From 70 rejections to his documentaries aired on SQ flights

He could have chosen the safe path.

With stellar grades and a coveted spot at NUS Business School, Ong Kah Jing had a clear route to corporate success. But the 31-year-old Singaporean, better known as OKJ, harboured a different dream: to tell stories through the lens of a documentary camera.

His passion for the medium goes back to his childhood. "I binge-watched as much of SpongeBob SquarePants as I would David Attenborough," OKJ says as he laughs, describing his childhood fascination with documentaries.

He spent hours glued to the Discovery Channel, equally captivated by the colourful world of MythBusters and the awe-inspiring vastness of space documentaries.

"That’s really where I think I fell in love with it,” he shares. “When I see these authors and the magic of this medium being able to communicate new ideas to me, it's like having a TV to the window of the world and the universe."

But while he possessed a keen observational eye, he struggled to express himself verbally.

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"I’m someone who’s talkative but not very good at communication," OKJ confesses, revealing a disconnect between his thoughts and his ability to articulate them.

This fuelled his interest in filmmaking: "I really wanted to make documentary storytelling not just as a profession, but I think just to better myself."

At age 15, this personal desire for self-improvement merged with a burgeoning awareness of his life's purpose.

“For me, the story starts when I was 15,” he tells TNP. It was during this period that he crystallised his ambition: “I do this for my future family.”

Coming from a supportive background, he envisioned a future where he could provide both financial stability and quality time for his loved ones. Documentary filmmaking, despite its uncertainties, emerged as the path to achieve this.

Recognizing he had a long road ahead, OKJ strategically laid the groundwork for his eventual career in film.

Choosing a Hospitality & Tourism Management diploma at Nanyang Polytechnic, he honed his interpersonal skills, seeing them as crucial for connecting with documentary subjects.

During National Service, he further built his "capacity" by excelling in his duties while dedicating his free time to photography and writing documentary-style articles.

Every step was a calculated move toward his ultimate goal.

But the journey wasn't easy. In 2015, during his first year at NUS, Tembusu College announced an expedition to Komodo National Park. Excitedly, OKJ saw the opportunity to test his filmmaking aspirations, pitching the idea of documenting the journey.

To his surprise, he was the only student interested in the expedition.

"I was the only one with the teachers," he recalls. "So they said, 'Do you want to take on this on your own?'"

He rose to the challenge, embarking on his first foray into filmmaking.

The resulting documentary, The Conservation Conversation, followed 24 students – all of whom OKJ convinced to join him on the expedition – as they witnessed the realities and challenges of conservation efforts in the region.

After its release, The Conservation Conversation was selected to be screened at the Singapore Eco Film Festival in 2016 and the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival the following year. It even won the DBS Gold Award for Best Documentary at the National Youth Film Award in 2017.

However, OKJ was unsatisfied with the finished product.

"It is bad enough that it would definitely not go on Discovery Channel," he admits with a wry smile.

This fueled OKJ to try again, leading him to produce Trespass in 2018, a poignant film about the now-defunct Sungei Road Thieves’ Market. He poured his heart into the project, only to face rejections from the 50 film festivals he submitted the film to.

"It was a little bit harder at the start to make sense of it because I knew that this was a better product," he recalls.

Not one to be easily deterred, OKJ chalked it up to a learning opportunity.

"I learned about respect," he says, recounting an initial encounter where he barged into the market, camera in hand, only to be met with disapproval.

He learned to approach his subjects with humility, building relationships and earning their trust before filming. He also discovered his tendency to talk over interviewees, a critical realisation that led him to cultivate active listening and genuine curiosity.

"I became so self-aware," he says.

Later that year, inspired by the stories he captured during the production of Trespass, OKJ participated in On Borrowed Land, an art exhibition and accompanying documentary centred on the Sungei Road Market, capturing the collective memory of a vanishing landmark.

For OKJ, it was a deeply moving experience. The film resonated not just with those who frequented the market, but also with individuals whose childhood memories were tied to the iconic space, bringing forth a wave of nostalgia for a bygone era.

This emotional connection with his audience reaffirmed his commitment to telling authentically Singaporean stories. In the following years, he would continue producing documentaries and honing his craft in pursuit of a breakthrough.

That finally came with A Feelling of Music Playing, a documentary where OKJ attempts to bridge the chasm between those who know the feeling of playing music and those who – like himself – are curious about it.

“I took all my savings and put it into this documentary,” he reveals. This time, OKJ endeavoured to send it to 20 film festivals for consideration.

“Rather than 50 film festivals, I thought maybe don’t send it to everything and everyone,” he says. “ So I send it to film festivals that I really cared about.”

However, film festival success would once more prove elusive. Despite that, OKJ refused to be deterred, deciding to create his own opportunity.

In a moment of audacity, he reached out to the chairman of Singapore Film Society and the former managing director of Golden Village to request for the film to be screened. To his surprise, he got it.

"He said ‘You want this chance? You got it. What date do you want?’" recalls OKJ.

The screening was a success, attracting hundreds of attendees to the screening in August 2023. Then, in January 2024, OKJ received an email from Anuvu, the in-flight entertainment provider for Singapore Airlines.

It read: “We were searching for Singapore stories, particularly we're looking for music, and you popped up."

Impressed by his portfolio, they wanted to feature his work – and not just A Feeling of Music Playing.

“I was surprised,” OKJ confesses. “They said, ‘You know what, we’re going to consider the entirety of your catalogue.’”

His inclusion on SIA flights marked a turning point, validating his unconventional journey and bringing him closer to his ultimate goal of providing financial security for his family.

“It’s likely the breakthrough opportunity I need to make documentary storytelling a legitimate career,” he shares.