Shamayne Leelawati Samarakkody
Editor-In-Chief, Astro View Magazine, 2008
Diploma in Multimedia, Advertising & Broadcasting
You have to have the passion. Be ready to work long hours, work on weekends and late nights. You have to learn not fret when you need to re-do your work and you certainly have to be deadline-driven.
12 September 2008
Official Website
Call her Chief!
Written by Christine Chan
Christine Chan managed to catch up with her to find out what she has been up to all these years.
As a teenager she thought she was headed for a career in accountancy but the idea just did not appeal to Shamayne Leelawati Samarakkody who opted out to try her hand at public relations and in the end found her calling in journalism.
A graduate of Limkokwing University’s Mass Communications programme, Shamayne enjoyed her time at Limkokwing and she is very proud that it has now grown to become a global university with campuses across the world. Shamayne was among the first group of students who joined the University when it began as an Institute in the early 1990s.
Being able to deal with people is a tough job at times. You have to know how to talk and know exactly what to say to avoid miscom- munications and to get the jobs done on time.
An outstanding student Shamayne left to start a career as a journalist with a local newspaper – The Sun – and moved on to become a feature writer with Female magazine. From there she jumped to become Beauty Editor at Cleo where her talents moved her up the corporate ladder to become the magazine’s Editor-In-Chief.
In 2005 she helped to launch a new magazine called OK before landing her current position as Editor-In-Chief of Astro View and Astro View Traveller magazines. At Astro she also oversees the magazine in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin versions.
What are the challenges Shamayne faces in journalism? “Being able to deal with people is a tough job at times. You have to know how to talk and know exactly what to say to avoid miscommunications and to get the jobs done on time. Deadlines are another challenge, you need to be fast and quick. You just can’t miss it!” said Shamayne.
Shamayne majored in Public Relations and even worked as a Public Relations executive in a hotel for a year after graduation. How did she stumble upon journalism then? “I called up my former lecturer, Ms Pereira for a food tasting session for Buka Puasa. She was then the editor of The Sun newspaper. The moment she saw me, she said I had potential and talent in the journalism industry and persuaded me to join The Sun for eight months! I took the leap and the rest was history.
The journalism industry in Malaysia is quite small and you have the same people moving from one magazine to another. It was a challenge to launch a new magazine especially since it was to a multi-racial audience. As a magazine with an English title, you can’t expect everyone to read it which is why you have to cater specifically to your target audience,” added Shamayne.
There is no such thing as failure. Everyday you learn something new and there are always room for improvement in everything you do.
“You have to have the passion. Be ready to work long hours, work on weekends and late nights. You have to learn not fret when you need to re-do your work and you certainly have to be deadline-driven, if not, you won’t be able to survive in the industry,” said Shamayne.
Shamayne defines success as “When a person is truly happy with their life.” Failure on the other hand is not in Shamayne’s vocabulary. “There is no such thing as failure. Everyday you learn something new and there are always room for improvement in everything you do.”
She has been a go-getter from the time she was a child. Her ambition was to be successful and climb the corporate ladder to the top. “I am generally very ambitious and have the urge of achieving more and do more in life,” said Shamayne.
Shamayne is well-attuned to the fundamentals that lead to success. Her self confidence and burning passion have helped to propel her forward. And we are certain that we will hear more of Shamayne as she moves to the next level of success in her journey forward.
