View source for Paul Tan

{{Short description|Malaysian motoring journalist}}
{{About||the Malaysian Catholic Bishop|Paul Tan Chee Ing|the Singaporean poet|Paul Tan (poet)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name   = Paul Tan
|caption  =
|birth_name = Paulvinder Tan Teck Kheong
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1984|10|27}}
|birth_place = [[Kuantan]], Pahang, Malaysia
|other_names =
|notable_works =
|height  =
|known_for =
|education = [[Victoria Institution]]
|employer  =
|occupation = Motoring journalist
|years_active =
|spouse  = {{marriage|Jenny Phang|2012}}
|children  =
|parents  =
|website  = [http://paultan.org/ Paul Tan's Automotive News]
}}
'''Paul Tan''' (born 27 October 1984) is a [[Malaysia]]n [[journalist|motoring journalist]]. He is best known for his website, ''paultan.org'' or Paul Tan's Automotive News, a popular news portal which covers the Malaysian & [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] automotive scenes.<ref name="About Paul Tan's Automotive News"/> ''Paultan.org'' is managed by Driven Communications Sdn. Bhd., a company in which Paul Tan assumes the role as a managing director. The website also offers reviews, previews, test drives and covers various other topics that are automotive-related.
Established in 2004, ''paultan.org'' enjoyed a quick rise to fame.<ref name="About Paul Tan's Automotive News"/><ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/paultan.org |title=Paultan.org Site Info |publisher=[[Alexa Internet|Alexa]] |date= |accessdate=15 January 2014 }}</ref> His website was the basis for the television programme in 2010 called '''''Driven''''' which ran for four seasons.
== Career ==
Paul Tan's career in automotive journalism has its roots in his childhood. Paul was not born into a privileged family.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> While Paul was studying at the [[Victoria Institution]] in Kuala Lumpur, his father had contracted cancer.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/><ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> Paul was forced into adversity at an early age and had to take several jobs to earn extra money for his family, which included his mother, a housewife, and a brother, who was four years younger.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> Paul worked as an intern in G-LabWorks Sdn Bhd between November and December 2000, where he exercised his [[HTML]] and [[JavaScript]] skills.<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> For the first six months of 2001, he worked as a web developer at AMP Radio Networks (currently known as [[Astro Radio]]). He led a team of 3 other web developers for the Xfresh Teen Community online portal at ''www.xfresh.com''.<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> Paul also designed a [[wrap advertising|bus wrap]] which promoted the Xfresh website on [[RapidKL buses|Intrakota buses]]. In 2001, Paul graduated with his [[Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia]] (SPM) certificate in the Science stream.
After graduating, Paul Tan enrolled in an [[Information technology|I.T.]]-related degree in [[HELP University]], [[Bukit Damansara|Damansara Heights]].<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> However, when Paul was 19, his father died, forcing Paul to drop out of college to find a full-time job in an effort to pay the bills and his brother's education.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> Paul's first attempt at entrepreneurship came in the form of his 2003 employment at Hulk Solutions Sdn. Bhd. as [[Chief technology officer]] (CTO). He was responsible for managing Hulk Solution's information system resources, which included the maintenance of a rack server used for applications hosting in the [[Telekom Malaysia]] Internet Data Centre (TMIDC) in [[Cyberjaya]].<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> Paul coded on the [[LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP platform]] and his clients included well-known names such as [[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]], [[The Malay Mail]], [[Monsoon Cup]] and [[Peugeot]].
It was during Paul's tenure at Hulk Solutions that the idea of ''paultan.org'' developed. Initially starting out as a personal [[WordPress]]-based blog about the Malaysian automotive industry, Paul quickly recognised the potential of the platform when internet traffic to his blog began to grow over the months.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> By 2006, ''paultan.org'' had become a popular news portal in Malaysia, and with the use of [[AdSense|Google AdSense]], it was generating an income of between RM5,000 to 6,000 per month.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> The term 'paultan' was also among the most frequently searched in the 'persons category' by Malaysian Google users according to Google's 2007 Malaysia Year-End Zeitgeist.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2008%2f1%2f17%2flifeliving%2f20006763&sec=lifeliving |title=Hit list |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)]] |date=17 January 2008 |accessdate=10 November 2008 }}</ref>
With the continued rise of ''paultan.org'', came a demand for a Malaysian motoring television show.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> During Paul's years in secondary school, he had become close friends with Harvinder Singh Sidhu. In 2008, Paul approached Harvinder, who had then just completed his diploma in [[UCSI University|UCSI University, Cheras]], with the proposition of a television show.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> After careful consideration, both Paul and Harvinder came together and incorporated Driven Media Sdn. Bhd. (now known as Driven Communications Sdn. Bhd.) in October 2008.<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn"/> Initially, Driven Media was exclusively run and staffed by the two friends, but later grew to five or six staff after the unveil of a motoring television programme called ''Driven''.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> The show was created for two reasons, according to Paul; the first was simply because there were no credible motoring television shows in Malaysia, at that period in time. The second was that the Driven show would lend significant legitimacy to the ''paultan.org'' website, which prior to the show, was often overlooked and underestimated by the mainstream media and automobile companies.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> They viewed ''paultan.org'' as a personal blog, and Paul Tan as a blogger. This image perception issue further catalysed the development of the Driven show, which finally materialised in early 2010, after the shooting process was completed in 2009.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> Driven Media Sdn. Bhd. found a sponsor, developed a dedicated website and booked airtime on [[8TV (Malaysia)|8TV]] (a national television channel), during Sunday nights, for broadcasting.<ref name="About Driven"/> On 11 April 2010, the first episode from the first season went live, and the final episode concluded on the 4th of July that same year.<ref name="Driven Episodes"/> Driven was later renewed for a second season, spanning between 19 November 2013 and 17 December 2013 respectively.<ref name="Driven Season 2"/>
As of the 2010s, Paul has shifted the scope of ''paultan.org'' to encompass the entire [[Southeast Asia]]n or [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] region, where the website was formerly focused predominantly on the Malaysian automotive scene.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> Unlike most Malaysian mainstream motoring media which focus largely on topics relating to Malaysia, the crew of ''paultan.org'' actively travel to neighbouring ASEAN countries to cover local developments, motor shows and car reviews among others. Their efforts give ''paultan.org'' an edge in the sense that the website serves up original content and news faster than other mainstream motoring media in Malaysia.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> Paul has also iterated that ''paultan.org'' will never compromise on content, independence, objectivity and credibility for additional revenue from advertisers, as the crew values their readers and their comments respectively.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/>
== Driven Communications ==
In 2008, Driven Communications was exclusively staffed by Paul Tan and his close friend, Harvinder Singh Sidhu.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/> After the inception of the Driven programme, the staff grew to a count of 5 or 6. By October 2012, there were a total of 24 staff, which later grew to 35 in February 2014 respectively.<ref name="Digital News Asia interview"/><ref name="Utusan feature article"/> Driven Communications generated RM6 million in revenue for 2013, which is a 50% increase over 2012.<ref name="Utusan feature article"/> The company has targeted RM8 million in revenue for 2014. In February 2014, the Malaysian Digital Association (MDA) and [[comScore]] named ''paultan.org'' the 6th most popular website in [[Malaysia]].<ref>{{cite web |author= |url=http://www.marketingmagazine.com.my/index.php/categories/breaking-news/9970-malaysia-s-favorite-websites-revealed |title=Malaysia's Favourite Websites Revealed |publisher=marketingmagazine.com.my |date=12 February 2014 |accessdate=25 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228045213/http://www.marketingmagazine.com.my/index.php/categories/breaking-news/9970-malaysia-s-favorite-websites-revealed |archive-date=28 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="Paul Tan - LinkedIn">{{cite web|url=http://my.linkedin.com/in/paulvinder|title=Paul Tan – LinkedIn|accessdate=14 January 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140115003357/http://my.linkedin.com/in/paulvinder|archivedate=15 January 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
<ref name="About Paul Tan's Automotive News">{{cite web|author= |url=http://paultan.org/about-me/ |title=Paul Tan's Automotive News – About The Website |publisher=paultan.org |date= |accessdate=15 January 2014 }}</ref>
<ref name="About Driven">{{cite web|url=http://www.driven.com.my/about/ |title=About Driven |publisher=driven.com.my |date=25 October 2010 |accessdate=15 January 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025011543/http://www.driven.com.my/about/ |archivedate=25 October 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Driven Episodes">{{cite web|url=http://www.driven.com.my/episodes/ |title=Driven Episodes |publisher=driven.com.my |date=25 October 2010 |accessdate=15 January 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025011615/http://www.driven.com.my/episodes/ |archivedate=25 October 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name="Driven Season 2">{{cite web|author=Harvinder Sidhu |url=http://paultan.org/2013/11/13/driven-web-series-teaser/ |title=Driven – a new automotive web series coming Nov 19! |publisher=paultan.org |date=13 November 2013 |accessdate=14 January 2014 }}</ref>
<ref name="Digital News Asia interview">{{cite web|author=Asohan Aryaduray |url=http://www.digitalnewsasia.com/sizzle-fizzle-slow-burn/paul-tan-from-personal-adversity-to-professional-triumph |title=Paul Tan: From personal adversity to professional triumph |publisher=digitalnewsasia.com |date=8 October 2012 |accessdate=25 February 2014 }}</ref>
<ref name="Utusan feature article">{{cite web|author=Johardy Ibrahim |url=http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Korporat/20140204/ko_03/Paul-Tan-kembangkan-empat-teras-niaga |title=Paul Tan kembangkan empat teras niaga |work=[[Utusan Malaysia]] |date=4 February 2014 |accessdate=25 February 2014 |language=ms}}</ref>
}}
== External links ==
*[http://paultan.org/ Paul Tan's Automotive News]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Paul}}
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Malaysian bloggers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Motoring journalists]]