Young people keen on creating content to get support from upcoming media hub by mm2 Asia and *Scape

SINGAPORE - Young people in Singapore looking to break into the media and entertainment industry could soon have more resources to support them in their endeavours.

This will come in the form of an integrated media hub to help develop talent and assist young people here in making it locally as well as abroad in the areas of film-making, social media and music.

To facilitate the development of young talent in Singapore, media and entertainment company mm2 Asia and youth-centred non-profit organisation *Scape announced on Tuesday the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop and operate this hub.

The mm2 Integrated Media Hub @ *Scape in Somerset will seek to develop talent and skills for the content and media industry, as well as encourage entrepreneurial activities and opportunities for young people in the film-making, social media and music industries.

*Scape and mm2 have said they are working together on details of the collaboration, adding that the media hub is slated to open in conjunction with the refresh of *Scape in 2024.

Plans for the hub include having spaces for live performances, multi-purpose cinematic halls for local content showcases, as well as workspaces for workshops and seminars.

According to mm2 and *Scape, programmes and activities will include classes for social media and video production, as well as community engagements for aspiring film-makers and musicians.

This hub will be part of

*Scape’s plans to revamp its existing development

into a space for youth development.

It said the revamp plans, announced in July 2022, will contribute to the rejuvenation of the Somerset Belt in the Orchard area. The new *Scape is set to be unveiled in 2024.

Mr Chang Long Jong, group chief executive for mm2 Asia, said: “The new mm2 Integrated Media Hub @ *Scape will play a key role in mm2’s strategy to build strong connections with the next generation of media professionals and consumers. We are excited for the opportunity to develop programmes with this base and see where it will take us in the future.”

Ms Ivy Lim, executive director of *Scape, said the MOU comes amid the reimagining of *Scape as a new space and concept catering to the creativity and innovativeness of youth.

She added: “With mm2’s extensive network in the region, track record of talent development in the creative and media industry, such as producing movies by first-time directors, green-lighting scripts by first-time writers and giving young actors their on-screen debut, we look forward to developing more firsts with mm2 in the coming years.”

A *Scape spokesman said: “With film and media being a key pillar in *Scape’s youth engagement, we believe this partnership with mm2 strongly aligns with our goal to nurture our youth’s aspirations in film-making and content creation by providing opportunities in the media sector.”

*Scape also has other initiatives that support local talent, such as the National Youth Film Awards, which nurtures youth film-makers through a series of activities, said the spokesman.

“This year’s edition is in partnership with Singapore International Film Festival and includes mentoring sessions by renowned international film-makers, overseas networking opportunities through attending regional film festivals, and local platforms to showcase participants’ works.”