Do U Love SG?

[All Images Courtesy of www.ilove.sg]

iLove.Sg – The Pledge, is a non-profit movement started and supported by the very people who create and really care about our nation’s creative endeavors. This pledge is a simple testament to our conviction and support for our local talents. This week, we bring you an interview with the people behind I Love SG, courtesy of I ♡ SG’s creative director, Randy Ang, from Caffeine Creative. Happy Belated National Day!

1. How did the idea of “I Love SG” come about?

We have been trying in our own ways for the past few years to create attention for local design and films. Personally because I come from a design background (and run my own design and web agency Caffeine) and made a feature film (Becoming Royston, with Originasian Pictures) and starting Sinema.sg and found so much has been done by our local talents but we are not fast becoming a nation that buys our own works.
We came out with this simple idea of taking a pledge and started getting our friends from Farm.sg ( a online creative community) and Timbré (restaurant, bar at Substation Garden who highly supports local music) to get involved. Also, with all four organisations in collaboration, we can have a more rounded community of people from films, music, design and the arts. Disclaimer: heehee* We did not forget the talents who create all our favourite plays, we encompass them under the arts.

It is a very simple scenario, most of our neighboring countries and in the region - there is so much great content coming from their nation’s creatives. Have a look at Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines …etc. Just found out that 60% of the music on Pilipino radio is their own. And that is the most organic way an “industryâ€? can grow, when our own people believe in our own works, when there is demand.
If we look at all this as economics (in which we do not have a domestic mass to support local works), but it should start from somewhere and the only way is for the people to buy local. And really all this while, we have been preaching to the convert with all our efforts.
A simple website with various things to do - like pasting the icon on your website and blog or simply signing of with I LOVE SG in your email can generate a lot of awareness. Of course, if our local media starts supporting this, we can take things even further.

2. How many pledges have you guys received so far? (estimated no. will do)

We just started this National Day, 7 Days ago? We have not much pledges about 100 but everyday we are receiving new pledges from people we don’t even know. Some comments can be found at http://www.ilove.sg/people.php. You will be surprise to know that a lot of the pledges are from foreigners.

3. Are there any companies or corporate organisations who responded to it? If yes, can you throw me some names please?

This one is amazing, we have been receiving so much email that our support bar is overflowing. We have Asylum, Silnt, The Shooting Gallery, Infinite Frameworks, Objectifs, Asian Film Archives, The Substation, Cake and Books Actually, schools like NP School of Film & Media Studies and other independent communities.

4. I see that this project has the support from many organisations. Do you guys have any plans to further this project with other activities?

Still in discussion with the core collaborators, Caffeine, Farm, Sinema and Timbré. As this is a non-profit initiative what we are putting in is our time and efforts. There has been something on the table for this movement to hold its own event having all disciplines having a platform to show their work. But honestly, there are so much going on by our local talents, if we just look a bit harder and bother to take that extra step to support ourselves – good will come.

Make Your Pledge Here!

From www.Caffeine.com.sg :

According to The Straits Times,‘Love’ is the most loved English word by Singaporeans. Supporting our local talents in film, music, design and the arts goes beyond not buying pirated products and enjoying the works on free-to-air channels, on the radio and chancing upon an exhibition or performance - when they are free. It is about buying local. And it takes more than just loving the word ‘love’. ilove.sg – the pledge, is a non-profit movement started and supported by the very people who create and really care about our nation’s creative endeavors. This pledge is a simple testament to our conviction and support for our local talents. Take the pledge at www.ilove.sg! Sent the site to your friends and get them involved as well! There is much more you can do to help us spread the word, you can add the I LOVE SG icon to your website or blog. You can get your organisation or company involved by planting your logo stamp in our supporters’ bar. Or you can simply show your support by signing off your emails with the words: I LOVE SG, together with a Heart symbol!

JJ is the co-founder of 5ft Creatives and he is now a legal alien in the USA