What TV Directing taught me for other industries

It was exhilarating, it's quite addictive... and by no means something to take for granted as well, since it's not every day that you get a listing...

On this particular listing, I closed it with 1 viewing. Of course, I do not expect this to a be a norm (for sure it is not every time that you can close after 1 viewing)

What is important is I took away from the process which, to share three things are:

1.⁠ ⁠Use my TV Directing experience. It's not irrelevant.

As TV directors, there's normally 2 things that we do for every scene, be it drama or documentary.

Generally, you have a Master shot, which is the Wide Shot (WS) then you do your coverage, normally MCU and O/S of the people in the scene, with an additional ECU here and there if you want to show detail.

Do that, you normally won't be wrong. It's safe.

As a senior once told me, "Actually, a monkey can do this job, so why should they hire you and not a monkey?"

He is not entirely wrong. (That comment was with regards to how I really could have taken a degree in law or science or whatever, and still be a director, no need to go to Directing school, which I actually did)

Or, you could do my preferred way, which is what I (and others for sure) call, The Affection Image.

Start on a close-up, with something interesting, make that the focus, linger, let the moment sink in, then you slowly track out for the reveal of what your audience is watching and why they really should know this.

Do that, and you have a bit more attention between the two.

2.⁠ ⁠Rehearsal. Very important.

You rehearse everything as many things as possible for scene.

What you want to say / show, when you say it and how you want to show it.

In this case, I went in earlier and made sure I knew how to do everything from the folding tables to the blinds to the aircon.

It sounds duh, but it's not your house, you are not used to it and surely you don't look silly and also don't make the things in the place look like it has many finickity things.

More importantly, because I rehearsed, I knew I wanted to do which is to start on the close-up, and reveal out the rest of the house, and I went with that.

Build Affection for the property.

3.⁠ ⁠I am a solutions provider, not just an agent.

I decided that in this case, I am a solutions provider.

Party A has a condo to move.

Party B needs a condo to move to.

My TV showrunner mode kicked in.

What is their motivation? What is the conflict? And I have a solution (which is the condo to offer), why is my solution a good one that they should go with, and that's the premise.

Then once I understood that, I presented the solution with that premise in mind, and while the viewing could go better, it went rather well.

.....and so that's how my first transaction of 2026 ended well out, by using transferable skills from my 16 years in broadcasting (mostly TV and some radio) and production.

1) To folks who are in TV / Media Production, and feeling negative and doubtful about what else you can do with your life... and being told derisively and dismissively when you apply for jobs, "you direct TV shows. what else can you possibly know?"... I get that, over the years, so many times...

If every time someone says it aloud to my face pays me US$50, I can buy a return plane ticket on Singapore Airlines to go to Europe for free today...

But this experience I had in this closure, made me figure (accidentally perhaps) that there's actually transferable skills to other things... so I hope you find that too.

Keep showing up!

2) To folks who read this and say, "Sean does not do media / tv / video anymore since he's in real estate", well, you are wrong. Very wrong. I still do. I have one ongoing one actually.

...and

3) To folks who are planning to sell, buy, or rent a home (or know someone who is), please do feel free to reach out, or share my contact.

Perhaps, I can be your solutions provider (for the real estate terms)

#sgrealtor #media #singapore #realestateagent #tvproduction #sgmedia