Chan Pei Ling: Connecting the dots
Pei Ling in a corporate shoot after she founded Starlight Media Consultants.
Talents with a diverse range of skillsets are said to be the ones who would thrive in the future of work. But this concept is not new in the creative industries where many have already been pivoting from one role to another before connecting the dots in a rewarding role.
One of them is Chan Pei Ling, who embarked on her career in a media company that produced documentaries, TV series and corporate videos and found her way towards a brave new world. While she had confronted setbacks during the pandemic, she is now raring to carve out a niche for herself and others who would benefit from her unique experiences in creative work, risk and financial consultancy and career coaching.
Recalling her early days in the industry, Pei Ling shares “I had the opportunity to take on the role of a line producer at the set of a local movie. As someone who was fresh out of university, I found my job truly satisfying. I was waking up to a new challenge every day. In those early years, I was also teaching part-time at a local art college, which was a side-gig that supplemented my income. “
As Pei Ling moved on to her next life stage to start a family, she felt that it was time for a change of pace and started exploring her options. The entrepreneur in her made the connection between the gaps in the market for media insurance and opportunity to fulfil that demand through her husband’s network in the finance industry.
“I tapped into my husband’s contacts; I began meeting insurance underwriters and brokerages. I explained the nuts and bolts of media projects, trying to convince them to underwrite policies for the media industry,” Pei Ling said.
“I even took insurance exams so that I could understand how insurance policies work. It took a while for these efforts to pay off and when they did, I started my company, Starlight Media Consultants, or Starlight in short, to help creative companies and freelancers get the insurance they need to protect their projects and livelihoods,” she added.
Re-Invention
When COVID hit in 2019, filming and overseas shoots came to a halt. Needless to say, the core business of Starlight took a hit. When Pei Ling consulted a career coach to gain clarity on how she could move forward, she uncovered fresh perspectives on her own personality and career values. Coaching others had turned up as a potential area of strength. When a job opportunity opened up in Workforce Singapore (WSG), she took it up and pursued career coaching credentials at the same time.
“I was attending to job seekers from all walks of life, helping them map out their career direction and improve their job search skills.” Pei Ling reflects.
Her contract with the WSG ended recently, coinciding with the lifting of COVID-19 Safe Management Measures. Armed with her experience in media insurance and newly honed skill sets in career coaching, Pei Ling is now ready to re-align her business, with plans to advise companies and freelancers on best practices, insurance and career development.
Under Starlight, Pei Ling now offers coaching services, in addition to helping companies and freelancers procure insurance coverage. Her 1-to-1 coaching sessions cover exploration of career goals, personality, skills and career timeline. She also helps clients analyse gaps in job search skills and on-the-job competencies.
To connect with Pei Ling, look her up on Linkedin: www.linkedIn.com/in/peilingchan
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