Capability Development Team
Media Development Authority

From left: Tony, Lay Ping, Jonathan, Ms Heng Li Lang and Ms Winnie Lim.

An unforgettable encounter, two partners on a mission, prolonged trials and challenges and finally, a happy ending. This may sound like the plot of a movie, but it is in fact the story of Singapore's Digital Media Hub (DMH). Playing a leading role in its establishment was a team from the Media Development Authority (MDA).

Dreams do come true, not only in the movies.

For months, Mr Jonathan Foo, Managing Director of Mega Media, and Mr Tony Chow, Principal of Digital Media Academy, had talked about setting up a one-stop facility for film, media development, production and education.

One day, while walking along Victoria Street, they saw an old, vacant building that used to be Rochore Community Centre and concurred that it was perfect for the DMH.

Immediately, they checked with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) if they could lease the property but were told that state property could not be leased to private companies or individuals. The duo tried looking for an alternative location but could not find one that was as suitable.

Said Jonathan: "The old Rochore CC is located right in the middle of the arts-education belt with NAFA, SMU, the new LASALLE-SIA and the new library building coming up soon. It is also next to Bugis MRT station and just outside the CBD in an exciting neighbourhood that never sleeps."

"Most creative areas around the world are often situated where there is a buzz of activity, such as Soho in London and Tribeca in New York. We also felt that as the building had previously been a community centre, we could revive its social role to make it the 'media community centre' that we envisioned the hub to be."

Hoping that MDA could help them, the duo approached the Capability Development Team.

Sharing a common vision

Jonathan and Tony shared their vision for the DMH with the MDA team. Their plans included several pioneer initiatives and facilities such as a film incubator project, Maya animation software training programme and Singapore's first Dolby Motion Picture Sound Mixing Theatre.

After hearing them out, the MDA team was convinced the DMH was in line with the MDA's vision to develop Singapore into a vibrant global media city, and were determined to help them.

Said Management Executive Tan Lay Ping: "We believed the digital media hub concept was important for the establishment of a one-stop media creation centre that would add colour to the increasingly vibrant industry.

"Mega Media also displayed tenacity and an enterprising spirit that we hoped would inspire other entrepreneurs and innovators in the local media industry."

A challenging year

The MDA inquired with the SLA and learnt that state properties can be leased to statutory boards, which can in turn sub-let such properties to private companies.

To proceed, the MDA required approval from its parent ministry - the Ministry of Information, Communi-cations and the Arts (MICA). Without delay, the MDA team submitted a note to MICA and got the green light.

The MDA staff then proceeded to submit an application to lease the former Rochore Community Centre from SLA.

Explained Lay Ping, "It was a complex initiative that involved many agencies. While all efforts were made to expedite the administrative process, there were various issues such as renovation, rental evaluation and legal concerns, that had to be looked into. In addition, the initiative was new and various clearances had to be sought." Despite the challenges faced, the MDA and the SLA actively worked together to resolve the issues over the year. The SLA's business-friendliness and flexibility was a great boon to Mega Media.

The MDA team also facilitated discussions with the SLA on the rental rates and helped to negotiate for a three-month waiver of the rental fee to ease costs during the renovation period.

After the property was handed over to Mega Media, the MDA team continued to help Jonathan and Tony in their applications to various authorities for changes and additions made to the property.

Fulfilling a dream

The DMH was officially opened on 28 October 2004. Jonathan and Tony were very happy with the outcome and appreciative of the support they had received from the MDA team.

Said Jonathan, "The officers were extremely open to our ideas and they were surfaced to the MDA management very efficiently and quickly. We felt that the entire organisation believed in what we were doing and the support was not only in spirit, but in action.

The MDA officers worked with our team on a daily basis during that time and were available to us even beyond office hours. We were pleasantly surprised at the speed and support from a government agency."

Sharing an incident that impressed him, Jonathan said, "One day, I received a phone call from an MDA assistant director, in response to an email I had sent at the end of that day. She told me apologetically that she would not be able to give me the letter I required for a while. When she said that, I expected to wait for a few days, which was reasonable, but she went on to say that she would give it to me at 9 am the next day. Wow! That is more than efficient. Kudos to the Civil Service!"

As for the MDA team, they are just glad to help the media industry.

Said Lay Ping, "Serving our customers is not just a job. Being in the Civil Service means we are in a very privileged and unique position to make a difference to our society and industry. We take pride in knowing that we have helped our customers in the best way we can, and that we can really contribute to Singapore's development and progress in our own way, no matter how small."

A boost to the media industry

Besides playing the role of landlord, the MDA has supported the DMH in other ways. For example, the MDA team actively promotes the DMH as a vibrant centre for media creation to the international and media community.

They work with Digital Media Academy to conduct Maya software training for media professionals and run a programme which enables first-time film-makers to produce a feature film at a low cost.

Moreover, since the DMH was set up, the MDA and the SLA have explored more ways they can add value to the media industry. A joint initiative called the Short-term Rental of State Properties for Filming (SRF) was launched on 1 December 2004. The SRF opens up 60 vacant state properties for use as temporary film sets and studios. The close cooperation between the MDA and the SLA has resulted in more benefits for the media industry at large and will enable even more dreams to come true.

— Contributed by Heng Li Lang, MDA