Composer Peter Kam Pui-tat says life isn't just about winning awards
Peter Kam Pui-tat has won almost everything a local film score composer could dream of - from two Hong Kong Film Awards to, more significantly, the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
But the 46-year-old music producer, who recently wrote the popular We Are Ready for the Beijing Olympics, says he doesn't consider winning these prizes his greatest achievements.
'Winning an award is just a moment in life. The things that happen before are more important. They are what living is really about,' says Kam, referring to the hard work that he put into music since returning to Hong Kong from the United States in 1990.
'I was already 31 [when he arrived in Hong Kong] and was too busy worrying about earning a living to dream of winning awards.'
As the son of a nightclub pianist, Kam - who studied first classical music and then pop music production in the US - knows the life of a musician involves a rocky career path.
He first worked as a freelance composer, penning music for Christian organisations and TV commercials. He also tried to sell his compositions to the pop music industry but was not very successful.