SINGAPORE - More local celebrities are taking on side hustles in a bid to keep multiple revenue streams flowing in these volatile times.
For some, it is about extra earning power. For others, skill expansion and finding new audiences are the best pay-offs.
From grouper to Givenchy, prawns to Prada and clams to Coach, Terence Cao is covering the spectrum when it comes to his weekly live-stream selling on Facebook.
Strange bedfellows perhaps, but he believes it is a winning formula that serves both the broad and niche markets, straddling both necessity and luxury.
Since May, the 54-year-old actor has been shilling Chanel and Hermes bags, as well as diamonds, twice a week, as part of an exclusive partnership between his live e-commerce company Sibay Shiok and luxury retailer Lovelotsluxury.
When Singapore was in the throes of the circuit breaker in April 2020, Erwin Shah Dawson became a foodpanda delivery rider to make ends meet.
With borders closed, the 33-year-old actor was unable to return to Kuala Lumpur, where he had been based since 2014 and forged a successful career.
A master of side hustles, Dawson shrugs off his three-month foodpanda stint as "just another experience", saying: "I'm quite used to doing this kind of work. Before I became an actor, I was doing all kinds of labour - mover, bouncer, waiter, bellman, dishwasher - because I had only O-level qualifications."
Celebrity couple Nick Teo and Hong Ling had been dating for four years when they co-founded bird's nest brand House of the Swiftlet in January 2019.
He took on the back-end role of handling administration and bookkeeping, while she took care of the marketing and creative side.
Despite hectic filming schedules, the Mediacorp actors wanted to make use of their free time in between shooting Channel 8 dramas "more effectively".
When actresses Pan Lingling and Xiang Yun first teamed up with local chef Cao Yong for their food and beverage brand Ju Xing Ji in early 2021, their first festive product - healthy yusheng - was a hit during Chinese New Year.
It comprised Japanese abalone, ice plants, purple cabbage, fried taro and a variety of other vegetables and was priced at $138. They sold 1,000 sets and repeated the feat this year.
Now, the Mediacorp veterans - both known to be health-conscious and lacking a sweet tooth - are offering another "healthier choice" festive treat.
Four years ago, when local radio station One FM 91.3 held a fitness campaign where its DJs tried different workouts from boxing to boot camps, Shaun Tupaz had his first taste of indoor cycling, popularly known as spinning.
The 35-year-old, who is a presenter-producer of The Big Show morning show alongside hosts Glenn Ong, The Flying Dutchman and Angelique Nicolette Teo, became a convert overnight.
He says: "It wasn't just a workout, it was an entire experience."
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.