Identifying the Gap

It sounds like a lot of work and sometimes it can be. For one, it is an ongoing process because our skills should evolve over time. In a dynamic work environment, we cannot be applying the same skill sets acquired 12 months ago in today’s workplace -- we are facing new challenges every day. At least, that is the way I see how the talent landscape is moving forward.

Hence whenever I look back at the earlier contents that I have produced, they often act as a great reminder to help me progress.

I have always been inclined towards creating content that would resonate with audiences beyond our borders. In March 2012, I drafted a proposal titled “Life in the Valley” and submitted to the U.S. Embassy for a TV Cooperative project. The idea came as a result where I have increasingly warmed towards technology startups and the highly energized, purposeful community.

In the proposal, I dedicated a section titled “Identifying the Gap” to explain the untapped opportunity in creating content in relation to Malaysian startup life in Silicon Valley. I was convinced that if my concept paper would see the light of day, “Life in the Valley” will be the first documentary about the stories of enterprising individuals and specifically Malaysians in Silicon Valley.

How cool is that?! I was psyched to set the wheels into motion.

I dedicated a section titled “Identifying the Gap” in my proposal to explain the untapped opportunity to create content in relation to Malaysian startup life in Silicon Valley.

I was convinced that if my concept paper would see the light of day, “Life in the Valley” will be the first documentary about the stories of enterprising individuals, specifically Malaysians who thrive in Silicon Valley.

Eventually, to the delight of everyone involved in the submission process, the proposal successfully won the heart of the panel.

I was hoping my reporting will be able to visually translate what I see, hear and experience in the technology hub of the United States of America -- the culture, the people and the entrepreneurial spirit.

I was also determined to play a role at elevating our company’s brand and break into this concentrated and niche market filled with driven individuals who would consume content about entrepreneurship and startups.

By identifying the gap, I noticed that the market in Malaysia was still young and there were not a lot of content on technology, startups and entrepreneurship. I had a chance to give it a go.

Fast forward 2 years later, while majority of the Malaysians may still not have much interest in learning how the techies are influencing the way we are collectively behaving in terms of discovery, consumption and networking, I am glad to see that Malaysia is finally edging towards a better positioning in the global startup ecosystem.

YouTube analytics shows that "Life in the Valley: The Digital Gold Rush" has so far been consumed by audiences from the USA (mainly California), UK, India, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore and many more.

There are many ways to tell a story and surely I am not done with experimenting new ideas.

In retrospect, I would say rather than a properly set-up and seated interview, I could have added more “unplanned scenes” in the interview process, to add another layer of excitement and realness to the content.

It would not hurt either to invite some of the guests to spare me an hour to discover the neighbourhood or the city while conducting the interview. I could have even made use of my smart phone to film a walking scene from the first person point of view. Imagine the many beautiful shots of the people and the streets that I could have captured!