Pandora’s Box was let loose yesterday when the public found out about the alleged “toxic culture” within Night Owl Cinematics (NOC). At the forefront of all the drama is cofounder Sylvia Chan – who has been accused of being demeaning to her employees.
Many were also shocked to see numerous influencers resigning from NOC earlier this month, after being removed from the company’s media kit. It doesn’t come as a surprise that majority of those remaining have chosen to stay silent, and no one has spoken out for Sylvia. In contrast, many others are defending cofounder Ryan Tan (and to a certain extend – Aiken Chia).
As a result of cancel culture, netizens have been going after brands associated with the YouTube company and those collaborating with the lady boss herself. You may have noticed that Sylvia has already deleted the Colgate giveaway post on her Instagram.
When asked about their association with Sylvia, Colgate Singapore confirmed that they have decided to “terminate all related collaborations with her”. “Rest assured that Colagte does not tolerate any negative behaviors, and we will continue to be the brand that champions optimism,” the statement in the comments section reads.
Samantha Tan breaks silence
After having a day to digest everything that blew up yesterday, Knockout winner Samantha Tan is finally addressing her thoughts through a “minor fall in a bouncy castle”. It’s hard enough being on the receiving end of an employer’s hate list, being called a “f**k face”, and then, to have the whole world know about it. Samantha admits that “it’s definitely embarrassing that y’all had to watch me fall“.
If there’s a silver lining in all of this mess, it would the “many people around me who are just laughing along me that I fell. I suppose some bouncy castles are bound to have rocks in them, so you choose you battle“. Similarly to what Aiman said, she also urge netizens to avoid resorting to cancel culture. “Identify the problem, acknowledge there was a rock and remove it,” she added.
Defending Ryan and Aiken
In her subsequent Instagram Stories, Samantha also vouched for Ryan and Aiken, recalling the times when they’ve showed kindness in various ways. When she first joined NOC, Ryan offered to pay for her hair extensions, knowing her financial status. Another instance that stood out to her was when a fellow brother in Christ, Aiken, came over to say a word of prayer in order to calm her anxiety during a shoot.
She’s not the only one standing up for Ryan though. Other influencers including Isabelle Quek, Nicole Liel, Grace Lim, Gabriel Seow, and Rachel Wan are also validating Ryan’s character as a boss and friend over the years. Rachel even reached out to Instagram account @sgcickenrice via DM to share that he was the only reason she remained in NOC for as long as she did.
Read their statements here:
As you can see from Ryan’s statement, he has poured blood, sweat, and tears into Food King and Reno King. “Please do not target our videos by spamming irrelevant comments and/or dislikes. It really undermines all the effort everyone involved put into producing quality content for you guys,” he wrote.
Update (10th October):
More statements from NOC talents who have been with the company longer than some.
Ryan’s reaction:
