Brakes Off, Growth On: My Mighty Velo Ride

INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone! I'm Haziq, a Year 4 student at NTU studying Sport Science and Management. My internship at Mighty Velo (MV) was officially titled “Retail Management Intern,” but I know it would be much more than that. I chose this internship because I enjoy cycling. Feeling the cool breeze as I ride even though I don’t actually own a bike. I’m just a casual rider, using the bike-sharing services you see around Singapore, the blue and the green ones. I started with the yellow ones (if you know, you know) but sadly they are no longer around. Curiosity about bikes and their performance-enhancing components led me here.

Seeing as this is my end-of-internship post, grab your bikes (preferably a Birdy), and get ready for a long ride down memory lane! (or experience lane)

ACT 1: NEW FACES

Feeling anxious and nervous on the first day of work is definitely normal. All around me are new faces, and they are the faces that I need to work with for the next 20 weeks. There were two other interns when I started, but they only had two weeks left. I began my first few days of internship by diving into MV’s website to learn about their bike brands and performance differences. On my first day, MV was going to have a livestream on Facebook, something I quickly learned was a regular part of MV’s communication with its customers.

Slowly over the weeks, I found myself attached to the media side of MV. Although MV is a foldable bike company, they do have high end gears and equipment for production. It all started when one of the friendly staff, Yun Xian, asked me to tag along to go for a social media content shoot in their retail store. He was very welcoming. His guidance and encouragement gave me the confidence to create my own content. That green light pushed me to shoot and produce my first video, “From Bike-Sharing to Birdy”.

Although that was my first video, my first OFFICIAL video that has a deadline was for 2.2 Lazada Sale. One of the content creators, Maggie (who became my disastrous work bestie), who was supposed to film it, was on MC. Therefore it got pushed to me. Fortunately, she had the script prepared. However, seeing as there was not much directions in the style of the video, I had to rely on my own filmmaker instincts to shoot it with my cameraman, Mr. Tripod.

That video caught the attention of our boss, Miss Vivian, who saw potential in my acting, editing, and delivery. She encouraged me to create TikTok content and even try hosting TikTok Live for the warehouse sale.

ACT 2: THE FIRST WAREHOUSE SALE

I was thrilled to be a part of MV’s first warehouse sale in 20 years which ran from February to March, and this phase of my internship was quite challenging. There were many contents to push out and tight deadlines to meet. But the creative freedom made everything more manageable, and communication within the team was smooth.

For instance, whenever I needed custom graphics for my edits, I could easily approach our talented designers, Valarie (my other judgemental work bestie) and Jenny. During this sale was also the only time I tried to produce a video in Malay Language, as I was the only Malay in the office at the time.

The number of livestreams also ramped up to support the sale, mainly on Facebook and TikTok. I got to co-host several shows, but on one occasion, my partner had to step away to attend to customers. I had to take over the camera and describe the bikes and accessories that were on sale by myself for almost an hour. I was nervous but the live went smoothly. Throughout my stay here, I had the opportunity to co-host livestreams with different partners. At MV, even interns get the chance to be in the spotlight.

I also spent some days at the warehouse engaging directly with customers. Whether in the retail store or at the warehouse, these retail experiences not only improved my communication skills but also expanded my technical knowledge of bicycles. I often had to consult our bike mechanics, Ming Sheng, Gui Ming, and Karno, when responding to customer inquiries, which helped me learn even more.

ACT 3: OUTDOOR SHOOTS

When it comes to filming content, we are not restricted within office premises. We can actually go outdoors to shoot. During one of the series, we had to do multiple outdoor shoots, and it takes up half a day. On such days, we could pack our bags and head straight to the shoot, especially if it ended near 6pm, no need to return to the office.

Many of these shoots featured the Birdy bike, and yes, you’re allowed to bring the bikes home!  That alone was a pretty cool perk.

ACT 4: RAYA REPRESENT

My internship period runs through Ramadhan and also Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Being the only Muslim intern, I was entrusted with creating the Raya video. Even though the responsibility fell to me, I never felt alone. My colleagues were always ready to lend a hand. To capture the festive vibe, I brought a Birdy Bike to Wisma Geylang Serai. It was the best location to film because of all the Raya decorations that were already placed during the fasting month. I even wore my traditional Raya outfit for the shoot. I felt out of place initially because Raya had not arrived yet, but the awkwardness faded when I had Maggie to film me. Knowing how great the final video would turn out made it all worth it.

ACT 5: LAST FEW BIG PROJECTS

During my last few weeks of internship, I was a part of two big projects that were quite ambitious but fun to film. The first being MV’s 20th Anniversary video, which was started early April, but it is still undergoing refinement as I am typing this blog. That video was done using graphics, and was made to give out a stop motion feel.

The stop motion effect was also used for our second big project, showing the assembly of a Birdy foldable bike. Our goal was to keep it magical and ASMR-ish. No people on screen, just the bike coming together on its own. The production was fun and I had the opportunity to work with three new interns for this project. I might not be around to see the final product of both of these projects but I would definitely keep an eye out for it when it is eventually published.

CONCLUSION

To sum it all up, the internship in Mighty Velo was an incredible journey. A 20-weeks internship might sound long, but honestly, it did not feel like enough. The people here are warm, the culture is vibrant, and while the work could be stressful at times, the environment made it not just bearable, but genuinely fun.

I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to my two bosses, Mr Steven and Miss Vivian, for allowing me to ride on this internship journey, and the rest of my colleagues who was with me during my internship here - Cheryl, Lewis, Jenny, Joshua, Maggie, Yun Xian, Valarie and Malcolm. Thank you for making these 20 weeks so memorable.

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