Chapter 4: Press Start
Growing up, my career heroes have always been movie and video game critics.
My childhood companions were the many iterations of the PlayStation console, and my first cinema experience was ET and my dad inviting an ignorant and innocent 3-year-old to watch Predator via the LD player on TV.
It's very easy to marry the love for pop culture, cinema, and video games with the desire to be a writer or video producer. The problem with doing so in Singapore is that the market for this passion is incredibly small, and if you have more than 2 mouths to feed at home, writing for these media full-time may not be sensible.
Still, my journey began on my own during a trip to Los Angeles.
PlayStation had invited me to their annual PlayStation Experience in LA for a discounted rate.
Being young and dumb, I bought tickets for both the convention and a plane ticket to LA with my entire salary.
I became young, dumb and broke.
LA was my first solo trip at 23, and it was worth it.
Nevertheless, I met my heroes at the convention. Greg Miller, who left IGN recently to create the Kinda Funny brand; Andy Cortez, who was also a pivotal member of the Kinda Funny Team; and Brian Altano from IGN.
Aside from the ceremonial selfies, I took the opportunity to hear their opinions on how I can become a movie and video game critic in the wake of such a small industry in Singapore.
Their advice was simple:
"Just start somewhere yourself"
So, I started a personal brand called "Playbomb Review" or "PBRV".
The PBRV then covering video game reviews and video essays on movies is no longer active today, but long story short, I wrote my own video game reviews, familiarised myself with the WordPress user interface, and made video essays on the media I love and experienced.
And then, I set my sights on Geek Culture. In my opinion, Geek Culture is the IGN-equivalent in Singapore. You can find no other establishment as well-known among the vox populi, and even SPH does not cover this niche as extensively as Geek Culture does.
For years, I've been emailing Geek Culture to join their team. I knocked on their door thrice, and third time's the charm - They invited me to be a freelance correspondent.
There, I had the opportunity to write about pop culture, tech, and everything that I love. I also get to keep a full-time job in my field of expertise that feeds the family, and I get to write for them in my free time.
Win-win for everyone, and I hope the partnership keeps going for as long as possible.
Andy Cortez from Kinda Funny and 23 year-old me
Greg Miller from Kinda Funny and 23 year-old me
Brian Altano from IGN and 23 year-old me
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What is Geek Culture?
Geek Culture is a media and news platform based in Singapore. They feature stories on all things geeky, from pop culture to tech, movies, and video games.
How was I Involved?
Freelance Correspondent
2023 - Present
I write feature articles, reviews, and news stories on tech, movies, video games, and pop culture.
Read My Work
Screenshots
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Reflection
There's a film, ), where a priest, played by Mads Mikkelsen, speaks to Willem Dafoe's Vincent van Gogh.
The priest asks van Gogh if he thought it was God's plan to give him the gift of painting so that he could live in misery and poverty, even though he believes his painting is for an audience of a different time.
There are people who fully commit to their passion and live a life where they can only sustain themselves; if they're lucky, they reach exit velocity and become rich, or become a slave to their calling.
There are others who have commitments beyond themselves yet desire to pursue a passion that may not be lucrative in their current environment.
It is possible to pursue your passion at your own pace without having to commit to it full-time, while still fulfilling the obligations that demand of you.
To think otherwise is foolish.
Still, my relationship with Geek Culture is incredibly treasured. Aside from allowing me the grace to write about the media I love on their platform, I have had many opportunities to catch movies before they are released, play games weeks before they are launched (provided I write about them), and meet people who are pivotal in the industry.
I cannot say I have fully earned my place as a full-fledged freelance correspondent; again, people have taken a bet on me for this role, but I must also admit that my years of writing have enabled me to prove myself useful to their editorial team.
I am nothing but thankful to be on their team and to share the same passion.
Valar Morghulis - all geeks must serve!
Press Start to Begin Your Brand Journey
