Woon Tai Ho: My words are my paints

The 54-year-old Singapore media veteran Woon Tai Ho developed a connection with art at an early age. While growing up as a kid in Geylang, he and his twin brother Daniel Yun – former CEO of Raintree Pictures and founder of recently closed film company Homerun Asia – used to hold magic lantern shows for the neighbourhood, charging 20 cents each. He sold his first painting when he was hardly 16.

Later on, Tai Ho joined art clubs in TelokKurau Secondary School and HwaChong Junior College, which he attended on scholarships. When he was in secondary school, his father, a chef, passed away. His widowed mother raised her two sons and two daughters with great difficulty, including running a food stall.

A bright student, Woon Tai Ho did well in life and rose up to become the CEO of MediaCorp News, Singapore’s regional news channel.

While still serving at MediaCorp, Tai Ho published his first book in 2008, To Paint A Smile—a non-fiction account of the life and work of Cultural Medallion recipient Tan Swie Hian.