Stoking The Digital Fire

Jeff Cheong lights up the Internet age with a potent combination of empathetic story telling and technological prowess.

- Adeline Loh

Jeff Cheong has his eyes on the prize: getting Singapore’s legendary coffee roaster Tan Tiong Hoe to agree to an interview. At Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee, the fiercely guarded older man is proving to be a tough subject. “What is the colour of perfect coffee?” challenges the 73-year old Tan. Stumped, Cheong presses on. “It is amber,” says Tan bitingly. This conversation goes on for hours, even days, before Cheong proves himself worthy of Tan’s confidence and the latter finally acquiesces to be a part of Cheong’s popular Singaporean of the Day, a Web video series showcasing the extraordinary stories of ordinary Singaporeans. “This man is a legend,” marvels Cheong.

Then it came time to convince 93-year-old pioneer artist Lim Tze Peng. “Meeting Lim was a fanboy moment for me,” recalls Cheong. Citing Lim’s ink painting of the Singapore River as his favourite artwork, Cheong was determined to overcome Lim’s reluctance. Through the help of mutual friends, the artist finally relented.

Singaporean of the Day, which features 49 Singaporeans and their stories, has gone on to captivate the nation and the media since debuting in 2012, inspiring volunteers to come on board and sparking enthusiasm from local expatriates. “Some of our foreign friends e-mailed us and wrote, ‘Thank you for breathing soul into the skyscrapers that I know of today in Singapore.’” the president of digital agency Tribal Worldwide Asia recalls.

Thirty minutes into our two-hour interview and one sees why Lim and Tan were won over by Cheong. At 40, his effervescent personality shines: persuasive, determined and endlessly curious as he picks our brains on certain marketing strategies he has been working on. “How do you think that idea will pan out?” he asks for our opinion earnestly.