Malaysian Entertainment Industry Expansion

Malaysian Entertainment Industry Expansion!
Written by: Chelsea Markel

The Malaysian Entertainment Industry has continued to grow and expand in a positive direction in the past few years. Many different factors have contributed to the growth and expansion of the Malaysian Entertainment Industry a few including social media efforts and connections and their collaborations with other countries whom are expanding their markets as well. Malaysian entertainment was been the topic of many research discussions, which have opened up space for a better understanding of where Malaysia stands in regards to their industry in entertainment. 

Researching the entertainment industry in Malaysia led me to find an article that discussed the importance of social media and its connection to the expansion of this industry. The article states that, "when asked about the effectiveness of social media in elevating the standard of the local entertainment industry in Malaysia, Juwita Suwito, vocalist and former Malaysian Idol vocal coach agrees that social media is effective as it creates intimacy between the artist and their listeners." The importance of social media in the entertainment industry in Malaysia, and in other countries including the United States, has proven to be a vital part of the growth and development. Social media has allowed the entertainment industry to promote their new products and has allowed the audience to connect with the stars and even submit feedback on the movies and productions that are being placed in the market. This is very helpful to directors and actors who are looking for feedback from their fans and their followers. Social Media has opened up many doors for the entertainment industry in general and it has proven to be especially significant in Malaysia. 

Additionally, an article discussing the growth and expansion of the Malaysian entertainment industry exposed that "Malaysia has a current rate of expansion at 7.1%." Malaysia continues to grow and expand by creating new productions that reflect the market desires and needs. The growth in the Malaysian market is linked to social media and also linked strongly with their collaboration with other industries as well. 

This video discusses the growth in the Malaysian economy, which of course contributes to why its entertainment industry is thriving as well. This clip gives the viewer some insight into what Malaysia is doing to continue to expand and grow as a country.

This is another short film discussing a new movie project that my family friend is producing, in hopes of bridging the gap between Hollywood film industry and Malaysia! It is very exciting if you are interested check it out.

While reading about the collaborations that Malaysia has made in order to continue their growth in the entertainment industry, I found an article where MDA CEO Aubeck Kam, said, "the fact that Singapore and Malaysia's media industries are growing in tandem and collaborating in media projects is a positive development. This business mission is a good platform to further synergize our efforts, and open the way for Singapore and Malaysian companies to create compelling content that resonates with local and international audiences." Collaboration and the sharing of resources has proven to be a successful technique for Malaysia in the past, which is why this strategy is continued to be useful for this industry. Furthermore, research has led me to find this quote by the director general of FINAS, Mohd Naguib Razak, who said, "sharing efforts and resources together amongst regional neighbours, such as Singapore, makes perfect sense and should bring a wealth of positives to both our countries." This idea of collaborating and sharing is the adopted way of thinking and acting for the entertainment industry in Malaysia and Singapore as well. 

The Malaysian entertainment industry has produced many films, ranging in genres including comedies and romantic films to black and white films. There is a great deal of variety in Malaysia and their productions seem to cover all the aspects of film and entertainment, similar to the US entertainment industry. Research has shown that audiences in Malaysia have a deep appreciation for the arts and for entertainment in general. Research has also shown that there has been a growing demand for quality in the entertainment industry in Malaysia and this has led to much innovation and creativity. The Malaysian entertainment sector seems to be growing and producing quite a large amount of lucrative return on their productions. The Malaysian entertainment industry consists of a variety of smaller sub-industries which are committed to providing quality entertainment to the populace. The entertainment outlets that are involved in this industry include music and radio, film, and television. Similar to the US entertainment industry when it comes to their dedication and  commitment to producing meaningful and well-thought films that reflect their culture and cultural identity. 

I found another interesting and extremely informative book which discusses the Malaysian entertainment industry and has an entire chapter devoted to analyzing the Malaysian cinema and its functions. The book states that Malaysian film has a "cultural specificity of films in their interplay with local and other cultural forces. In other words, the intention is to consider how the films 'speak of, around and beside the nation' rather than how the nation 'speaks the films' or even how the films 'speak the nation.' I found this to be extremely interesting and thought provoking being that it is putting lots of importance and significance into the films thoughts and feelings about the nations. It is basically a production discussing the adversities or situations of Malaysia. Additionally, the book states that "the characteristics of the transformation of the Western genre especially in Indian and Hong Kong cinema are of crucial importance in Malaysian films." This is yet another aspect of the Malaysian film and entertainment industry which continues to support their collaboration and connection with other countries and industries. 

While researching the Malaysian business model for the the entertainment industry, I found a great article/ blog discussing where Malaysia stands business-wise and where they are headed. A quote from the article that I found interesting states, "coming from small and upcoming animation studios, these budding animators are at the core of the local creative industry SMEs with potential to grow further and contribute towards achieving Malaysia’s aim of becoming a regional creative content hub in the future" (Teoh, 1). This website also discusses the importance and capability of Malaysia to emerge their "intellectual properties in a way that speaks to their transmedia potential." Tons of research on this growing and budding industry exists and I found it very interesting to look into the entertainment industry of Malaysia and see what it is all about. 

Much of my research has stemmed from these very informative websites. Please feel free to consult and check it out if this topic is of interest to you! http://bit.ly/SKfRzJ http://bit.ly/VQePol