My passion for communication burns like fire. Giving the right information and communicating to people in a free system motivates me to fight for freedom of speech. I was introduced in broadcasting through the performing arts. Participating in public concerts was an area of interest. Communication had turned out to be an elementary necessity in life. My aspiration was determined by a family trauma, which I witnessed. I experienced the impact of mass media. My cousin-in-law had committed suicide due to complex family issues. The media distorted the facts and outsiders mistook him to be a bad person. We were in deep sorrow and were pressurized by the offending public opinion. I realized how powerful and influential the media was in affecting and arousing consciousness of the public. This story became a turning point and I was determined to go into the media where I would state the truth without distortion.
In my endeavor to get into the industry, I got employment with the Incubator for Film and Visual media in Asia (IFVA), an institute established by the Hong Kong Arts Center in 2011 to help organize a media creation competition across Asia. Mine was to screen every entry received. In my screening I got to know different values and cultures as the stories were from diverse backgrounds across Asia. This broadened my worldview; hence, my inspiration. My multilingual skills saw me appointed to contact some applicants and directors in Korea, Japan and Mandarin, and be able to translate their messages. My competence increased through the mastery of communication skills and customer care. I was able to cooperate well with different departments as demanded by the applicants. Communication skills enabled me to settle conflicts between the departments and applicants. I acquired techniques of event organization by working in different faculties and that deepened my knowledge on the mass media industry.
Fortunes changed as I was hired by Disney as a voice actress to dub a Barbie movie in Mandarin. I recognized and appreciated the significance of teamwork amid faculties. I acquired knowledge on Post-production of an animated film and the process of movie distribution by attending conference meetings as a learner. I appreciated the effort and the resources that were being invested in such an industry to have a means of communication.
While invited to perform and participate in a public concert organized by association of Chinese Culture of Hong Kong, I Engaged in advertising the concert. This matured by critical thinking skills. Communication skills enhanced my interaction with live bands on schedules and production of the concert’s DVD. Interpersonal interaction is important in communication. Half of the tickets were given to the elderly from Elderly Caring Centers as an appreciation those who had contributed and worked hard for us in the last century. One important role of the media is to contribute back to the society by being responsible in their reporting and avoiding character assassination.
Societies and the Media
I am very grateful of what my family has been able to offer me. They gave me a lot of opportunities to travel around the world. That shaped my personality. I went to Europe, Asia, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and many other countries. This shaped my thinking and broadened my worldview. I became extrovert, outgoing, curious and observational. I learnt different languages thus becoming a multilingual. By travelling to different places, my horizon was broadened; hence, I developed a passion for intercultural awareness.
My aim of traveling was not just to have fun but to learn more about the lives of different people and know about everyone’s story. I was particularly interested in the stories of those who were being disregarded and marginalized. I realized many had stories that were torching but could not find an avenue to voice their opinion. No one either listened to what they had to say or what their stories were. Travelling to the places I went to, I saw people who had problems of all kinds. The media did not focus on the problems of the people, but rather focused on the positives of such communities. It stopped me from being the voice of the voiceless by being one who would take up their stories and tell them to the world for some action.
In Korea, I visited a few entertainment companies in Seoul to deepen my understanding on up surging Kpop trend. I met a few trainees in the area. Multilingual skills enabled me to acquire some conversations with them. Some had Trained for years wanting to debut. Success was not guaranteed. I esteemed their tenacity. People focus on how successful Kpop stars are but pay no attention on how they strive for their career. No-one has knowledge on those ones unfortunately eliminated by the entertainment company. It is my passion to help the minority by telling their stories to the public. My experience provoked me to tell the valuable stories I gathered and as I did so I realized how torching the stories were to the people I told.
I believe everyone should have the right to speak up and express their thoughts by telling everyone their Story. The media should be a tool not only to report news but also to influence people and make them aware they can help the society. I am grateful to have been born in Hong Kong the only place where there is freedom of speech in China. As I watch the news on how people have limited freedom of speech and how hard they try not to be influenced by the politicians in china, I realize how important the media is and the need to exchange information. Majoring in communication in a country with the national value of equality and freedom would be a stepping-stone in establishing a multimedia organization thus realizing my dream of spreading truthful positive messages that can arouse the awareness of the public.
