established videographers in the field.
However, it was a wedding gig that proved to be a crucial turning point (or the “inciting incident”, in screenwriting-speak) in spurring him to set up a studio.
Focusing On Creating Something Bigger Than Himself
While shooting the wedding with a friend, Kevin learnt of how a freelance wedding photographer friend of his friend had been so seriously injured in a car accident that he could no longer freelance. He had to pivot his career entirely.
That story got Kevin thinking: “What if I’m paralysed? Or [even if I’m not], there’s only so much I can do as a freelancer.
What if I can create something bigger than myself?”
This question led to him searching for a name for a video production studio he would open after completing National Service. He wanted the name to start with the “hipster” letter “V”, and also evoke his intention to share the stories of people around him.
Racking his brains with his friends, he later narrowed down the options to the word “Vicinity”. (And the “C” in the “Vicinity Studio” logo is flipped “because we ‘C’ things differently”.)
The non-profits Kevin had volunteered with formed Vicinity Studio’s initial client base. They would reach out with their videography needs, and the studio would charge a modest fee to fulfil their requests. And instead of drawing a salary, Kevin took just a small allowance to cover his expenses and re-invested the rest of the earnings into the business.
This strategy worked for the studio’s first year of operations. However, Kevin soon realised that servicing only charitable organisations wasn’t sustainable if he wanted to expand.
So Vicinity Studio started taking up projects for the for-profit sides of some of these organisations as well. “Like [for] DBS Foundation, there is DBS Bank, right?” shares Kevin.
“DBS Bank has large projects, so that’s how we penetrated the corporate world.”
Today, other big-name corporate clients in Vicinity Studio’s portfolio include Cycle & Carriage and Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
Entering The Malaysian Video Production Scene
Reaping healthy profit margins for corporate projects and referrals from happy clients, Vicinity Studio’s expansion plans began to take off. From Kevin solo-ing all the work in the beginning, the studio’s headcount grew to five the following year, and 12 the year after that, until its current size of 50.
Kevin also began looking into the uncommon route of taking the studio abroad. Doing so would allow Vicinity Studio to try out and “sandbox” new roles separately, minimising disruptions to its existing operations.
According to Kevin, video production studios that expand out of Singapore’s shores typically consider entering the China market first. But Vicinity Studio decided to set up its maiden overseas operations in Malaysia given the country’s large market size, and its abundance of human capital and project opportunities.
So with his target country within his sights, Kevin began crossing the Causeway to “make friends” with the local studios and learn how to run a studio there.
Far from viewing him as competition, his Malaysian counterparts were happy to help someone who was going to hire their local film-making talents. They explained to Kevin the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme—being the Malaysian equivalent of Singapore’s CPF scheme—and how their tax system worked.
They also shot down his “stupid” idea of setting up in Kuala Lumpur due to the horrible traffic jams there. (Kevin eventually decided to situate Vicinity Studio’s Malaysian office in Petaling Jaya.)
Registering the business with the Malaysian authorities took about three months. But because Kevin was “cheonging” the setup process—which included going for daily property viewings—he took just one month to finish starting up in Malaysia after that.
Vicinity Studio’s Malaysian office opened in June 2022, and its team is now six-person strong.
Read Also: Malaysia My Second Home: How Much Does It Cost To Retire In Malaysia
Shooting For Other Overseas Markets
Since most of the Malaysian team operates alongside the team in Singapore, the management of their work falls to the Singapore heads of department. However, Kevin still travels to the Malaysian office once a month, for about three days each time, to check how things are going and settle any logistical issues that have cropped up.
The “minimal” cultural differences have also made for easier communication and similar workflows between the Singapore and Malaysia teams. That said, Kevin has found his limited knowledge of Bahasa Melayu to be an obstacle when he tries to talk to people on the other side of the Causeway. “Sometimes I can roughly understand what they are speaking, but [I can’t reply].”
Kevin is currently brushing up his vocabulary, but in the meantime, his Malaysian staff helps email clients as needed.
Ever since setting up its Malaysian base, Vicinity Studio has been able to position itself as an “all-in-one production house”. For example, it can easily help Singapore clients obtain footage of their Malaysian factories. Likewise, the studio also has the resources for assisting Malaysian clients in pushing their products in Singapore.
So given the competitive advantages Vicinity Studio has gained from its Malaysian expansion thus far, it plans to further expand into other overseas markets, such as Vietnam, Australia or London, within the next one to two years if things go well.
And just like the boy who ventured into new territory by posting on a little-known video platform all those years ago, Kevin hopes to discover other forms of working or talent through his continued push abroad. Maybe even explore more of “the unknown” that the studio has yet to experience, and that could help grow its business as a whole.
“As small businesses, we [tend to] limit our horizons to just Singapore,” says Kevin.
“But if we were to step out of Singapore, there are so many opportunities and insights we can explore that could be beneficial for solving problems for your current business in Singapore.”
Featured Image Credit: Vicinity Studio
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