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'I Can Be An Influencer' contest finalists to compete for grand prize worth $100,000

(From left to right) "I Can Be An Influencer" contest mentor Kelly Latimer with  contestants at the semi-finals on 6 October 2019 at Gain City@Sungei Kadut. (Photo: StarHub)
"I Can Be An Influencer" contest mentor Kelly Latimer (left) with contestants at the semi-finals on 6 October 2019. (Photo: StarHub)

SINGAPORE – StarHub’s “I Can Be An Influencer” contest, a search for Singapore’s next-generation influencers, started on 28 August and garnered more than 1,600 entries with a total of 27 semi-finalists and 4 wild card contestants being in the run for the finals. The search uncovered multiple aspiring content creators who come from all walks of life, each with their own story on how social media played an important part to create positive changes in them and hope for others.

Meet Tyler Hikaru, with 70,000 followers and an expanding fan base, who struggled with being shy and reserved as a victim of bullying in school. Social media saved his life when he found a way to express himself on Instagram and in the process, the painful memories faded away.

20-year-old Glenn Cheow recounts his teenage years as being one big scuffle, where he got into one fight after another. He ended up in hospital and got publicly caned on Teachers’ Day after that last fight. He decided the fights had to stop and that there must be other outlets to express himself. Content creation on social media became a way to refocus his mind. Being an influencer became a way to push himself to tell stories rather than using violence to exert influence.

Alicia Cho, a mother of two, saw social media as a way to reinvent motherhood. In spite of a busy daily schedule raising her young children, she uses social media to keep up with fashion and beauty trends. Alicia also saw that she could share motherhood tips and relevant products that she believes in through content creation with other young mothers.

Rosalina Oktavia, 28, thought she would never be able to model again after the amputation of her leg in Indonesia more than four years ago. Instead of being pushed back by physical constraint, she went on to fulfil her dreams to walk the catwalk as part of Singapore Fashion Runway in 2017 and joined the charity Models of Diversity. She wants to use social media as a channel of influence to change the way beauty and disability are seen, and to break the stigma of disability.

As of 5 November, 15 finalists emerged, having successfully engaged their audience and impressed sponsors and mentors with their posted content.

The Grand Finals will be at Gain City Megastore @Sungei Kadut at 2pm on 10 November, where the 15 finalists will take their content creation skills to another level as they vie for the top three places by creatively marketing selected products “live” on social media.

The 15 finalists will lead sales promotions with their performance in the finals. One finalist will be awarded a three-year endorsement contract worth $100,000 by Gain City, the presenter of the inaugural talent search contest. The top three winners will walk away with cash prizes of $8,000, $5,000 and $2,000 respectively.