The BUddy Post – HKBU Alumni Affairs Office

While art/culture and business may seem unassociated, the two subject matters actually have a lot of exciting opportunities in between. Alumna Lisa Tsang Ching-man (Music; Business Management), who was Executive Producer and Manager, Events and Entertainment of Ocean Park, Production Director, Entertainment of Hong Kong Disneyland and Head of Venue Operations, Performing Arts of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, and currently Head of Operations of Tai Kwun, shares with us her insights on blending entrepreneurial mindsets into art and culture. She also upholds the conviction that she is able to keep surpassing herself, such that her latest work can always outshine the previous one.

Transition from Music to Business

Alumna Tsang is fond of music since childhood, during which she obtained a performance diploma in piano and was first violinist at orchestra. Later on, she enrolled in the Pre-Music programme at the then Hong Kong Baptist College (HKBC). It was out of her expectation that the two-year studies altered her career direction. She recalled, “During my studies, I realised that I might not be suitable to be a concert musician; the path for musicians in Hong Kong was also pretty difficult, so teaching was the major prospect for a music major. After some serious thought, my conclusion was to focus my career development on art management. With my knowledge in the field, this could be my way out.” Subsequently, Lisa decided to study Business Management at HKBC after completing the Pre-Music studies. Though it was definitely a tough start for her as she transited from dealing with music notes to business theories, she was perseverant enough that she could catch up with the pace of her classmates following a year of hard work, and graduated with a major in Marketing later. While studying Business Management, Lisa still maintained her connection with music by joining the HKBC Girls’ Choir as the piano accompanist, gaining valuable experience of performing overseas that left imprints on her mind.

Strive to be the Market Leader

Alumna Tsang worked in the business field for several years after graduation. The practical experience in the field enabled her to quickly grasp the skills of practicing business theories and negotiating business deals. Equipped with the necessary skillsets, Lisa then concentrated her development in the entertainment, art and culture industry. In retrospect of nearly 30 years of career, Lisa shared that her job at Ocean Park was the only one she applied for. She elaborated, “I genuinely like dolphins, and at that time I noticed that there was a job opening at Ocean Park so I immediately applied for it. Fortunately, I got the offer despite the fact that I lacked the relevant experience and seniority to meet the requirement. I originally planned to work for a year; however, I became more fascinated with the job as time went by. I had full autonomy on how to spend the annual budget, hence I could create and produce programmes which I believed could attract the target audience and align with the positioning of the Park. It was really my dream job as it allowed me to merge business concepts with performances, and eventually I stayed at the Park for 11 years.” During her tenure, Lisa produced numerous programmes which were deeply rooted in our heart. Apart from the Halloween Bash launched in the 2000s, she introduced the storytelling concept in high diving performances, which attracted members of the industry to take reference. She said, “Marketing people usually strive to be the market leader; therefore, I always hope I can be the pioneer of the industry.”

Surpassing Herself as the Goal

Alumna Tsang continued her fantastic journey at another major theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, as Park Producer and Production Director, Entertainment. Later on, she slightly changed her path to art and culture industry in 2014, being Head of Venue Operations, Performing Arts of West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) Authority and now Head of Operations of Tai Kwun. When talking about the change of role from programme production to operation management, Lisa shared that she did not feel dull at all; contrastingly, the work was challenging. She explained, “In my capacity as Head of Venue Operations at WKCD, I need to broaden my horizons and sharpen my business acumen in the cultural industry in order to formulate a comprehensive long-term business strategic plan which could facilitate WKCD performing venues to run on a more sustainable business model. This is extremely challenging as this model is completely new here.” Lisa always brings the spirit of surpassing herself at work, so she could hardly give an answer when being asked about the most satisfactory work/moment because she always craves for innovation and anticipates the next project to exceed the previous ones. Meanwhile, as Head of a team, she hopes she can influence her team to strive for excellence and continued improvement. 

Stay Focused to Become an Expert

When talking about how to unceasingly add new elements to work, alumna Tsang shared that she loves to watch various kinds of performances at her leisure, including drama, dance, music, Chinese Opera, Broadway Musical and acrobatic productions which can all bring inspiration to her work. She specifically mentioned Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting, a very popular dance and poetic drama she watched during her long trip to the Mainland during the pandemic last year. Not only was she deeply impressed by the performance from choreography, dancing, hair style to costume, the drama is also a stimulation to her work since it is a modern interpretation of traditional culture. Last but not least, Lisa advised young alumni who are interested in joining the industry to specialise in an area for development with the aim of becoming an expert. Furthermore, she encouraged young people to study arts and entertainment law, as talents in this aspect are in demand to help safeguard artistic creation and intellectual property for the sake of long-term development.