Entertainment, creative industry players make do with pandemic restrictions
KUCHING: The Covid-19 outbreak has affected those in the event and entertainment industry, with shows either postponed or cancelled, leaving many performers and entertainers out of job and income.
With the Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced in mid-March 2020 till to this day, entertainment activities practically grounded to a halt. When shows and concerts were quickly cancelled, the artistes in the entertainment and creative industries took the opportunity to embrace the new normal in entertaining the public at home by performing online via YouTube, Zoom, Facebook Live and the like.
For Iban singer Melissa Francis, 35, the pandemic made her realise why saving is so important to her as during this time there is at least something that she could fall back on.
She said throughout her singing career, finance has not been a problem until the pandemic hit the whole country since last year.
“I am the type of person who does not have much savings because being a singer, you always have enough and you do not really think that you would have to save some money. When MCO started, I thought really hard how I would pay my house, car and care for my family but at that time, thank God, there was a six-month moratorium by Bank Negara so I could postpone paying my house, car and shop rental during that period,” she said.
Melissa, the eldest of five siblings, now runs a beauty salon, the Celebrity Bistro and a recording studio in a three-storey building at Kota Samarahan area to develop her business further, not just relying on singing alone.
“I am thankful despite the pandemic I still have my beauty salon, the bistro and the recording studio. Even though times are hard now, at least there’s something for me and my family. I kept on telling my staff to appreciate and work hard because it is not easy to get a decent job out there.
“Since you do not get to come out and do shows, I am adapting to the new normal. If the show doesn’t come to you, you go to where the source is, like right now, I am also an influencer for a cosmetic company and hopefully there will be another one, a health product company, and all of these, you are paid for them,” she said.
“I remember when times were really hard (the starting of MCO), I did not imagine myself selling pork and satay from house to house in this area but what is there to be ashamed of, all of us need to survive,” she added.
Being one of the most popular Iban singers around, and having achieved many awards and titles under her belt, among them Best Female Artist – Dama 2008, Most Popular Song (Mutus Ati) and Best Vocal Award in Ajarr 2011, Best Female Artiste and Best Pop Ballad in Dama 2012, Asia Voice Independent Music Award (Best Rock Song - Perening) in which she won Silver, The Most ‘Stailo’ Artiste by Berita Harian in 2012, champion for ‘Sapa Juara’ Charts Award 2015 by RTM, and Outstanding Performance, Successful People in Malaysia by the British Publishing House in 2020, Melissa still managed to further her studies in a Bachelor’s Degree programme in Business Administration with one of the local universities (on-going).
For Gary Mohd Hanif in his 40s, being involved in the creative industry as a compere for many years, the restrictions of the Covid19 pandemic have been very hard for him.
Having used to at least six emcee jobs in a week, it is indeed a difficult time for him now.
“We understand that our numbers are small, but the impact is as heavy if not more than others. With nothing at all to fall back on and sometimes doing voice-over that hardly comes by, we humbly request the government to consider the like of us, as we are usually very independent.
“Because of the pandemic our sole source of income, butter and bread, is badly affected,” he said.
Lenny Chew, 36, a former radio station programme manager, former compere and show hosts, said he had expected the industry to be affected greatly so he quickly took the opportunity to sell and promote products from corporate companies via online social media.
He was recently appointed as Samsung Sarawak ambassador and had the opportunity to promote their product online.
“I was lucky as during my appointment, I had known that the pandemic will affect people like us in the creative industry - our shows and emceeing jobs in weddings, corporate events were cancelled and you just cannot sit down and do nothing.