Humans of Orchan | Farrell Tan

Farrell Tan

Founding Director

"The Other Boss", but you better call him Farrell

So it's apparently my turn to tell you a bit about myself. As 'the other boss' (as I'm referred to at the office), I guess you could say that I'm the more "marcom person" as compared to everyone else at Orchan, having spent my formative years working for international agencies, mentored by some of the best people in the business. Truth be told, I never saw myself in this line of work in the first place. Never in a million years, did I imagine myself co-owning an agency with a Kiwi (not the fruit, although some would disagree!) working on brands that I not only admire, but have grown up with. Life is strange like that. 

I grew up in a rather utilitarian household. My father was a school teacher, and my mother worked as a nurse for the local hospital. As government servants, they both preached the importance of doing well in school in order to succeed in life -- hence tuition classes, extra-curricular activities, and everything else in between. Luckily for us, we grew up in the rather small town of Melaka (not anymore, thanks to 'progress') where there wasn't much to distract us except for tree-climbing (yes, we did that!) hikes or bicycle rides around the neighbourhood, the odd movie (which were 6 months late, mind you!) at the only cinema in town, and ahem, church (but that's a different story altogether). Suffice it to say, I couldn't wait to finish high school, move to the big city and leave the humdrum behind.

The minute I stepped foot in big 'ol Kuala Lumpur, I knew that I would make a mark for myself; I just didn't know which industry it'd be in. So being the pragmatic person that I was (and still am), I opted to study business, as there would be more options for me to consider thereafter. Looking back, I think I made the right choice, although there was a time in my life when I thought I'd make a pretty darn good lawyer. Anyway, let's not digress. I scored myself an internship directly out of college with a local agency, where I learned the fundamentals of communication, and how it relates to our everyday life. Something about the dynamic, fast-paced industry, and being surrounded by smart, creative people spoke to me... and I was immediately hooked! 

Fast forward a few years, I've had the chance to work for a slew of international agencies, alongside smart, passionate people (as colleagues and clients), honing my craft as an ad-exec-turned-PR-practitioner (with a bit of event management thrown in for good measure) on great brands, before the opportunity to set up Orchan came about. I have to admit that I had my trepidations (who wouldn't?), especially when I was doing quite well; but something about being my own boss spoke to me at the time. I knew that I had to take that leap of faith and explore the possibility, or I would forever wonder if I could've done it. 

Now, 5.5 years into the business, I have to say that not only did I make the right choice, but I think I'm meant to do what I love with like-minded people, who not only push me to do (and be) better, but also to do what I love on my (well, OUR) terms. Everything I've learned about life has been about its unpredictability. Very rarely does it ever go according to plan. Even if it does, you're always wondering if (or more like, when) the shoe is going to drop. Hence Orchan's proposition of 'Orchestrating Change', where the only thing in life that is constant (besides death and taxes) is c-h-a-n-g-e. 

As agents of change, our role is get clients to look (or re-look for that matter) at communication from different perspectives. The communication industry is evolving at such a rapid pace that brands cannot afford to remain stagnant; competition is rife, and the minute a brand starts to get itself noticed, things change again. Likewise, as agents of change, we're continuously evolving to ensure that we provide the best counsel for our clients. This means reading, learning, traveling, experiencing life, and basically being'in the moment'. 

Now, as I'm approaching the big 4-0 (I can't believe that I'm leaving my thirties behind!), I can't help but think that I am exactly where I want to be. I don't know what the future will bring (who does, really?), but I know that come what may, I'll be ready with a pocketful of experiences (and life anecdotes) to march me forward. After all, I'm a firm believer that life does not get better by CHANCE -- it simply gets better by CHANGE.