Our Grandfather Story

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OGS is a Singapore-based media production company. Photo credit to Fable.

Our Grandfather Story (OGS) is a media production company based in Singapore with a focus on documentary content. As of March 2020, OGS has more than 300,000 followers on Facebook, 150,000 subscribers on YouTube and 45,000 followers on Instagram.

Background

The OGS team as of 2020. Photo from Our Grandfather Story.

Origins (2016)

A screengrab from OGS' first video in 2016 - Fluffy Rainbows. Photo from YouTube.

OGS has its origins as a group assignment for a photojournalism class at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).[1] The students of the class had been tasked to document Singapore’s tradition and heritage through strong visual storytelling.[2][3] A group of four undergraduates then conceptualised a project that would later grow into a full-fledged production company. The project’s first video titled Fluffy Rainbows (2016) documented the inner workings of Jackson Bakery & Confectionery in Bedok. The bakery produces the iconic "rainbow" bread that is served with ice cream. Within a week of its upload, the video gained 150,000 views on Facebook.[4][5] The video was then posted onto the group's YouTube channel on 30 November 2016 where it has gained more than 114,000 views and 1,200 likes as of March 2020.[6]


After several successful productions, OGS attracted the interest of a production house that offered a $50,000 investment to turn the project into a business.[7] OGS was officially listed as a private company and start-up in February 2017 with an office space at Victory Centre building.[8]

Founders

The four NTU undergraduates who pioneered OGS were Matthew Chew, Ng Kai Yuan, Carine Tan and Cheah Wenqi. The four co-founders have since graduated with a degree in Communication Studies.[9] In September 2019, Kai Yuan partnered with Singapore Management University (SMU) to offer lectures on digital film and video for individuals interested in digital film and the media industry.[10]

Content growth

The four content pillars of Our Grandfather Story. Photo credit to Fable.

Documentary videos

While OGS always had a focus of curating features on lesser-known businesses and individuals in Singapore, the treatment of their storytelling has evolved over time. Their first few videos featured pop-up texts on a series of edited footage.[11][12] As of 2020, most of OGS's documentaries include interview footage and voiceovers - which is a break from their early style.

YouTube series

Can Ask Meh? is a series tackling difficult issues through honest dialogue. Thumbnail from video.
Year Series Seasons Episodes Playlists
2018 - ongoing Offbeat: Can Ask Meh? 4 First episode airing on 2 April 2020 Playlist
3 4 [13][14][15][16]
2 6 Playlist
1 6 Playlist
2017 - ongoing Offbeat - 45 Playlist
Neighbours - 150 Playlist
Generations - 53 Playlist
2016 - ongoing Flavours - 111 Playlist

Branded content & collaborations

Video thumbnail for The Machinist (2018) that had been produced for the Singapore Heritage Festival. Photo from Run and Gun Media.

In April 2017, OGS received a $10,000 grant from NTU’s innovation and enterprise arm, NTUitive, with an agreement to secure at least one corporate client within six months.[17] Since then, OGS has worked with clients such as Temasek,[18] National Heritage Board,[19][20] Nippon Paint[21] and DBS.

Year Client Video Links
2019 Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Singapore's Last Teochew Puppeteers
Bead by Bead - The Art of Crafting Peranakan Beaded Shoes
Cultures Alive: Preserving Peranakan Recipes
2018 National Heritage Board (Singapore Heritage Festival) The Machinist: Hup Yick Engineering
Singapore's Oldest Sugar Manufacturer
Singapore Food Festival - The 50 cents Fest A Taste of 1930s Singapore: Fish Molee & Walnut Cookie
Temasek Rail Love
Can Ask Meh?]
National Council of Social Service Can Ask Meh?]
2017 Nippon Paint Mooving House: The Hindu House Blessing
DBS Marina Regatta Birth of a Dragon

In May 2018, OGS collaborated with Geylang Adventures to feature the story of 70-year-old Yeo Li Ying and the Cheng Xing Provision Shop before its slated closure. They also organised two guided tours to educate participants about the shop's heritage.[22]

References / Citations

  1. ↑ Then, Chloe. “Snapshots Of The Past”. WKWSCI Alumni Magazine. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Chin, Daryl. “Not the same old grandfather stories”. The Straits Times. October 23, 2016. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Tee, Cheryl. “Hit video clip on ice-cream bread leads to start-up”. The Straits Times. May 30, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Chin, Daryl. “Not the same old grandfather stories”. The Straits Times. October 23, 2016. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Tee, Cheryl. “Hit video clip on ice-cream bread leads to start-up”. The Straits Times. May 30, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “Fluffy Rainbows - Singapore’s Ice Cream Sandwich”. YouTube. November 30, 2016. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Tee, Cheryl. “Hit video clip on ice-cream bread leads to start-up”. The Straits Times. May 30, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  8. ↑ “OUR GRANDFATHER STORY”. Singapore Business. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  9. ↑ “Our Team”. Our Grandfather Story. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  10. ↑ “Certificate in Digital Film and Video - Video Content Creation (Production)”. Singapore Management University. Accessed on 10 July 2019.
  11. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. "Fluffy Rainbows - Singapore's Ice Cream Sandwich". YouTube. November 30, 2016. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. "Nanyang-styled banana pie". YouTube. December 1, 2016. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “People Battling Death | Can Ask Meh?”. YouTube. October 15, 2019. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “Caring For People with Mental Health Conditions | Can Ask Meh?”. YouTube. October 28, 2019. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “Survivors Of Sexual Violence | Can Ask Meh?”. YouTube. November 19, 2019. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “Beauty Pageant Winners | Can Ask Meh?”. YouTube. November 25, 2019. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
  17. ↑ Tee, Cheryl. “Hit video clip on ice-cream bread leads to start-up”. The Straits Times. May 30, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  18. ↑ Our Grandfather Story. “We Call This Rail Love”. Facebook. June 8, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  19. ↑ “The Machinist”. Run and Gun Media. April 9, 2018. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  20. ↑ “Our SG Heritage - The Family of Hawker Chefs (in collaboration with Our Grandfather Story)”. Our SG Heritage. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  21. ↑ Nippon Paint Singapore. “Mooving House”. Facebook. June 9, 2017. Accessed on 4 March 2020.
  22. ↑ Lim, Min Zhang. “Last hurrah for 70-year-old Geylang mama shop”. The New Paper. May 11, 2018. Accessed on 1 April 2020.
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