We have all heard of famous dynamic duos; Batman and Robin, Sherlock and Watson, and Ethan and Joel Coen. They would not be where they are today if one was without the other. Similarly, World of Buzz would not be what it is without its dynamic young co-founders.
Chris Khristie, 26, and Michelle Tan, 25, started WORLD OF BUZZ with absolutely zero funding after a conversation at the mamak! What started off as a small side-project idea eventually grew into something larger.
“From time to time, we’d talk about the interesting things we’ve read online but we always felt that Malaysia didn’t have a strong presence that covers social or trending stories for people our age – and that’s how the idea for WORLD OF BUZZ started,” enthused the two.
The two-man team vigorously grew to 40 in just a little over a year and quickly established WORLD OF BUZZ as the largest English social news portal in Malaysia, overtaking prominent players in the business with an average viewership of 6.8 million views a month.
“It’s a learning experience for us as most of what we know now was self-taught, which requires us to be hands-on with everything. One thing remained certain was the clear direction we had for the company in terms of growth and content. We are focused on curating and publishing interesting stories and discussions. But most importantly, we ensure our contents are catered to Malaysians – especially young adults,” explained Chris.
Chris and Michelle share the same commitment in producing fresh and creative content to keep their audience constantly engaged.
“We are committed in creating contents that are relatable and interesting for our core audience – the urban millennials of our generation.”
Their media company, INFLUASIA Sdn. Bhd. currently houses three local publications; WORLD OF BUZZ (WOB), Lobak Merah and NOODOU with each portal covering viral stories, unique listicles and creative videos that cater to the English, Malay and Mandarin-speaking communities in Malaysia.
It has proven to be a challenging journey for both Chris and Michelle to get to where they are now. However, with pure determination and a go-getter attitude, Chris and Michelle successfully overcame any obstacles along their journey.
“When we started out, I was still a university student and Chris had a full-time job. It was a lot of hard work and dedication as we had to juggle between studies, work and WORLD OF BUZZ. We had to put in a lot of hours, seven days a week, as we didn’t have a team of employees to support us in the beginning. But we are both firm believers that hard work pays off,” explained Chris and Michelle.
Both Chris and Michelle are not afraid to dream big as they are already charting out the next big thing from INFLUASIA and strive to be the largest digital group in Malaysia. With 3 homegrown portals that have a firm grip in Malaysian cyberspace, one can expect to definitely see more of their share-worthy content as they want to ensure that INFLUASIA cements their position in the industry.
“The most important thing to remember is to never take those who look down on you to heart because only you know and understand your own capabilities. Take their discouragement as a challenge and motivate yourself to prove them wrong. Success is the best kind of revenge you could have,” advised Michelle.
INFLUASIA helps brands and businesses ignite awareness and interest to create the impact they need through their extensive reach across all languages.
To date, INFLUASIA has worked with brands across the board, collaborating on creatively fun content for brands such as AirAsia, Maxis, and Universal Music.
For more information on INFLUASIA Sdn. Bhd., visit www.influasia.com or call 03-2856 6324
