Brandon Loh
Assistant Director, Passion Pictures, 2009
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Multimedia
We certainly need more mature audiences who value local production movies and to provide continuous support. Funding is crucial in providing local production houses with more opportunities.
25 August 2009
Director’s Cut
Written by Christine Chan
He produced and directed an award-winning video under 24 hours, filmed death-defying stunts from above the Petronas Twin Towers, and sings in the choir. No wonder people call Brandon Loh, the 28-year old Assistant Director of Passion Pictures, a man who has it all. Christine Chan reports.
Hitting Top Three in RTM’s 2005 Reality Show for Young Directors was no big deal for Brandon Loh. His winning piece, Abandon, was made within merely 24 hours, and that is just the tip of the iceberg of this 28-year old’s many accomplishments.
Brandon Loh is the Assistant Director of internationally acclaimed production house Passion Pictures, which now has branches in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Sydney. He is also an alumnus of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, where he graduated as a student of the Advanced Diploma of Multimedia in 2005.
“Limkokwing gave me an ideal environment to pursue my education. It has certainly given me a lot of exposure and knowledge throughout my learning years.”
Brandon initially worked as an engineer for two years before pursuing his studies at Limkokwing University, where he served as Student Ambassador, participated in the choir, and worked as a model. A year after graduating, his 40-minute film, Vanilla Vodka, was submitted to ASTRO’s Chinese Short Film Award.
Applying for work in Passion Pictures, Brandon rose quickly, and is now holding the position of Assistant Director in the multinational company. Passion Pictures ranked among the top ten production companies in the Asia Pacific region by Campaign Brief Asia 2006, and has won numerous awards over the years.
I joined Limkokwing University because I knew that I wanted to be part of a creative environment, I met a few hip hop cats who were also studying in Limkokwing, including Chris Marutuana, and we formed a small clique there
In 2006 alone, the company bagged the Gold medal for the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (Adfest), the Silver medal for Media Spikes, and was a Cannes Finalist for their Toyota and Pepsi advertisements. During the previous year they earned no less than six placements in the Cannes and Adfest competitions, and succeeded in bagging several Bronze and Silver medals.
Brandon describes his career as one that is jam-packed with thrills and the rush of adrenaline. During one a shoot for a car commercial that was aired in Dubai in 2007, Brandon describes the exhilaration of being part of an 80-member crew filming from three helicopters hundreds of feet off the ground, as sky divers glide through the skies to perform heart-stopping stunts surrounding the Petronas Twin Towers.
Despite the capabilities of locally-based production companies like Passion Pictures, Brandon feels that there is still a lack of support for local productions compared to international ones. “We certainly need more mature audiences who value local production movies and to provide continuous support. Funding is also crucial in providing local production houses with more opportunities,” he explained.
Brandon is very clear on what he wants to achieve in his life. Describing himself as ‘a person who knows exactly what he wants’, Brandon intends to become a Director within the next two years and to settle down with a wife in three.
“Persistency will drive you to your success. You must know what you want and head towards that direction, and make your goal your motivation that pushes you forward in life,” advices Brandon, whose source of inspiration and motivation is derived from his very own inner desire to be successful.
Persistency will drive you to your success. You must know what you want and head towards that direction, and make your goal your motivation that pushes you forward in life
Persistency and drive are not the only things that Brandon attributes his success to. Brandon is immensely thankful for his family, in particular his brother, Bryan Loh, another alumnus of Limkokwing University who is now currently working as a web designer in Melbourne, Australia.
Brandon recalls that during his early semesters of study, when he was still a budding undergraduate at Limkokwing University, he was unsure of how to hold a camera and his brother taught and guided him. Bryan, says Brandon, has always been there whenever he needed him.
The next steps that Brandon intends to take involve producing more award-winning commercials under Passion Pictures so that he can compete in the global arena. He aspires to create more international ads by taking his work over to Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
Looking back at the decisions that he has made in the past, including letting go off his then-secure job in engineering, does Brandon ever regret making that leap into an industry that was the complete opposite of what he was used to? Brandon’s answer is as certain and sure as the man himself: “No”.
