Born and raised in Singapore, SookFong Lau always enjoyed watching live performances, but it was what was happening behind-the-scenes that interested her most. After completing her O levels, she decided to pursue a career as an audio engineer. While she was initially attracted to the recording studio side of the business, she wound up at an AV rental company for one of her first gigs, and from there she was hooked.
For SookFong, theater is magical, especially musical theater. And while there are many amazing experiences to choose from, being an audio setup crew for Singapore production of Into the Woods (1994) with a sound designer from the UK and assisting with the radio mics for an Australian tour performance of Les Misérables in Singapore (1996) were defining moments for SookFong.
And how did she end up specializing in comms? A friend introduced her to Edmund Song, the Clear-Com Regional Sales Manager in the Singapore area prior to Hans Chia, and he asked her to consider an Applications Engineer position for the company. While not initially convinced, she was so impressed with the expertise and hands-on opportunities of the other Clear-Com AEs, she knew she wanted to be part of that team. To top it off, she would have a chance to travel in this new role, and gain field experience with every new location. Nine years later, she continues to acquire experiences as an Applications Engineer and endless knowledge of the behind-the-scenes "magic" that fascinated her from the outset. Not to mention, stamps in her passport from her travels! Though working remotely most of the time, she is grateful that her teammates worldwide are always available to her to share knowledge and render assistance when needed.
Favorite Production: Les Misérables, Rent and many more!
Favorite Restaurant in Singapore: Mummy's Kitchen
Favorite Activities Outside Work: I love driving! Doesn't need to be a fancy car or anything, I just like the feeling of driving. I also love hiking, especially when I'm traveling to places with great hiking trails. And while it may seem counterintuitive, I sometimes take time off work to do audio engineering gigs. It keeps me involved with what I love about work!
Morning Person or Night Person? Nighttime! I'm a night owl.
Highlight from Your Time at Clear-Com: I loved my trip to Bhutan to help commission the BBS broadcast station. This job has afforded me many opportunities to travel to places that I might not get to on my own.
First Trip Post-COVID: Japan
Advice for Someone Entering the Industry: Keep the passion going! You need to have a passion for what you do.