SINGAPORE — Travel vlogger Nuseir Yassin may have described Singapore as an “almost perfect country” in his popular video series Nas Daily, but local content creators say he will face a tough challenge convincing Singaporean and regional companies to work with him when he moves here.   

He will need to have an understanding of the local culture and context if he wants to make a “true connection” with Singaporeans and audiences in South-east Asia, they added.

“If we move to the United States or India, would American or Indian Facebook pages hire us to produce YouTube videos?” said Ms Xiong Lingyi, founder of 01 Studio, the parent company of YouTube channel Wah!banana.

Content creator Tan Jian Hao, who has 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube, said that the local audience can be “very demanding and tough to satisfy”. “But if you’re able to win over their hearts, they are without a doubt the fiercest and most loyal fans you’ll ever find in the world,” added the 25-year-old.

Mr Yassin, 27, announced last Wednesday (March 20) that he will be moving to Singapore next month with his girlfriend Alyne Tamir. The Palestinian-Israeli Harvard graduate plans to hire five more people for the Nas Daily Media Company to create Facebook videos for clients.

The couple visited Singapore in August last year and produced several videos on the country, with one that described Singapore as “almost perfect” drawing criticism from some online viewers for being too positive.

In an earlier phone interview with TODAY, Mr Yassin said his company is “one of the best, if not the best” for creating free online videos for viewers.

A 2015 consumer study by the then Media Development Authority Singapore showed that 73 per cent of adults here watched free online videos on websites such as YouTube and Facebook daily.

Another report by United Kingdom-based market research company Kantar TNS in 2017 also found that 76 per cent of Singaporeans watch free online videos daily on websites and 71 per cent do so on their social network feeds.

BRING ON THE COMPETITION

Digital media companies here told TODAY that they do not see Mr Yassin’s move as a cause for concern for their own businesses. Instead, some welcomed the competition and saw it as an accomplishment for the industry.

“We have tons of competitors out there, one more isn’t necessarily arousing concerns. Besides, physically being in Singapore doesn’t necessarily change his online audience profile, does it?” said Ms Xiong, 31.

Ms Sylvia Chan, co-founder of production company Night Owl Cinematics, said: “It’s an achievement unlocked for all local creators and business partners in the industry… to have an international creator recognise Singapore as a media hub.”

Nas Daily’s presence will also attract “international eyeballs” to Singaporean content and grow the media landscape here, bringing with it more brand marketing opportunities, Ms Chan, 31, added.

Mr Tan, who is also chief executive officer of influencer-based network Titan Digital Media, said he is “not concerned at all” as friendly competition will push content creators to improve.

Some content creators told TODAY that they look forward to partnering Mr Yassin for future projects. Those that have expressed interest in working with Nas Daily include Titan Digital Media, Night Owl Cinematics, Sgag Media, Gushcloud and Ministry of Funny.

Mr Johnathan Chua, business director of GRVTY Media, said that his firm is in touch with Mr Yassin’s team for the possibility of featuring him in one of their show formats.

GRVTY Media is the group behind media websites Vulcan Post, Millennials of Singapore, Discover Singapore and The Playbook.

TODAY also understands that the Nas Daily team plans to hold a networking event to meet with media partners here.

‘DON’T FORCE THE LAHS’

Local content creators were also happy to open up and share their understanding of the Singaporean audience with Mr Yassin ahead of his arrival here.

As a new player here, he “should build a true connection” with his viewers in order to win over a demanding audience, said Mr Tan.

Ms Chan added that Mr Yassin will need to find his target audience in “multi-faceted” Singapore where preferences can be varied. “You can find two guys at the bus stop wearing shorts and slippers and the content they consume can be completely different, she said.

Co-founder of YouTube channel Ministry of Funny Haresh Tilani, who foresees a great partnership with Mr Yassin because “we’re both brown-skinned and super loud in front of the camera”, has only one piece of advice for him.

“Don’t force the ‘lahs’. Enjoy Singapore, inhale the culture, and the ‘lahs’ will flow naturally.”