Treasuring High-Flying Graduates of The One Academy

During the recent Malaysia Top 10 Outstanding Creative Youth Awards 2015, 10 graduates have received the Platinum Achievers Awards, an award conferred to tremendously successful graduates of The One Academy.

They were presented the award by YB P. Kamalanathan, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Learning II, during the event at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.

One of the recipients was Benjamin Cheong, an active animator for Framestore, London, a visual effects company which was a part of production in the blockbuster Hollywood movies Harry Potter, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sherlock Holmes and many others.

Also received the award, Hor Yew Pong is currently a Creative Director for International Advertising Agency BBDO Malaysia. In his creative experience, he has helped renowned clients such as KFC, Tiger, Toyota and Guinness in branding efforts, granting him accreditations such as Cannes Lions, CLIO Awards, New York Festival awards and Kancil Awards. 

Jarold Sng is the Leader of Art Department cum Art Director of Lemon Sky Animation. In the largest CGI House in Kuala Lumpur, he caters to major clients of Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, Activision and many other big titles.

Another winner, Johnson Ting, is now a Senior Concept Artist for New York-based Project Triforce. The high-end studio produces highly realistic replicas from some of the most recognizable video games such as Batman, Borderlands and Mass Effect. 

Marvin Chan is another recipient of the award. He is an accomplished Malaysian Fine Artist who is active in exhibiting his artworks at both solo and group exhibitions. His works had also garnered him multiple professional awards such as Cannes, a Kancil Award, and New York Festival.

Navin Danapal, the Senior Audience Manager for Microsoft Malaysia, had been honored by Microsoft as the Most Valuable Professional and a Windows Expert Tech Pro. On top of a demanding job, he also partook in many Microsoft projects in collaboration with numerous government and private bodies.

There was also Benjamin Encarnacion, the Digital Art Director of Leo Burnett International Advertising Agency. His passion and diligence in art have earned him many notable awards, namely MovingWalls Challenge, Kancil Award, MDA Awards Malaysia, among many others.

Another recipient, Easy Cheah, is now a Managing Director of Viincology Sdn. Bhd.. She has an impressive portfolio which includes I.F Exhibition at One Utama, Damansara, Baskin Robbins’ café design and Love Hotel exhibition design.

Ms. Andrea Goh has made it to the most famous animation studio in the world, Pixar Animation Studios in San Fransisco, California, USA, as a Technical Director. 

The award was also conferred to Mr. Stephen Chan. He has accumulated quite a few international honors and awards include China Content Marketing Award, Golden Award by IMCC, Asia-Pacific Sabre Award, PRWeek Asia Award and Shanghai PR Award, in his works for esteemed clients, especially Jaguar, Jeep, Durex, Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen.

After the event, he was invited to host a session of Creative Forum to provide students with useful industrial knowledge in the advertising field. 

“It is imperative that we act like our clients, live their lifestyle and play them as characters to get handy insights”, urged Stephen Chan Wen Feng to aspiring advertisers and marketers, inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most powerful quotes, at The One Academy. 

Stephen is responsible for overseeing all creative strategies and team operations for the Shanghai offices and clients as a Group Creative Director for Shanghai-based BlueFocus.

Stephen likened advertising agencies to the hit TV Series ‘Mad Men’ that depicts a glorious era in advertising history. He explained that those in his field should be well-versed with the concepts of people and communication in order to execute successful persuasion, change in mindset, conception and eventually the world.

“A successful campaign attracts audience attention, retain the interaction and converts them into calls to action”, Stephen Chan advised.

He also compared advertising and digital marketing not to art, but as means to providing clients with ‘creative solutions’ in helping them sell their products and services.

As an internationally successful alumni, Ipoh-born Stephen Chan graced Advertising & Graphic Design and Multimedia Design students of The One Academy with detailed observations into the nature of China’s digital landscape, which can be advantageous if applied accordingly.                                        

As one of the leading creative institutions in the nation, The One Academy stands by its ‘Masters Train Masters’ philosophy by promoting authentic and practical education by leading specialists in the field to provide the best art education programme. 

The courses offered are diploma in Digital Animation with Game Development, Interior Design, Advertising & Graphic Design, Multimedia Design with New Media & Interactive Design, Illustration, Movie & Game Art, ESMOD Fashion Design & Pattern Making and Fine Arts. Degree courses are also available.

For more information on courses offered in The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call +603-5637 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].