Man on a Mission

It is not often that a person gets to pursue his passion as a career. For 30-something Frank Scott Hew, he is one of the lucky few who get to pursue his passions in architecture, green living, music and entertainment, all at the same time.

Growing up in his hometown of Kampar, Perak, his creative streak was already apparent, which was why his parents put him into music classes to learn the piano and organ at the age of eight. By 15, he was composing music and writing lyrics. He also trained as a professional dancer and by his late teens, was choreographing modern and contemporary dance routines, winning several national dance competitions.

Most notable were the Penang USM Open Modern Dance Competition in 2000 and the Malaysian National Modern Dance Competition in 2001.

Hew subsequently emerged victorious in both the couple and group categories of the 2002 Malaysia Aerobic Open Dance Competition, the routines for which he also choreographed.

Graduating in architecture from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Hew pursued his second degree in architecture at Sydney University before moving to the United Kingdom to obtain his master’s degree in architecture at Westminster University in London.

Today, Hew splits his time between Kuala Lumpur and London working with several property developers where he specialises in residential, hospitality and commercial developments. He also takes on interior design projects for private clients and mainstream developers where he finds fulfilment in maximising the use of natural materials and organic designs.

Busy as he is with his many architectural and design jobs, Hew continues to keep his finger on the pulse of the entertainment scene, performing in various local and international events, after successfully launching his second career as an entertainer thanks to the 2011 computer-generated imagery music video, Terpesona. The duet with Malaysia’s soprano Syafinaz Selamat, was a collaborative effort with famous fashion designers including Key Ng, Melinda Looi, Michael Ong, Keith Kee, and hair-styling mogul, Winnie Loo.

Adding another feather to his cap, Hew is now a celebrity host for the television series, Frank 2 Frank @ 2P. The 2P in the title communicates the fact that Frank has two major passions, architecture & interior design, plus music & entertainment. Frank 2 Frank will show how Frank balances these two, apparently conflicting, passions.

Frank 2 Frank @ 2P, produced for ntv7, is developed around the idea of bringing together Hew’s interest in green architecture and sustainable development on one hand, and music and entertainment on the other hand.

As the Green Ambassador for Asia appointed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2013, Frank 2 Frank is the perfect platform for Hew to educate his audience and increase awareness on environmental issues and the importance of green design and sustainability.

Explained Hew, “We believe that Frank 2 Frank @ 2P, with green issues the key theme, will be distinctive. It will be an informative travelogue which gives viewers interesting insights into green and sustainable development. We are adopting a fast-paced style not unlike music videos and every episode will include insights into music, entertainment, shopping, fashion, local culture and culinary experiences. We hope to draw in an audience who would not normally allocate their limited leisure time to watching documentaries.”

These past few months have seen Hew busy filming Frank 2 Frank @ 2P in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore as well as Malaysia. The 13 half-hour episodes are currently in the final stages of production.

Even as we wait for Frank 2 Frank to be aired, Hew is already busy filming a second series of Frank 2 Frank @ 2P as well as material for other TV channels: GoASEAN, TLC, NBC Asia and BBC Lifestyle.

In parallel, he is working on his PhD thesis on Sustainable Design under the supervision of Dr David Tann, who is head of the CEREB team (The Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy in Buildings) at London South Bank University.

In the meantime, we can look forward to the launch of Hew’s next music video, a self-penned song entitled Chase. The outdoor filming for this music video has been done at several prominent and exotic locations across the United Kingdom. He shared, “The upbeat track also carries a green message, to promote an ecological and sustainable lifestyle. With an organic and spiritual melody, the lyrics are optimistic, encouraging listeners to get involved and move forward together to a green and sustainable future.”

Note: An edited version of this article [Man on a Mission] was published on 20th Feb, 2016 in The Malay Mail.

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