Web portal aims to expose Brunei's creative talents

A GROUP of Universiti Brunei Darussalam students have unveiled a website that aims to provide much-needed exposure for Brunei's creative talents and showcase their works.

Together with his peers at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Muhd Shavez Cheema earlier this week launched 1stopbrunei.com, a website that provides an avenue for local talents to upload a broad range of artisitic works such as music, films and paintings.

"I want to help the creative industry to grow in Brunei, and I want to help our local artists shine," said the 19-year-old UBD undergraduate and part-time actor.

The country's talents have been having difficulty getting exposure within Brunei and internationally, said Muhd Shavez.

"Bruneians are actually very talented, but they do not have a proper platform to promote their talents. They've been relying on social networks such as Facebook and Youtube but the impact is not enough," he told The Brunei Times.

Local talents will be able to upload pictures, movies, arts, handicrafts and music under the website's Fun Brunei section.

"This website is the first of its kind in Brunei for our local talents. Currently it features the more established artists such as Hill Zaini, Eda Brig and Fakhrul Razi, which include their profile, pictures, songs, albums and music videos for everyone to see," he said.

"Rising Youtube stars and young filmakers can also upload their videos here to promote themselves. The uploaded materials will be screened beforehand to avoid any sensitive issues being published on our website," he said.

Under the website's buy and sell section, painters and craftsmen can showcase their artworks and handicrafts on a galleria-like page for interested buyers to view.

"Our target audience is mainly the young people in Brunei who are heavily engaged in social media. The response have been very good since we launched our website earlier this week, with over 1,300 hits in visitor traffic and a few uploads already coming in," he said.

The team, which comprises of Muhd Shavez, Jenson Wong, Ak Muhd Fadhil and Danial Azizan, is now looking to obtain funding to further expand 1stopbrunei.com into a go-to website for all things Brunei.

Muhd Shavez said that the team will sign up for several business competitions such as the Brunei Economic Development Board's (BEDB) Ignite Business Plan Awards, the HSBC Entrepreneurship Awards and the Crown Prince Cipta Award Competition.

"There are so many possibilities that we want to include in this website so that Bruneians and foreigners alike can get in-depth information about the Sultanate apart from the local talents," he said.

In the coming months, he said, the website will also include new sections such as Brunei's flora and fauna and projects under the Heart of Borneo initiative.

"Currently, we have a section called e-directory, where we have links to valuable online sources concerning Brunei, such as Brunei Tourism, local newspapers and government ministries," he added.

The team also hopes to promote Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Brunei through the website by linking company logos to the respective company's website or Facebook page.The Brunei Times