Andie Chen and his brother are using tech to link Singapore talent with event gigs
Andie Chen remembers when he was a struggling artiste – and then does his younger brother Adam Tan, himself a former hosting personality.
Before winning the 2007 Star Search competition and signing on as a full-time artiste, Andie, now 34, recalls taking on a range of odd jobs ranging from part-fourth dimension modelling to serving drinks at a LAN gaming shop and hawking fishballs at the supermarket in social club to brand ends meet while trying to develop his acting career and waiting for his large suspension.
As for Adam, the 31-year-old plant work as a backup dancer earlier he discovered his niche every bit an MC for corporate roadshows and events. Simply, "I got fired from my first prove considering I went on stage and I totally froze. I but stood there like an idiot," he said. "I had vulgarities hurled at me after."
Every bit struggling performers, looking for viable gigs wasn't piece of cake. Just information technology was those experiences that motivated Adam to prepare online events platform Effro, which aims to be an effortless one-cease tool linking event organisers with artistes, vendors, venues and other forms of outcome support.
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First conceived in 2022 and very freshly relaunched, the platform has about 1,200 talents in its lineup, including MCs, magicians, jugglers, models and musicians. In that location's even a Japanese busker who "dances with flaming swords", Adam said. "He has a ponytail and he'south dressed pretty kinkily, too!"
No matter what your opinion of flaming sword dancers might exist, it'south clear that there is a market for the services that Effro provides. Not only did it brand more S$500,000 in revenue last year, it has also made inroads into the region, recently launching in Thailand and Malaysia. Going forward, its sights are set on partnerships in Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
But it was actually a leap of faith for Adam, who says he'south "not a tech guy", to decide to start a technology platform.
REVOLUTIONISING THE Manufacture
Prior to starting Effro, Adam ran an events company organising roadshows for companies such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and banking institutions. He as well took on hosting duties when he could. But he ever ran into the aforementioned problem: "Nosotros couldn't find talents that were good plenty," he said.
The strange thing, though, was this: "Andie was telling me, 'That cannot be,' because he used to have problem finding jobs. That was the trigger. It was similar a lightbulb going on," Adam said. "I thought, 'Why don't we get the bridge, creating an ecosystem to match these people up?"
From there, Effro started out as a business-to-consumer platform, focusing on helping people organise weddings and birthday parties. But "nosotros realised that eighty per cent of our clients were events companies," Adam said. And then, with its relaunch earlier this calendar month focusing on connecting people as a business-to-business organisation platform.
"Traditional methods of hiring talent – through agencies like modelling, dance or cheerleading agencies – don't work very well," Adam said. Effro can "directly connect artistes' resource to all the events organisers – all the opportunities out there – so that they are non limited past borders."
When developing the site, it was important that the interface be user-friendly, Andie shared. "I was quite sceptical [at outset]. When Adam showed information technology to me, I would say, 'Why is information technology similar that? Information technology's very hard to utilize. I wouldn't use this!' I thought it wasn't attractive plenty." Now, he said, "the user experience has improved a lot."
Effro'due south overarching goal is to offer efficient solutions in an industry that is yet very "opaque" in terms of hiring practices, pricing and accountability, Adam shared.
"The events sphere in Singapore is a bit similar the Wild West," Andie explained. "The same kind of event could cost you South$5000 or South$xxx,000 – for exactly the same thing. And you don't know why."
In the residue of Southeast Asia, the situation might be worse, said Adam, who added, "Some talents who are new charge South$200 or South$300 per hour and nosotros don't know where these prices come up from or why they think they have that value. Some veteran MCs or dancers accuse a much lower cost because they don't know [the market rate]." It is as well mutual for performers not to evidence up at all.
In view of this, i of Effro's special features is a reviews and rating system that allows hirers to provide feedback.
Another feature is an enhanced chat function allowing potential hirers to chat with talents direct. And so, "the conversation itself becomes the contract – it can track the conversation and the agreed-upon terms," Adam said.
The brothers have likewise looked into a standardised system of payment that takes place 14 days after an effect. "In the events manufacture, payment is a very large issue, where some people become paid in thirty days, some in 60 days, and it depends on whether you send your invoice in," Adam said.
OVERCOMING HURDLES
Going into the tech industry wasn't without its challenges, though. In fact, the process was "very painful", Adam shared. For ane matter, "I got cheated by multiple developers. They gave me a product that was hard coded, which means information technology all looks perfect simply actually doesn't function very well once the dynamics alter; or if you view it on a single website, it works, merely if y'all move onto your mobile phone, nothing works. I wasn't experienced enough to be able to spot that. And that was a huge learning feel for me."
Another claiming was convincing his brother to invest in his company, he said wryly, quipping: "I used every method in the playbook just to become him to come on board. 'Eh, you are my brother – yous should back up my dream.' 'Remember the time y'all pinned me to the wall when nosotros were younger?'"
"Past the time I wanted to invest, it was non cheap!" Andie laughed, calling his sum of money "a token investment". He also serves as Effro's adviser from a glory's signal of view, identifying gaps in the market or room for comeback.
"I have many friends who started out with me, or slightly earlier or later, who are still role-time Catch drivers. It's very common," he said. "Do they really want to do that? No, they don't. So, they're not very good Grab drivers, or non very good insurance agents, considering that's not really what they desire to do. But they could be very good MCs, if given enough work."
Is it his vision for artistes in Singapore to savour more stability and respect?
"Actually, I want the sh** performers to die and I desire the good performers to rise. I think tech has always been the great equaliser, because in that location are no gatekeepers any more," Andie said. "If you are the a****** who doesn't prove upwards, or shows up merely three out of four times, then you [shouldn't work], because we don't need you in this industry. You are toxic. But the people who are working hard simply charging less should exist rewarded."
Adam agreed: "It'due south almost getting them to see that there'due south a lot more what they have right now."
And although running his tech company is currently less lucrative than his old events visitor was, he said, both Andie and their eldest brother, Ash, have "showed me that life is not meant to be lived selfishly. There's something bigger out there. If y'all notice your calling, attempt to assistance more people."
He added, "I thought that Effro could actually help enable people out there who don't have opportunities. Because I didn't accept these opportunities growing up, and I wanted to make certain that other people didn't have the same lack."
In partnership with Singtel.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/events-talent-management-singapore-effro-175516
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