Jianhao Tan explains why IShowSpeed live stream failed
Local influencer Jianhao Tan has come out to tell his side of the story after he was criticised online for American live streamer IShowSpeed’s failed first live stream in Singapore on Sept 22.
In a 29-minute video – titled Why IShowSpeed’s First Stream In Singapore Failed – uploaded to Tan’s YouTube channel on Oct 2, the 31-year-old said he was approached by IShowSpeed via DM (direct message) requesting a “tour guide” on Sept 21, less than a day before the popular YouTuber arrived in Singapore.
The 19-year-old, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, goes by the moniker Speed for short.
Tan recommended places such as the Woodlands pasar malam and Gardens by the Bay, and made a booking at Skypark Sentosa by AJ Hackett, which conducts activities like bungee jumping, but Speed wanted to go to Universal Studios Singapore (USS).
Tan said he called the USS marketing director at 1am to seek a permit for Speed to film at the theme park and for VIP escorts, and sorted it out overnight.
When Speed arrived in Singapore and began live-streaming at USS, Tan said “it was very unfortunate because the first ride (Speed chose) was Transformers (where) no cameras (are) allowed” due to intellectual property restrictions.
They encountered more issues when they moved on to the Battlestar Galactica ride. Tan said: “You are not even allowed to wear a hat (or glasses) on it.”
Speed was not allowed to take his camera on the ride due to safety issues, so Tan suggested other alternatives like those in The Lost World section.
“At that point, Speed just (didn’t) want to do it anymore, so he left (USS),” Tan said, adding that he was not sure where the stream was cut off.
“What actually happened was he interacted with the mascots and then went outside USS, where a lot of fans gathered,” Tan said. “He was interacting with the fans, doing his normal thing.”
Reacting to detractors who questioned why Tan did not inform Speed that USS was not a place to do a live stream, Tan said that he did do so.
“If another content creator with 30 million subscribers, a top live streamer in the world, has a certain idea of what he wants to do, then who am I to tell him what to do with his content,” he said.
When the group left the premises, Tan suggested visiting the Woodlands pasar malam, as Speed’s team requested “street food”. Instead, Speed headed to Johor Bahru, where his stream ended at 10.45pm.
By the time the social media personality returned to Singapore to check out the pasar malam, as well as Chinatown and Haji Lane, those spots were closed.
“I don’t think he is to blame; it’s probably just bad decisions overall,” Tan said, adding that they “just had very different viewpoints”.
“I felt like maybe what he expected was Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia-style, where you don’t have to get permits, anything can happen,” he said. “But in Singapore, it’s really very organised. So content creators have to plan a bit, because one day is definitely not enough to cover everything.”
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