What is ‘Present’ about?
One of Present’s most unique feature is the app-launch recording, where recording begins at the same moment when the app is launched. Users no longer have to press the button to start recording and sometimes lose the most important moment.
Being location-based, users get to view videos that are recorded near-by the current location. Alternatively, videos from the featured users and their friends who are on Present too. Saving data usage or out of connection area? Fret not, with the upload later function, users can record their videos first and it will be automatically uploaded when the mobile device is connected to a network.
Beautify the videos by swiping left and right, the premium filters are wonderfully colored and tuned. Hash tagging and user tagging works just as well together with the privacy settings of making your videos visible to the public or within the social circle. Now, saving the best for the last – The Time Bomb. Record and post a ‘Present’ and set it to be published in future – a specific date and time. Good for confessions, proposals and anniversaries.
Using PRESENT to capture videos for their children’s future self, and for our future selves. Think about how it used to be that only old people appreciate the beauty of leaving behind legacies; now imagine the entire world’s youths leaving behind legacies as a way of life.
Present videos are 3 dimensions – contents, time and place. To put it simply, Present is a social video diary. All videos captured on Present app are beautifully captured in Time and in Place, forever.
Who is the man behind ‘Present’?
Growing up, Peter dreamt about meeting an Artist who because of what he create as an artist, could make his life and others around us lives better. If he didn’t meet this person, he will become this person.
As a little boy who was told he couldn’t draw and kicked out of art lesson because he couldn’t afford the $20 fee. Peter officially embarked on the journey after he finished his O Levels at the age of 16.
As Peter explains, PRESENT honours beautiful people who love life and live in the Present. It is inspiring to know that there’s someone selfless like Peter who cared deeply about making the society a better place.
What are some of Peter’s achievements?
Peter’s vision was fulfilled when he broke the Guinness World Record twice. First for drawing the world’s largest caricature of Jackie Chan on 1st Oct 2007. Second for teaching the world’s largest art lesson on 2nd Oct 2010 where Jackie Chan made a congratulatory video for Peter and children.
This coming 3rd Oct 2014, Peter has signed up a global partner to go for his 3rd Guinness World Record, which he said is to celebrate the 50th diplomatic anniversary between Singapore and Japan.
In 2011, Peter met a little boy in Fukushima whose dream is to become Super Mario. He explained “If the next disaster were to happen, I will be able to quickly drive all my family and friends away to safety in Super Mario kart”. Peter later brought young survivors together across Sichuan in China, Taichung in Taiwan, Aceh in Indonesia, Alajuela in Costa Rica to draw pictures for the Super Mario boy in Fukushima and all his friends. Peter added that it could just be easy for celebrities or other famous individual to say words of encouragement. It is however, more effective and easier to relate to someone who has been in the same plight, thus the other survivors.
How did ‘Present’ come about?
Peter Draw, Artist and now CEO of Present shares how he’s ready to fulfil a beautiful promise he made to Valeria, a young Earthquake Survivor in Costa Rica 3 years ago in 2011.
The begining of a beautiful promise
3 years ago, while travelling around the world to personally collect drawings from past survivors of Earthquakes and Tsunamis for the young survivors in Fukushima, Iwate & Miyagi prefectures in Japan, Peter met Valeria, a beautiful young survivor in Costa Rica. Valeria felt her life has lost its special meaning after the Earthquake.
Time – birthday anniversaries lost its special meaning with no one to celebrate with.
Place – home became an empty place without her loved ones.
As Peter Draw explains, his art is about creating new consciousness. What started as a work of art has now evolved into PRESENT. Peter promised Valeria that one day, she will see world that’s filled with hope and love wherever she goes. That our time and place continues to be very special, despite what has happened in her community.
3 years later, Peter is ready to fulfil this promise to Valeria.
Peter explains that today, there are still people who lived through their entire lives without knowing how it feels to be loved. There are so many places and spaces that’s empty with hope and love. With the help of Present, slowly filling up the empty spaces with love which comes in the form of many videos, or Presents.
Peter explains how we all love to go for friends and family gatherings because we feel loved, knowing that they are there waiting for us. But for Valeria, when your loved ones are no longer around, how can we continue to let people feel loved? One day, long after we are gone, what is the most beautiful things we can leave behind for our loved ones future selves?
Who does Peter’s team consist of?
When asked why is the team he’s assembled in PRESENT so young, he explained that while most people would prefer to hire the most experienced successful professionals, he prefer young people with potential. He elaborates that most successful people we see today, were once another young person with potential. He explained that he was this young person with potential many years ago, until he was given the opportunity to fulfil his full potential.
Peter says he is lucky to have assembled a team of young people with huge potential in Present. Peter believes that this small team of thoughtful, and committed young people can change the world because they cared more about solving this problem more than anyone else in the world.
Peter says this with conviction “This problem we will beat. It will happen in our time” Along the way, Peter believes he will create a whole new wave of digital assets for many people, and make this society, our society a better place.
Special thanks to Peter for his time for this interview.
Download ‘PRESENT’ from the App Store here.
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