Jianhao Tan (Singapore YouTuber)

JianHao is a Singaporean YouTuber (YouTube channel) and founder of Titan digital media company (official website). He has the highest number of subscribers on YouTube in Singapore with more than 3 million subscribers as of July 2019. Throughout his YouTube career, he has collaborated with various Singaporean content creators such as Dee Kosh and Ryan Sylvia. Based on an interview from 2018, it was reported that JianHao made a six-digit annual income from YouTube.[1]

JianHao Tan
JianHao profile.jpg
Born14 June 1993
Singapore
Alma materInternational School of Phnom Penh (Cambodia), United Nations International School of Hanoi (Vietnam)
OrganisationThe JianHao Tan Foundation (Charity)
Known forFounder of Titan Digital Media Pte Ltd
Spouse(s)Debbie Tan (m. 2019)
Websitehttps://www.thejianhaotan.com/ https://www.titandigitalmedia.com/

Background

Early life & education

JianHao was born in Singapore. At eight years old, he moved to Cambodia where he went to the International School of Phnom Penh.[2] After six years, his family relocated to Vietnam where he studied at the United Nations International School of Hanoi.[3] In 2011, he graduated and returned to Singapore to complete his National Service.[4]

Teenageguruz YouTube channel

In 2010, JianHao started a YouTube channel called 'Teenageguruz' with two of his schoolmates in United Nations International School of Hanoi, Nguyen Hoang Anh and Le Tuan Anh. They wanted to use YouTube as a platform to give practical advice for the younger students in their school. After completing their studies, Nguyen Hoang Anh and Le Tuan Anh decided to further their studies in different countries. Jianhao postponed his studies and continued to develop the YouTube channel after he completed National Service in Singapore.[5]

Career highlights (2010)

 
The thumbnail for JianHao's highest viewed video on YouTube as of July 2019.

YouTube (2010 - Present day)

As of July 2019, JianHao is the most subscribed-to YouTuber in Singapore. In May 2019, his fame was recognised by the producers of the Hollywood movie 'Men In Black: International' where his videos appeared on the Men In Black "watchlist" screen.[6] In 2015, Jianhao collaborated with local media company Mediacorp to create a project called “The Tube”. His YouTube videos were featured on Channel 5, every Wednesday at 10 pm.[7]


Following the disbanding of 'Teenageguruz', JianHao developed the YouTube channel into his own. He creates content ranging from comedy skits to the occasional vlog about his personal life. In 2018, he uploaded a comedy skit titled “GOOD STUDENTS vs BAD STUDENTS”.[8] The video was about the types of students in Singapore and also incorporated the Marvel character, Thanos. As of July 2019, the video has more than 28 million views and is the most viewed video on JianHao’s YouTube channel.

 
The logo for NOTGOOD GAMERS, a sister YouTube channel under Titan Digital Media Pte Ltd.

Titan Digital Media Pte Ltd (2014 - Present day)

In July 2014, JianHao officially registered his media company under the name 'The JianHao Tan Co.'.[9] He later changed his company name to 'Titan Digital Media Pte Ltd'.[10] The media company provides a range of services such as creating advertorial content on social media platforms and recruiting talents. Local influencers such as Naomi Neo and Ridhwan Azman are also currently working for his media company.


The JianHao brand has also expanded to include YouTube channels such as 'NOTGOOD GAMERS',[11] 'LADIES FIRST',[12] 'THE IN CENTRAL'[13] and 'PLAYTIME TV'.[14] These channels cover gaming, female-centric content, newsworthy incidents and kid-friendly content respectively.


The company has worked with notable brands such as Apple, Disney and Air Asia.[15] In 2017, he worked with Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon from the cast of 'Spider-man Homecoming' for a YouTube video titled “BASKETBALL CHALLENGE WITH SPIDERMAN” for advertorial purposes. The video received more than 5.8 million views on YouTube.[16]

The JianHao Tan Foundation (2015)

When JianHao was a high school student in Vietnam, he volunteered at orphanages in Thuy An Village. Based on this positive experience growing up, he started a charity organisation titled “The JianHao Tan Foundation” in 2015. The organisation had the vision to improve the standards of living of the handicapped students at the orphanages.


On 13 September 2015, JianHao visited the orphanage and contributed more than S$2,000 worth of necessities and toys. As of 25 September 2015, the organisation received more than S$1,500 worth of monetary donations.[17]

Personal life

 
JianHao and Debbie at their solemnisation on 21 May 2019. Photo from Titan Digital Media's Instagram.

In August 2017, JianHao revealed on his YouTube channel that he had been dating Debbie Soon for two years.[18] Before this, he dated the influencer Naomi Neo from 2014 to 2015.[19] The couple had broken up due to work and personal reasons however, they remained good friends.[20]

Proposal & marriage to Debbie Tan (2019)

In March 2019, JianHao uploaded a video titled 'The Big Surprise Proposal - JianHao Tan & Debbie' where he pranked his then-girlfriend into attending a Sketchers launch event which turned out to be a proposal.[21] She agreed and they later confirmed on their social media platforms that they were officially engaged.[22] Within 2 days, the video gained more than 943,000 views on YouTube and was ranked second on the trending list.


A month later, the couple announced on JianHao’s YouTube channel that Debbie was pregnant and it was later revealed to be a girl.[23][24] On 21 May 2019, the engaged couple held a solemnisation ceremony at Rasa Sentosa in Singapore.[25]

Fall-out with Ridhwan Azman (2015)

On 2 December 2015, Ridhwan left The JianHaoTan Co., citing that he “felt that he deserved better”.[26] According to Ridhwan’s blog entry, he wanted to leave the company because he was not earning much.[27] In his own words, he claimed that:

“... when I was working as a waiter, I can earn more, and see my mom, but not when I was with THEJIANHAOTANCO (sic).”[28]

Following these allegations, JianHao uploaded a screenshot of his conversation with Ridhwan on his Instagram. In his caption, JianHao called out Ridhwan for playing a “pity game”. The post also provided a detailed rebuttal against every accusation that Ridhwan made against JianHao.[29]


On 8 October 2017, JianHao uploaded a video titled “What Really Happened Between Us” which featured Ridhwan. Together, they explained their falling out and announced that Ridhwan would be returning to Titan Digital Media and collaborating with JianHao while running CrayEight Studios.[30]

Other media appearances

Movies

 
JianHao's cameo in MIB: International (2019).
Year Production company Title
2019 Columbia Pictures

Image Nation

Amblin Entertainment

Sony Pictures Animation

Men In Black: International
2016 Cathay-Keris Films

Huat Films

Lulu The Movie
2015 J Team Productions Lingo Lingo
2013 SIMF Management Everybody’s Business

Variety shows

Year Company Title
2017 - 2018 Toggle Cheap Cheap vs Atas

References / Citations

  1. Lee, Jocelyn. "YouTube Star Tan JianHao Is Only 24 And Drives A Swanky Maserati Granturismo". 8 Days. January 23, 2018. Accessed on 19 July 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.8days.sg/sceneandheard/celebrities/youtube-star-tan-jianhao-is-only-24-and-drives-a-swanky-maserati-9886796
  2. Thejianhaotan. Twitter. November 29, 2012. Accessed on 12 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/thejianhaotan/status/274085097844649985
  3. Yeo, Melissa. “10 Tan Jianhao Facts That Makes Him The Singaporean YouTube Sensation”. MustShare News. December 2, 2015. Accessed on 13 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://mustsharenews.com/tanjianhao-youtube-sensation/
  4. Tay, Vivienne. “Now following: JianHao Tan”. Marketing Interactive. July 5, 2017. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.marketing-interactive.com/now-following-jianhao-tan/
  5. Yeo, Melissa. "10 Tan JianHao Facts That Makes Him The Singaporean YouTube Sensation". MustShare News. December 2, 2015. Accessed on 19 July 2019. Retrieved from: https://mustsharenews.com/tanjianhao-youtube-sensation/
  6. thejianhaotan. Instagram. May 30, 2019. Accessed on 19 July 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/thejianhaotan/p/ByFWM_yjzlV/
  7. JianHao Tan. “Before vs After Exams”. April 26, 2015. Accessed on 4 March 2019. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ6_M2RNca0
  8. JianHao Tan. "GOOD STUDENTS vs BAD STUDENTS". YouTube. May 13, 2018. Accessed on 19 July 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KofiHFsBQk
  9. Tham, Raymond. “YouTubing his way to success”. Today. December 11, 2014. Accessed on 14 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/celebrity/youtubing-his-way-success
  10. Titandigitalmedia. March 14, 2018. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Instagram. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSvFeXnHU2/
  11. NOTGOODGAMERS. “ABOUT”. Accessed on 13 February 2019. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJianHaoTan/about
  12. LADIES FIRST. “ABOUT”. YouTube. Accessed on 30 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwrK6pBpGYt18gTH3REw-ig/about
  13. theincentral. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Instagram. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/theincentral/
  14. PLAYTIME TV. "About". Accessed on 13 February 2019. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwrEs4KAkc2tViOCTZDHdXw/about
  15. "ADVERTISE WITH US". Titan Digital Media. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.titandigitalmedia.com/advertise-with-us
  16. JianHao Tan. “BASKETBALL CHALLENGE WITH SPIDERMAN (TOM HOLLAND)”. YouTube. July 2, 2017. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIKVxTG6rII
  17. Yeo, Melissa. “22-Year-Old YouTuber Tan JianHao Flies Tpo Vietnam To Raise Funds For Orphanage”. Must Share News. September 25, 2015. Accessed on 14 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://mustsharenews.com/jianhao-tan-orphanage/
  18. JianHao Tan. YouTube. “MEET MY NEW GIRLFRIEND”. August 6, 2017. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SolPXcsMikk&t=56s
  19. Yeo, Melissa. “Influencer Naomi Neo Finally Comes Clean About Breakup With YouTuber JianHao”. Must Share News. November 9, 2015. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://mustsharenews.com/naomi-neo-jianhao-breakup/
  20. Naomineo_. Instagram. July 20, 2018. Accessed on 13 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Blc7f_5lrRG/
  21. JianHao Tan. “The Big Surprise Proposal - JianHao Tan & Debbie”. YouTube. March 17, 2019. Accessed on 18 March 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqDtUPEsq2w
  22. thejianhaotan. Instagram. March 17, 2019. Accessed on 18 March 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvHDcw8AjzR/
  23. JianHao Tan. “We're Having a Baby!”. YouTube. April 14, 2019. Accessed on 30 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cw3RmxZ0M
  24. JianHao Tan. “Boy or Girl? - Gender Reveal Party”. YouTube. May 5, 2019. Accessed on 30 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCMeJ2ZHUzo
  25. JianHao Tan. "JianHao Tan and Debbie's Wedding". YouTube. July 14, 2019. Accessed on 19 July 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sb64UGRHi0
  26. What Really Happened Between Us”. JianHao Tan. October 8, 2017. Accessed 22 November 2019. Retrieved from YouTube.
  27. Ridhwan Azman. “Leaving The Company”. Ridhwannabe. December 23, 2015. Accessed 22 November 2019. Retrieved from Blogspot.
  28. Ridhwan Azman. “Leaving The Company”. Ridhwannabe. December 23, 2015. Accessed 22 November 2019. Retrieved from Blogspot.
  29. thejianhaotan. December 3, 2015. Accessed 22 November 2019. Retrieved from Instagram.
  30. What Really Happened Between Us”. JianHao Tan. October 8, 2017. Accessed 22 November 2019. Retrieved from YouTube.