Spencer Azizul

Congrats Tan Jit Seng!

Jit Seng will be at MPH in TRX on 16th June 2024 from 12pm - 2pm for a book talk. Be there to support him if you can.

Good opportunity for a catch up too…

A chanced meeting.

Ran into Tan Jit Seng recently. I invited myself to his upcoming book launch. Let go and support his third book launch. (Details to be confirmed…)

Chance meet up with Gerald Kwok this afternoon at the studio home of Stan Lee.

At the behest of David Chan, I managed to locate David Lau of Hilton photographer and he arranged for a sumptuous lunch meeting. At 83, Lau is hale and hearty. He can still drive!

When I decided to leave the employment of McCann, David was amongst the first to wish me well. He also introduced my first two paying clients. Orient watch became one of our top client in our early formative years.

So good to be able to say our thanks to him after all these years.

In December 2022, I ran into Mitchelle Tan at a wedding party. Mitch was a copywriter with us for a season way back then. She now reside in Tokyo with her husband. “Spencer Azizul has a campus atmosphere,” she says.

Lunch meet up with our ex Art Director, David Chan who is back for CNY holidays in KL. Despite living in Canada for decades, David still knows Pudu very well.

What a pleasant surprise to run into Farida a few evening ago. She stopped me in my tracks and asked if I knew who she was. “Faridah,” I said without hesitation. I am usually poor in the area of names, but that evening I was clear. I surprised myself. Thanks Faridah!

The James I knew

First, I want to thank my good friend Omar Shaari for writing a tribute to our late friend James Selva, which you will find in this issue.

But his passing was so sudden, I had to take a few days to gather my own thoughts about the man.

You see, James and I are fellow publishers. In fact, he was a publisher before me. Like all accidental publishers, we were thrust into the business as professional ad men and we were not hard core publishers with templated processes.

We broke every rule in the book.

He first.

James was fiery when required, but the man had a heart of gold.
He told off association committees and “experts” at will. And yet he will selflessly spearhead their events and gave his all when organizing them.

I think our industry never really matured itself enough to distinguish between James the media guru and James the businessman.

But James was not alone.

Those close to him knew the true man. A man who would pick up strays and bring them home. And I mean that he did this more than a few hundred times.

James was a deeply religious person who single-handedly made Malta the favourite Guinness drink at our socials.

When he championed publishers by setting up the Magazine Publishers Association, his supporters were there for him.

In fact, advertisers in his Media Planning Guide were always confused when he asked them to renew their ad every year. They assumed they were already advertising with him by default.

A handsome man with a full frame face, and equally generous smile, you could see all his 32 I bright white shiny teeth. We joked that he was the perfect talent for a toothpaste ad.

But it was his eyes, combined with his smirk, that gave away the rest of him.

There was always that glint of mischief that reminded us something was brewing and we looked forward to his next move.

James got away with so much mischief, it was as if the universe had his back. One day he teased a common friend so much I thought they were going to fight. But nothing happened.

They remained close till the day James passed on. True friends are a rare breed.

One could never fault James for long. He was such a towering figure despite his height. And he held up the mirror to ourselves.
I know the media world today is vastly different from James’ hey days. But I want to add his clients trusted him so much, they had to ask James what was their plan he had in his head. He was their guiding light when it came to media, bar none.

And I know one thing for sure: wherever he is now, he will still be the playful James I have known all my life. Here’s to your glass of Malta which you always never finished.

We will miss you dearly.

May your soul rest in peace.
by Omar Shaari

I first met James Selva when I joined Spencer Azizul back in its heydays in 1992. James was the Media Director and head of the media department then. I joined as an Account Director, straight out after a good 7 year run at The Ball Partnership/Euro RSCG.

Those were the good old days, working for Azizul Kallahan and Spencer Wing, alongside Bruce Bendry, Veno Chornalingam (founder of Wizard’s Room), Chun Wan, Mohammed Iqbal, Prabha Nayar (founder of EpicWorks) and Azman Zainal (cofounder of DNAComms), to name a few. Yes, you can say we all went on to make our own mark in the rough and tough world of advertising.

James was no exception. He went on to establish Perception Media where he published a series of magazines and directories related to our industry. One of his notable achievements was to publish the Media Planning Guide annually, the only one of its kind in Malaysia.

James also held various positions in other non-profit organizations and NGOs, including as Secretary, Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA).

The James Selva as I know was knowledgeable with a strong business acumen, a religious man, a family man and a good friend.

I still recall when I first started OT Advertising in 1997, a two-man show with another ex-colleague from the Ball Partnership days, Thomas Low. James was among the first to jump in to help me gain my footing in the dog-eat-dog business world. And he did all these without even me asking for it. As it was said, you will know who your real friends are, when you start out on your own. For that alone, I am indebted to this man.

May your soul rest in peace.

Omar Shaari
Vice-President
IAA Malaysia

Last Sunday, I received shocking news of James sudden passing.

I called his phone and his daughter confirmed the news.

"Dad has not been feeling well," she said.

I had met James early in my ad career at Clover Advertising, a small local ad company. We had the good fortune when he showed up at SpencerAzizul during the early years.

I had the opportunity to meet him many times in recent years.

Farewell Ralph Neeraj.

We were sadden to learn of the passing of an old friend yesterday. Ralph worked with us for two years or so and was mentor to several of out younger staff.

RIP, Brother.