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Night Owl Cinematics co-founder says sorry she was not leader employees expect, removes herself from artistes’ team

SINGAPORE — Embattled YouTube personality Sylvia Chan has apologised for not stepping up to the standards expected of her as a leader, some two weeks after a string of accusations about her verbally abusing and mistreating her employees were posted online.

Ms Sylvia Chan (pictured), co-founder of production house Night Owl Cinematics, acknowledged that she had disappointed people around her and she did not step up to the standards she should have upheld.

Ms Sylvia Chan (pictured), co-founder of production house Night Owl Cinematics, acknowledged that she had disappointed people around her and she did not step up to the standards she should have upheld.

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  • YouTube personality Sylvia Chan has apologised for not stepping up to the standards she should have upheld as a leader
  • She is co-founder of Night Owl Cinematics and was accused of verbally abusing her employees
  • She said that it was heartbreaking to see the company being taunted by an anonymous online user in a campaign against her
  • Moving forward, Ms Chan said she would be removed from the company’s line-up of artistes

 

SINGAPORE — Embattled YouTube personality Sylvia Chan has apologised for not stepping up to the standards expected of her as a leader, some two weeks after a string of accusations about her verbally abusing and mistreating her employees were posted online.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday (Oct 13), the 33-year-old acknowledged that she had disappointed people around her and she did not step up to the standards she should have upheld, for there were instances where her emotions overruled her better judgement.

“Upon reflection, my expressions may have been harsh. However, it was never my intention to upset anyone. I will learn to be more conscious of my choice of words. Moving forward, I can and I will do better,” she said.

“I assumed that my behaviour were accepted fully by the people around me… I always thought that a leader should be tough and I now realise that I may have come on too strong, and people have now perceived me to be unkind and rude.

“This is a difficult but much needed lesson for me to learn about management and leadership,” she added.

The work culture at the production company — founded by Ms Chan and her ex-husband Ryan Tan — was thrown into the spotlight following several posts on the account of an Instagram user called Sgcickenrice.

The Instagram user had published, among other things, various anonymous and unverified allegations that Ms Chan had been verbally abusive towards one of the company’s employees, as well as purportedly leaked audio recordings of such episodes.

The resulting backlash against Night Owl Cinematics due to these online activities has led to at least one company, oral care products supplier Colgate, terminating its collaboration with the production house.

In her Instagram post, Ms Chan said that it was heartbreaking to see the company “be taunted by an anonymous account intent to cancel and destroy them through this campaign against me”.

“It is equally soul wrenching to helplessly witness brands and creators who have worked with me get harassed by association. I hope that this would stop.”

She said she recognised that she may have failed to provide a safe space for her colleagues to give her feedback and hopes that nobody else will be “dragged through the mud” because of her.

“The livelihood of many of the members of the teams and their families are being affected, and this saddens me greatly.”

Ms Chan added that moving forward, she would be removed from the production company’s line-up of artistes.

“I agree alongside with the leadership team, that as a talent and content creator, I do not deserve the current job opportunities Night Owl Cinematics offers. Hence, I will take time to reflect.”

PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS

In her statement, Ms Chan also talked about using “strong language” against Night Owl Cinematics’ on-screen talent Samantha Tan.

Ms Chan said that Ms Tan was a contestant on a reality show produced by the production company. However, Ms Tan — who became the eventual winner of the show — was unable to sign a full-time contract with the company because she had “an existing three-year bond with a government agency”.

“I vented to my colleagues behind the scenes in private conversations with them… Whatever I shared to my colleagues do not represent what I feel about her as a person but towards the situation,” Ms Chan wrote, adding that the two has since “made peace”.

Earlier on Monday, Night Owl Cinematics said in a statement that the allegations published against Ms Chan were “cherry-picked abstract communications between private individuals carefully showcased to paint a wholly negative picture”.

In a post late Monday night, the Instagram user Sgcickenrice put up a series of images that showed that it had received a letter from Edmond Pereira Law Corporation, which was acting on behalf of the firm.

The letter demanded the user to “cease and desist” from making any further allegations against Ms Chan or her company and employees on social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.

The next day, the Instagram user said that it had engaged Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, a defence firm, to act on its behalf.

Related topics

Sylvia Chan Night Owl Cinematics YouTube influencer Instagram

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