Ahead of the release of his documentary on domestic workers, Verb talks to Gen.T about the importance of making a positive impact
“I came to Hong Kong for love, but I stayed to create,” says Gen.T honouree Tony Verb in a 2013 TEDx talk, which is a passionate defence of the city and its potential. Back then, Verb was a veteran of the entertainment industry and CEO of ticket platform Ticketflap.
“I’m just another person who wants to make a difference,” he goes on to say in the talk, which he called Project Hong Kong. The speech offers insight into the boundless energy, optimism and philanthropic spirit that in the following years led Verb to leave entertainment behind to focus on projects that more closely align with that desire to make a positive impact.
Recently, this culminated in the release of The Helper, a crowdfunded documentary he produced with director Joanna Bowers about Hong Kong’s domestic helper community. This month, the film is on general release in local cinemas for the first time—a major milestone for the project.
Little did Verb know at the time, his TEDx talk would be a crucial catalyst for all that was to follow.
“In the speech, I highlighted [fellow 2017 Gen.T honouree] Janice Leung-Hayes, who’s the founder of Island East Markets,” says Verb when he sits down with Gen.T in a sun-drenched meeting room at Metta, the members-only “entrepreneur club” he launched last year.