DATA engineer Abdul Qayyum Halid, 28, from Sitiawan, Perak, started using TikTok last year.
The Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Seri Iskandar, graduate shares traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian, as well as Western recipes with netizens, and has garnered more than 500 million views.
"I may be an engineer, but cooking is one of my major hobbies," he said at the launch of the TikTok Awards 2024 in The Estate, Federal Hill, Kuala Lumpur, recently.
Qayyum, who began posting his videos in March last year, believes in inspiring people to pursue their dreams.
"I've learned lots and lots of recipes from my mother. She is a very good cook, and she always gives me feedback on what I cook," said the second of five siblings.
LEARNING DISABILITIES
Former school teacher Ting Shi Qi, 27, from Kuching, Sarawak, is a full-time content creator, who records interactions between primary students.
She lends them a voice to express themselves about things that they like, and her ambition is to set up her own school for underprivileged children with learning disabilities.
"Children have dreams, and it is always good for them to share such dreams. Who knows, the next major inventors or businessmen may emerge from them."
Qayyum and Ting are two of the new content creators in the running for the awards' Food Creator and Education Creator categories, respectively.
They are among the 72 nominees in 12 award categories who were unveiled at the awards' launch.
NEW DREAMS
The TikTok Awards 2024, themed "Celebrating New Dreams", aim to espouse the message of pushing the envelope when it comes to creativity and dreams.
TikTok head of public policy for Malaysia Anuar Fariz Fadzil said as a platform that intended to inspire creativity and spark joy, the TikTok Awards were a step further in celebrating fresh aspirations and demonstrating the power that dreams hold in creating a new era of possibilities for these creators."
"By commemorating local creators and their content, including e-commerce creators from TikTok Shop, the TikTok Awards will showcase truly diverse facets of Malaysian culture for viewers around the world to enjoy."
Since the TikTok Awards debuted last year, both winners and nominees have taken strides to grow in their content creation and professional careers, with some achieving newsworthy milestones with the platform.
The TikTok Awards 2024 will be held at 9pm on Aug 11 in Dewan Merdeka, World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Anuar said this year's awards aimed to encapsulate the spirit of diverse and talented community.
"We are committed to realising the aspirations of our creators by providing a platform where their creativity and positive presence can flourish."
TV3 content general manager Marlia Zul Amran said TV3 was honoured to be the main platform for the second TikTok Awards, underscoring the strong collaboration between TV3 and TikTok.
"This partnership highlights TV3's role as a leading broadcaster and showcases the creativity and talent in the TikTok community.
"The event not only celebrates content creators who inspire but also shapes our digital world, reinforcing TV3's vision to inform, inspire, entertain and broadcast fresh and innovative content to our audiences."
TWO SEGMENTS
The awards will feature two main segments: Judges' Pick and People's Choice.
For Judges' Pick, nominees are selected based on a set of criteria and evaluated by an executive panel, which will include Khairul Aming, TikTok general manager for Southeast Asian content operations Angga Anugrah Putra and Media Prima TV Networks and Primeworks Studios chief executive officer Nini Yusof.
The executive panel will judge each creator based on his or her category, such as Entertainment, Animation, Gaming, Food, Education, Sports, and Beauty and Fashion.
For the People's Choice segment, TikTok once again provides Malaysians with the opportunity to cast their votes for their favourite creators.
Public voting for the five categories (Creator of the Year, Celebrity of the Year, Video of the Year, TikTok Live Creator of the Year and TikTok Shop Creator of the Year) began on July 25 and will end on Aug 9.
CHANGEMAKER
Anuar said in light of celebrating new dreams, this year's awards would introduce a brand new award, Changemaker of the Year.
"In a digital-first era, where content creation has evolved by leaps and bounds, TikTok intends to recognise creators who have made significant impact on their communities and beyond.
"Whether it is inspiring positive change, raising awareness of important issues, or simply inspiring thousands more, this award is set to highlight and elevate those who dare to dream.
MORE GUESTS
More than 2,000 guests are expected to attend the awards, an increase from 1,700 last year.
Viewers can look forward to a star-studded night, beginning with the dynamic duo of Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim and Janna Nick as the official hosts.
TikTok creators Ceddy Ang and Ain Edruce, both of whom found their niche on the platform, will be speaking to fellow creators as they arrive for the awards as co-hosts on the red carpet.
Former beauty and fashion creator nominee Eima Safuan will be on backstage host duty alongside Daniel Fong.
A stellar line-up of celebrities and creators will grace the stage, including Khairul Aming, Ryan Bakery, Sofyank, Goh Liu Ying, Fazura and Shukri Yahya, who will be presenting the awards to the deserving winners.
Mesmerising performances by Aina Abdul, Naim Daniel, Aisha Retno, Sarah Suhairi, Amir Jahari and more are set to dazzle and excite viewers throughout the night.