Behind The Byline

In Episode #9, we chat with Poovenraj Kanagaraj, Founder & Editor, Disruptr

Poovenraj Kanagaraj is the Founder & Editor of Disruptr, a community-building media platform that empowers local entrepreneurs and start-ups. He also runs Head’s Up, a weekly newsletter under Disruptr. Raj previously worked with BFM TV, Business Today, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Weber Shandwick, and Khmer Times.

Raj talks about how he established Disruptr, his memorable assignments, stories that catch his eyes, and what he expects from media pitches and press releases. He also discusses how Covid has altered the media landscape and the prospects of print publications.

In Episode #8, we chat with Amanda Valani, Former Head of Original Content, Narasi TV.

Amanda Valani began her career as a broadcast journalist for Metro TV. At the time of recording, she headed content creation at Narasi TV. In the podcast, Amanda compares the differences between TV and digital media channels, and shares how she led a content team and developed content strategies. She also touches on her struggle to balance her work and family life and how she overcomes it.

In Episode #7, we chat with Matt Cowan, Chief Editor, The Bureau Asia

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Matt has been working in the media industry in Vietnam for the past 7 years. His works have been published in Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Market Insider, and Branding in Asia among others. With his insatiable curiosity, Matt has created amazing stories, providing a wealth of insight on culture, history, and lifestyle in the country. He currently serves as the owner and Editor-in-Chief of The Bureau Asia which focuses on travel and lifestyle in Vietnam and its neighborhoods. 

Matt shares how he started The Bureau Asia, what he learns in the journey so far, and his assignments and views on the travel luxury market. Besides work, Matt talks about his experience living in Vietnam and what he likes about Vietnam.

In Episode #6, we chat with Eiko Endo, Reporter, The Oriental Times.

Eiko Endo is the only Japanese reporter working for a Chinese media outlet in Japan called The Oriental Times. Her work is mainly about Japan-China relations and coverage for Chinese people living in Japan and for Japanese people interested in China.

Eiko shares the challenging yet rewarding experience as a reporter, and her reflections on lessons she learned in work. She reminisces her encounters with famous actors and a film director as well as discusses the role of press releases and what PR pros can do to maintain a good relationship with journalists.

In Episode #5, we chat with Jeff Liebsch, CEO, Haps Magazine Korea.

Based in Busan, Jeff has been working in the media sector in South Korea for the past 13 years and his works have previously been published in Yahoo Sports New Zealand and Australia, Tribal Football, and Yonhap News among others. He currently serves as the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Haps Magazine Korea, which focuses on travel and lifestyle stories on the Korean peninsula.

Jeff shares why and how he joined Haps Magazine Korea, his most memorable assignment, and the reason he stopped print operations. He also talks about the perks, difficulties, and culture shocks he has experienced as a foreign journalist in South Korea. With hands-on experience in both journalism and public relations, Jeff pinpoints what constitutes a well-written press release and how images should be formatted.

In Episode #4, we chat with Rachel Lee, Assistant Editor, TTGmice and TTGassociations.

Having spent seven years with the Singaporean travel media, Rachel shares how media pitches can be improved. And as more popular locations reopen their borders, she discusses what travel trends she is looking out for.

What’s more, Rachel talks about her experiences on recent media familiarization trips and her most memorable assignment to date.

In Episode #3, we chat with Vivian Liu (劉季清), Technology Journalist at Commercial Times (工商時報), a financial newspaper in Taiwan. Vivian covers a wide range of topics including software, cloud technology, start-ups, gaming and e-commerce, and regularly interviews C-suite executives and founders of tech companies and start-ups.

She shares about the news cycle of a financial newspaper, which revolves around the operations of the Taiwan Stock Exchange and her most memorable interviews with the who's who of Taiwan's tech industry. She also shares how she prepares for her interviews with CEOs and what keeps her going in the fast-paced tech world.

When it comes to press releases, Vivian shares what types of content get her attention when it comes to tech products and services, and the tech trends that are on her radar.

This podcast episode is conducted in Chinese. 

In Episode #2, we chat with Luisa Tam, Senior Editor, South China Morning Post. Based in Hong Kong, the veteran editor has met and interviewed many politicians and celebrities during her illustrious career that spans close to 40 years. These days, she helms the People & Culture section at SCMP, focusing on human interest and feature stories on and from China, and writes several columns for The Post.

A veteran news editor, Luisa shares with us how her career started and the importance of softer human-interest stories in a news organization. She also looks back on her career highlights at SCMP, as it transformed from a local newspaper to a global news organization that is big on multimedia.

Luisa shares tips on crafting attention-grabbing email subject lines of media pitches, what types of content that would be helpful for reporters, and news topics and trends that she is looking to cover more this year.