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Behind the curtain of Simone Heng

December 13, 2012 12:06 by M. Aldalou

What do you call yourself – professionally speaking?

I call myself a media personality. I used to hate that I was a generalist. I can produce, write, do TV and radio, paint, sing etc. I used to just loathe the thought of being a multi-hyphenate because in all the major markets like the US or the UK broadcasters are specialists and experts but what I have learnt from South East Asia and MENA is that you have to be able to do it all here to be successful, it’s the nature of emerging media environments.

Would you describe yourself as business-minded? What have you learnt from the business side of running things?

It was in 2010 that I truly became more shrewd about my career in terms of money. I think exposure and platform is required to be a successful public figure but after that it’s about monetising that exposure and for the last 2 years that has been my sole goal.

What does Virgin Radio mean to you?

Virgin is, professionally speaking, my lifeblood. They found me at a tiny station in Singapore and took a huge chance on a jock who had only had 8 months of air time experience. My demo was bad and I was much more proficient on TV at the time but still, my PD at that time saw a sliver of talent, he brought me out and changed my life.

I am hugely grateful to Virgin Radio Dubai and International and they continue to give me that rare thing for any broadcaster. A show! Every single day I get to try again, do better, re-hash and improve. I get to do what I love every single day, not just a TV series here and there but really an outlet to be creative daily and more importantly to entertain people.

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Tags: Simone Heng, Virgin Radio