MASTER of Ceremonies cum creative influencer Jason Jonathan Omar said the relaxed roundtable format of the event was exactly the kind of setting where such conversations could finally happen.
“The problem is that we do not know each other too well to get well connected,” he said, pointing out that many accomplished creatives in Sabah remained invisible even to their own peers.
He said there are more than 100 emcees across Sabah, with over 20 in Sandakan alone, a fact he said most people were unaware of.
He also cited the case of veteran Sabahan artist Ampal, who only received federal recognition in 2018 or 2019 despite having first received a Pertisa award in 2008.
“He cried when he received the award because he told everyone in his speech that he had never received an award recognised by the Federal Government,” Jason said, calling it a painful reminder of how long Sabahan talent has waited for national acknowledgement.
Jason, who is organising a national conference for emcees in Kuala Lumpur that has drawn 100 registered participants from Sarawak, Singapore, Penang and Johor, said his profile in KL far exceeded his recognition at home.
“Everyone in KL knows that I am an emcee from Sabah. It is a bit sad that here in Sabah, people did not know who I was,” he said, calling for deeper connections within the community and urged creatives to rally together rather than fight alone.
“When we can group up together like this and fight for our creative industry together, that is when things will change,” he said.
He also noted that his company was the first agency in Sabah to offer influencer marketing services, having launched the offering in 2018.
He said there are more than 100 active members in the Sabah YouTube community, of whom only seven individuals in the State have received a YouTube Silver Play Button award plaque.
“Events like this
Daily Express Creative Minds Forum is essential to bringing such groups into a shared space,” he said.
