VJ in the Making - Alyssa Alanna Tan

It is not easy becoming a VJ (Video Jockey), but Alyssa Alanna Tan, a NYP Diploma in Mass Media Management Alumnus, is determined to become a successful one, not just in Singapore, but also in Japan. The 21-year-old freelance host won the opportunity to host a segment at MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014, on 16 August 2014, and thought her experience was nothing short of amazing.

Alyssa took part in the Acuvue and MTV Asia Dare to Be contest earlier last year, and her video was one of the four submissions picked by MTV as a winning submission. Together with three other host-winners from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, Alyssa went through intensive training courses with MTV VJs Hanli Hoefer and Alan Wong, and was given invaluable tips and advice on how to host with confidence.

Watch Alyssa's winning submission:

�It was exciting to be able to meet the MTV VJs, and they really gave us a lot of insights,� she said. �We went through an intensive three-day workshop where they taught us more about confidence, articulation, how to converse on stage, and also engage with the audience.�

According to Alyssa, she even learnt things she did not know about herself, such as gesticulating.

�Every individual had their own awkward gestures,� she explained. �I did not realise I tend to use my hands to gesture, which isn�t a bad thing, but I learnt how to control the extent of my gestures.�

Another useful tip Alyssa picked up was how to engage the audience, which can be achieved by noticing simple things about the audience, such as what they are wearing, and paying them a compliment.

�They know you are talking to them, and they really appreciate it,� she said.

Alyssa knew she wanted to host from a young age. She picked up her first impressions of DJing by imitating radio hosts while listening to them from her parents� car. Although she qualified for junior college, Alyssa decided to take up Mass Media Management (then known as Media Studies & Management) in NYP after her �O� levels, and subsequently completed her degree at SIM-RMIT.

When Alyssa was at NYP, she was chosen to host NYPTV, as well as NYP Jam 2013.

She may be young, but Alyssa has many practical plans for herself, which include taking up a third language (Japanese), doing a visual arts or business degree in Japan, and establishing a solid career and entrepreneurship for herself by the time she is about 30.

The hard worker also tries to keep improving herself by watching videos and noticing how video hosts behave and the little subtleties behind their actions.

�It definitely isn�t an easy industry, and it�s ones of the toughest jobs to get,� she said. �I�m not the most outgoing person, but I try to project my inner confidence and tell myself I have to stick to myself.�

We wish Alyssa all the very best! She will once again return to NYP Open House 2015 to host NYP Jam from 6pm to 7pm with current NYPTV student-emcees. Watch out for her during NYP Jam 2015 on Friday, 9th January, at the NYP Atrium!