The ‘H’ Factor Nationwide Creative Youth Workshop kicked off
in Penang with a bang as hundreds of youth packed the grand ballroom of the stylish g Hotel at Gurney Drive last Sunday (12^th
October). It was indeed a day of pure fun, laughter and learning for the participants
who, at the end of the day definitely got more than they bargained for. *smile*

 

foyer

MOL’s booth right up front

waiting in anticipation at the foyer

The day started off with light refreshments for breakfast at the ballroom foyer as groups of young people made their way in from the registration booth. At 10.30am, the ballroom doors opened as the ‘H’ Factor theme song Making the Difference blasted through the speakers. Serena C and Pietro  of MIX FM kick-started the morning with their content on Radio and Deejaying, followed by Reymee of Innuendo  on Music and yours truly on TV Hosting during the in betweens. Time flew and before we knew it, lunch was already waiting to be served! *grin*

getting ready to start

Serena C & Pietro

stretching it out!

 

participants at work

Reymee in action

During the 25-minute lunch break, the celebrities, speakers and crew managed to slot in a photo session with our excited lil’ guests from FINAS. *smile*

 

lil’ guests from FINAS’ Kelab Pencinta Filem

Joey Khor took centerstage during the second half of the workshop day with a showcase of his work with MTV, Animax, Ubisoft and a few other prominent brands followed by his piece on motion graphics and animation.

Joey Khor on motion graphics and animation

Our female participants were beaming with joy when the next speaker was introduced. Hans Isaac appeared on stage to the delight of the ladies, and besides giving his two sense worth on acting and film directing, he also gave a young talented girl the opportunity to act in his upcoming film! *wink* Lucky lady! Hehe.

 

Hans Isaac and his protege

Harith Iskander then put stitches in our tummies as he took over from Hans Isaac for the segment on Comedy and Theater. Such a joker that guys is. So good that he had an encore at the end of the day… (poor Harith had to work twice as hard as compared to the rest! *laugh*)

 

the two greats at work

our King of comedy

Ah…jokes aside, David Lai the metal bender (he can actually bend metal!) then proved that not everything can be justified with logic. He sure left all of us dumbfounded with his power of prediction, and of course, his spoon bending ability. This guy – you really want to keep him away from your girlfriends! *laugh*

 

David Lai demonstrating the power of the human brain

brave one, this guy is… *laugh*

To wrap up the workshop, Fellest Yan gave us a run-down on the history of dance, complete with LIVE illustrations and a few dance moves. With a body that Harith and Pietro were so jealous of, it was no wonder why he had the girls’ full attention. *laugh* We all learnt a thing or two about the entertainment and creative content industry, and above all, the importance of 2 characteristics which was constantly stressed on by all the speakers – HUMILITY and HARD WORK.

 

Fellest in action

Oh I also forgot to mention that Thong Kai actually made his way up to Penang just to join us. Our faithful member of the online family. *smile* Thanks TK for joining us! *smile*

Serena and Thong Kai

On another note, we had a few thoughtful people who actually wrote to us
after the event and trust me, kind words of encouragements like these go a long
long way, especially since there was nothing in it for the team except the
fulfilment of having made a difference in a life or two. *smile* 

‘H’ Factor Support Team

Thank you Francis, Karyn and Christina for making our day
and encouraging us to go the extra mile for the rest of the venues. We truly
appreciate the support! *smile* Hope to see you in KL on the 2^nd if
circumstances permit. *wink*

 

From Francis Ng of the Salvation Army:

 

“On behalf of 12 boys
from our home, I would like to say a “big” thank you for inviting and
sponsoring and exposing them to the creative arts and multi media careers. You
certainly have lined up incredible people with talent in the industry to share
here in Penang at G Hotel. It was a long day,
but they seemed to have enjoyed it the same.

Thank you for bringing and having this career talk show with a difference for
the young people.

We want to wish you the same or greater success in your future H Factor in
other cities in Malaysia!!

May God bless you all richly.”

 

 

From Karyn Cheah of KDU Penang

 

“I attended the
H-factor workshop in Penang and just wanted
you to know what it has done for me.

Seeing you speak and knowing you just that little bit more, i can see, to a
certain degree, there’s so much of me in you. I’m currently studying at KDU PG
and am a full time volunteer at the Penang
Diocese Youth Network (I’m Catholic too) and in my parish’s youth group. I help
organize and coordinate youth programmes, rallies and camps; motivational,
inspirational and spiritual. I also handle sessions and speak to the youths. My
talks most of the time are to help youths through life because I had a tough
one growing up and no one was there to help me through it.

I wanted to make a difference in these kids’ lives, to guide them, listen to
them and just being there for them so that they know that they’re not alone in
it. I always tell people if I could help and touch ten kids’ lives, and those
ten get inspired and motivated to help another ten and so on and so forth, we
can really make a difference in the world. Everyone has a story to tell, as
bitter as it is, I share mine with those who are going through what I did as a
child; to help them.

In this way, I feel connected to what you are doing and I want to be a part of
it. You have been a role model to me. I always say, there are three powerful
and influential women who I look up to; my grandma, Oprah, Tyra Banks and now,
Hannah Tan. =)

Since yesterday (the H-factor workshop) no one has ever motivated me to reach
for my dream to become a radio DJ, which I’ve wanted to become ever since I
found that I’m actually good at it. I’m studying Mass Communications and one of
the subjects was Radio Production which was my favourite cause I got the
highest. =D  Anyway, listening to Pietro and Serena C’s session made me
feel like it’s really not out of reach (which is what everyone has been telling
me).

The H-factor was a success, if you ask me. It changed my perspective of the
broadcast industry; what I’ve always wanted to be a part of. Before this, I’ve
only heard negative things about it and have never had a first-hand encounter
with people who worked in the industry. Because of the negative influence, I
thought of going into journalism instead which isn’t really my passion. So yea,
I was very much motivated, felt more equipped and confident about what I want
to do and definitely inspired. =)

Sorry this is such a long email.. I didn’t get to speak to Pietro or Serena C
about the “slaving” *hehe* but I am willing to work and slave away to
reach my goal. I was hoping to get this message across to them. I am very
determined and have a strong desire to learn and be the best I can.

Since I’ve done Radio Productions I know the basics of producing, deejaying,
and announcing. I’ve also done emceeing in my college and wouldn’t mind trying
out hosting =)
Through the youth programmes and trainings I’ve done dramas and written short
skits.

Sorry I keep rambling.. I’m hoping this e-mail can become a stepping stone for
me to get a chance to learn, be heard and grow towards my dream. If the
H-factor did not give me a boost, I wouldn’t be typing this =D”

 

 

From Christina Soh:

 

“A VERY HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to everybody
(especially Miss Hannah Tan for believing in us and herself) who has made the
H-Factor such a wonderful experience for my friends and me! We enjoyed
ourselves today!!

It has been an eye opener for us all. And to
actually meet up with these professionals really made our day and also have
prepared us for our future! We hope to have to more events such as this one
soon!!=) 

Good day! I hope you guys have a good rest
after such long days of preparation!!  

Thank you so much!! God Bless you all!!!”