Motormouth: I was the last car magazine editor in Singapore
Becoming the editor of a car magazine was the culmination of a dream for me, but I never imagined it would mark the end of an era in motoring media.
[Story by guest columnist Ben Chia]
I like to tell people I was born a car nut. I can’t exactly pinpoint how my love for cars started, but I’m sure car magazines had a big part to play in it.
While other kids my age were fiddling around with colouring books in kindergarten, I was spending my time flipping through car magazines. I don’t think I was capable of reading and understanding the words back then, but at least I could appreciate the glossy pictures of all the wonderful cars that captured my imagination.
As I was growing up, my literary diet, outside of the usual storybooks and school textbooks, was mostly a healthy dose of car magazines. I remember devouring many issues of local titles like Motoring and Torque Class. And when I was old enough to visit the public library on my own, I also discovered foreign titles like Autocar and Car to add to my reading list.
It wasn’t long before I realised what I wanted to be when I grew up. I aspired to write for a car magazine, and hopefully become an editor eventually.
I honed my writing skills in school, continued to read widely to expand my vocabulary, and even wrote letters to the very magazines that I read religiously every month asking for advice.
I entered the industry shortly after I graduated from university, partly through stroke of luck, but also thanks to the generosity of the editor of a then fledgling (now leading) automotive website.
Within a year, I was noticed and approached by one of the editors whom I read growing up, offering me a job to write for one of his magazine titles. I could barely believe it at the time, but the dream was now going to become a reality.
I spent a total of seven years, across two stints, writing for various print titles under that company’s stable. I learnt a lot along the way - from how to visualise the articles on the pages, to planning your work schedule to meet print production deadlines. It was a hectic time, but it was a lot of fun as well.
It took a while, but I eventually became editor of a car magazine. It was an ambition fulfilled, and I remember being so proud of what I’ve achieved. Whenever I met someone new, I introduced myself as “car magazine editor”, and then promptly whipped out a copy of said magazine to show them what I did.
Alas, my time at the helm was all too short. The company fell into financial difficulties and was subsequently shut down. With it marked the demise of the magazine, and also the end of an era in Singapore motoring media.
Over my decade-and-a-half career as a motoring writer, I’ve sadly seen numerous car magazines in Singapore fold one by one, as automotive content moved towards the online space.
The magazine I was in charge of ended up being the last one standing, and I never imagined that I would become the last-ever car magazine editor in Singapore.
It felt like quite an honour to have followed in the footsteps of the long and storied list of Singapore-style car magazine editors who came before me, many of whom I read growing up. They’ve given me plenty of advice throughout my editorial career, and I’m extremely glad and privileged to be able to call them my friends today.
I count myself extremely blessed to have lived the dream, even if it was just for a fleeting while. I certainly hoped I did the role justice, because I knew that I did my very best, and it was a time of my life that I will look back on with great pride and joy.
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