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Having dreams and working to turn them into reality is the way to succeed, says renowned producer and director Clifton Ko Chi-sum.

  Ko recently teamed up with television personality James Wong to found the Practical Learning Academy with the aim of organising seminars on innovation and creativity.

   The academy enjoyed great success in April with its combination of stand-up comedy and seminars to bring Hong Kong audiences a new form of talk show.

  Ko won acclaim for stage shows such as I have a Date with Spring and Sentimental Journey. He has also directed a number of movies, including Happy Ghost and Money Is Rolling In.

  His advice to those aiming for the top in a competitive and rapidly changing environment, was to not fear hard work and to strive to improve the quality of their work. He said people should have dreams and visions of their niche in society.

  Ko said he had dreamed of a directing career from a very young age and he worked to make it a reality.

  During his school days, he was active in producing dramas and writing scripts. He also went to the cinema to learn directing techniques. With this experience, he got work as a scriptwriter with a television station when he completed his secondary education.

  At the age of 25, he gained a foothold in the mushrooming movie industry and directed his first movie Happy Ghost. He was said to be Hong Kong's youngest film director.

  Growing up on a public housing estate, Ko said he had no chance of going to university, so he concentrated on using his strengths to find his niche in life.

  He said youths today were easily frustrated because they were over-protected by their families. They were afraid of hard work even though they grew up in better conditions and received a better education.

  In today's competitive environment, where opportunities were limited, he advised youths to constantly upgrade their knowledge. 'They should remember 'quality' under all circumstances.'   He said youths who demonstrated that they could work hard and produce quality work would be the ones to succeed in the next economic boom.

   He also stressed the importance of dreams and visions. Without them, young people would have no motivation to push themselves towards their goals, he said.

  Ko believes his own story could inspire young people struggling in today's harsh economic climate.

  Following the success of the first talk shows, the academy will run another series of seminars on dealing with adversity and strengthening communication skills next month.

  Like the previous seminars, these will also present information in a lecture/talk show format.

   Ko and his partner believe this style of 'edutainment' has a wider appeal.

  'Stand-up comics may only entertain an audience and formal lectures may bore them. So, we combined the two and developed our own style of talk show,' Ko said.

  The seminars will be held on November 7 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.



Success depends on turning dreams into reality, says movie director