Mr. Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman, Shell Companies in Singapore

Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of National Arts Council and DesignSingapore Council

Mr Eric Chan, Chairman, ST Electronics (Digital Media)

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon.

The Creative Industries Scholarships is an important initiative to nurture and develop talent for a creative and innovation driven economy. So let me begin by congratulating all the recipients of the 2007 Creative Industries Scholarships.

The Creative Economy

2          For most of the past forty years, we have focused on strengthening our economic infrastructures and nurturing a skilled workforce to become a first-world economy with a global outreach. With the rise of globalization and the emergence of new economic players including Asian giants such as China and India, we are compelled to restructure the economy to maintain our global competitiveness and relevance. We are moving into high value-added areas such as the biomedical sciences, education, healthcare, wealth management, high yield tourism and the creative industries. The next phase of our development will see increasing contribution from creative and innovative people who can add value to our enterprises in the arts, design and media sectors.

New Opportunities for the Creative Industries

3          The convergence of arts, business and technology will spark many new possibilities and opportunities for Singaporeans. The creative industries will not only contribute to economic growth directly but also act as a powerful catalyst for other sectors such as tourism, retail, manufacturing and education. They will also have a significant impact in transforming Singapore into a more vibrant global city as well as enrich the arts and culture.

4          Between 1995 and 2003, our Creative Industries had grown at 7% compared to 4% for the general economy. In 2004, this cluster contributed 3.6% to GDP, a rise of 8% over the previous year, with total value added of S$6.7billion. These statistics show that the Creative Industries have already taken root in Singapore.

5          This cluster had also contributed to employment growth. Jobs in this sector grew by 5.5% per annum compared to 2.3% for the whole economy from 1995 to 2003. The creative sector was able to create more jobs during this period when the rest of the economy suffered a fall in employment.  In 2004, the cluster added more than 1000 jobs, accounting for a total employment of 94,000 people. 

6          In recent years, we succeeded in attracting international creative enterprises to Singapore. These companies include Lucasfilm Animation from the US, electronic game developer Koei from Japan, international film financing company RGM Holdings, household names in international TV, iconic automotive and product design studio BMW Designworks and top advertising and publishing companies.  A total of 53 foreign media companies set up regional headquarters or hubs in Singapore in the last four years.  These creative companies have provided many job opportunities for our creative talent.

7          The creative cluster also provides a fertile ground for nurturing homegrown entrepreneurs. Hence, we had launched the Creative Community Singapore (CCS) to help budding entrepreneurs to test out their ideas. CCS nurtures and supports the commercialisation of ideas with co-funding, project facilitation and marketing guidance. It has helped creative Singaporeans to put their dreams and ideas to the test.

8            In the media sector, we are also helping our companies to internationalise by establishing strategic partnerships with key countries and major international companies in co-production, promotion and distribution. This effort has enabled our leading media companies to extend their reach internationally and establish footholds in the global media market.  A small number of local media enterprises are now negotiating or participating in multi-million production or co-production projects.  Such companies include Oak 3 Films, Mega Media, Singapore Technologies Electronics, Big Communications and Monsoon Pictures. Their successes will provide more opportunities for our creative talents.      

Nurturing Creative Talent

9          To take advantage of the worldwide growth in demand for distinctive content, products and services, we need to nurture more creative talent with good conceptual and critical thinking skills.  Our creative talents must be able to craft good stories in a compelling and engaging manner to appeal to intended audience, design attractive must-have products or create inspiring works of arts. Individual creativity, passion, drive and commitment are critical to harnessing the full potential of these ideas.  To succeed in this competitive sector, our creative talents must be able to spot and seize opportunities and be well equipped with communications, marketing and business management skills.

10        We must also take into consideration trends and developments in the local and global context. The increasingly vibrant entertainment and arts ecosystem and the new and exciting interactive and digital media sector can become hotbeds of creative enterprises. We can ride these waves to realize the possibilities and shape the future for Singapore by helping our creative talent achieve their full potential. They can power this thrust to take Singapore to a higher level of success. This is where the Creative Scholarships will play a crucial role. 

11        I am glad that there is strong interest for the Creative Industries Scholarship.  This year, we have awarded 27 scholarships. Some recipients have already won accolades for their works. For example, Tang Fu Kuen, performer, curator and writer rolled into one has collaborated extensively with partners in countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. Fashion designer Aloysius Liew was the Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award regional finalist in 2006. Anthony Chen, director of the short film Ah Ma was awarded a Special Mention at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. I should point out that only two films from 11 short films selected out of 3,000 for the official competition received awards. Anthony who had previously attended an MDA-supported overseas attachment in Taiwan had also worked on a project that went on to win a prize at the coveted Golden Horse Awards.  

12   I wish all scholarship recipients success in their journey to achieve excellence. I am confident that they will inspire younger talents to follow in their footsteps.

Conclusion

13        In conclusion, I would like to thank our partners Shell, Rotary Club of Singapore East, family of the late Georgette Chen and family of the late Chen Chong Swee, for their long-standing support in nurturing arts talents through the Shell-NAC Scholarship, Gifted Young Musician Bursary, Georgette Chen Arts Scholarship and the Chen Chong Swee Arts Scholarship over the past 16 years.  In particular, I would like to express my appreciation to Shell for contributing to the development of arts talents in Singapore since 1991 with the establishment of the Shell-NAC scholarships. To date, the Shell-NAC scholarships have been awarded to 34 young recipients in the fields of theatre, music, visual arts, dance and literature. I also welcome ST Electronics (Digital Media) which has joined the Creative Industries Scholarship Scheme to nurture homegrown talents for the media sector this year.

14        To the recipients, I extend once again my heartiest congratulations and wish you success in your studies. We look forward to your contributions to the Creative Industries on your return.

Thank you.