Woon Tai Ho () (born 26 July 1958), is a TV producer, art collector and writer. He is the founder of
Channel NewsAsia.
Early life
Woon grew up in
Geylang, where he would organise 20-cent magic lantern shows for the neighbourhood with his twin brother, former
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures CEO and Homerun Asia founder
Daniel Yun
Daniel Yun () is a Singaporean veteran film producer. He joined Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Radio as vice-president of Radio Sales in 1991 and became head of Programming in 1992. He was the head of Marketing Communications, and Programming ...
.
His father, a chef, died when he was in secondary school, and his mother tried various ways to care for her two sons and two daughters, including running a food stall.
Woon attended
Telok Kurau Secondary School
Telok Kurau Secondary School (TKSS) was a co-educational secondary school in Bedok, Singapore.
History
The school was established in 1965, and was small by Singapore standards, with a student population of 800 and permanent teaching staff of arou ...
and
Hwa Chong Junior College on scholarships, and graduated from the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science in 1982.
In his youth, Woon was an aspiring painter who sold a work when he was 16 years old.
Career
Woon began his career as a producer in
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation and
Television Corporation of Singapore, producing programmes like ''Depth of Field: A Portrait of
Chua Soo Bin
Chua Soo Bin, also spelt Chua Soo-Bin, (; born 1932) is a Singaporean fine-art photographer and recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1989. Chua was described by ''The Straits Times'' as "one of the most sought-after commercial photographers" in ...
'' (1989), ''A Changing Beat'' (1990) and ''War in the Gulf'' (1991).
In 1999, he launched
Channel NewsAsia. From 2000 to 2004, which Woon describes as "the most rewarding years of my life", he was the CEO of
MediaCorp TV12
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prop ...
, and from 2004 to 2009, the managing director of
MediaCorp News.
In November 2008, Woon released a non-fiction book on the life and work of
Cultural Medallion recipient
Tan Swie Hian, ''To Paint a Smile''.
In 2009, he left MediaCorp and in June of the same year, founded media consultanc
Green Orange
In February 2013, Woon released his debut novel ''Riot Green'', set in the cut-throat world of South-east Asian art. ''Riot Green'' is in the process of being adapted into a movie.
In August 2013, Woon was appointed as Director for Media and Marketing for the
National Gallery Singapore. In January 2015, Woon, in a shock move, quit. Woon is currently a senior media consultant at communications consultancy RHT ARC Comms & Relations.
Woon has also contributed articles on art and travel to ''
The Business Times'' and ''
The Straits Times'', and helped put together an exhibition of early
Keith Haring drawings in 2012.
In 2024, he won the inaugural Dr Alan H.J. Chan Spirit of Singapore Book Prize for his biography of artist
Lim Tze Peng
Lim Tze Peng (, born 28 September 1921) is a Singaporean artist who is a teacher by training and profession. He was awarded a Cultural Medallion in 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the country's art and culture. In June 2021, it was re ...
, ''Soul Of Ink: Lim Tze Peng At 100'' (2021).
Personal life
He is an art collector, counting the works of Roland Ventura and
Tan Swie Hian as part of his collection.
Works by Woon Tai Ho
* ''Art of joy: The journey of Yip Yew Chong'' (World Scientific, 2024)
* ''Unfinished canvas: Life of Koh Seow Chuan'' (World Scientific, 2024)
* ''Rainbow after Dusk: Lim Tze Peng Remembers'' (World Scientific, 2023)
* ''George Yeo: Musings. Series one to three'' (World Scientific, 2022-23)
* ''Transition: The story of PN Balji'' (Marshall Cavendish International, 2022)
* ''Soul of ink: Lim Tze Peng at 100'' (World Scientific, 2021)
* ''We Have A Problem: Crisis and Reputation Management in the Digital Age'' (Candid Creation, 2016)
* ''Riot Green'' (Candid Creation, 2013)
* ''My kampong, my home: Conversations with
Lim Tze Peng
Lim Tze Peng (, born 28 September 1921) is a Singaporean artist who is a teacher by training and profession. He was awarded a Cultural Medallion in 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the country's art and culture. In June 2021, it was re ...
'' (2010)
* ''Partnering to rebuild: Operation Blue Orchid: the
Singapore Armed Forces experience in Iraq'' (Ministry of Defence, Public Affairs Dept, 2010)
* ''To paint a smile: Insights of one artist's approach to happiness'' (Candid Creation, 2010)
External links
Channel NewsAsia interview with WoonWoon's blog
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woon, Tai Ho
1958 births
Living people
Singaporean people of Chinese descent
Singaporean novelists
Mediacorp
Hwa Chong Junior College alumni
National University of Singapore alumni