Real life stories by
the Reel media.

PASSIONATE ABOUT CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Reel Media specialises in news, documentaries, corporate videos and media training. We work in a compact team comprising of an award-winning journalist-filmmaker, producers, fixers, directors of photography who are multi-lingual, local experts with international awareness of news and current affairs. Most of all, we bring our hearts into the projects we work on, and look forward to uncovering truths to bring news to the people.

Production

Gripping real life stories

Fixing

Local knowledge for international broadcasters

Media Training

Learn from experienced journalists

Working with international broadcasters

Why us?

Founded by Jules Rahman Ong in Kuala Lumpur, The Reel Media has an experienced team, each providing expertise in their area. We provide fixing, producing, directing, camera and DOP, scripting and writing services to our international clients. We don’t waste money, providing smart solutions for you on the ground without compromising on quality. Our clients include the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Channel News Asia (CNA), PBS Newshour, CGTV (China), Deutsche Welle (German), ZDF (German), ARD (German), RSI Swiss TV, French TV2, Turkish Television, etc.

Telling it as it is

Our Commitment

To render professional fixing and production services, taking a smart and practical approach to budgeting without compromising on quality.
To provide you with sound advice about Malaysia’s cultural and political sensitivities, whilst helping you to shape your story ideas into newsworthy and critical documentary packages.
To facilitate proper filming permit and visa application, including insurance coverage for your production, equipment and transport.

Jules Rahman Ong

Founder & Director, The Reel Media (Malaysia)

Rentals

Drones,
cameras, lights ++

We assist with all aspects of your production from aerial drone footage, or rental of cameras, lighting and sound equipment, pick-up/ drop-off of gear, catering, logistics or accommodation, insurance coverage – we’ve got you covered.

Stories

Real life media

Stories

Tigers: Hunting the Traffickers

Director: Aldo Kane

Producer: Jules R. Ong

A former Royal Marines commando, Aldo Kane, is on a mission to expose the shocking secrets of the illegal tiger trade in Southeast Asia and those who profit. Working alongside fearless wildlife crime investigators and covertly filming tiger traffickers, Aldo embarks on a perilous journey along key trafficking routes connecting Malaysia, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. He reveals how the breeding and farming of captive tigers drives consumer demand for tiger products and fuels the poaching of wild tigers. Aldo’s secretly filmed evidence is presented to international decision-makers at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in the hope that it will bring about change. With fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, Aldo’s investigation also highlights the plight of a majestic species on the brink of extinction.

1. Visit THE BBC’s website to view video

2. Visit THE BBC’S Website to read article

Stories

The Plastic Problem - A PBS NewsHour Documentary (2019)

Director: Jules R. Ong

DOP: Susheel

PBS NewsHour

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years.

Malaysia returns trash, says it won’t be the world’s waste bin.

View in PBS News website.

Stories

Ahmad's Story | Violent Extremism in Southeast Asia

Director: Jules R. Ong

Cameraman: Susheel Younas

UNDP

‘When the war broke out in Syria, I felt angry inside and I wanted to do something about it’ – learn about Ahmad’s story.

Visit UNDP’s website to view video

Stories

Hashim's School of Hope (2014)

Director: Jules R. Ong

DOP: Chitoo

Al Jazeera Media Network (Kuala Lumpur)

One man in Malaysia struggles to keep his religious school open to accommodate the influx of Myanmar’s refugee children.

View in Al Jazeera’s website.

Stories

The Fight for Kelantan's Forests (2019)

Director: Jules R. Ong

Channel News Asia (Singapore)

“Because of the greed of humans, the earth will teach humans a lesson – in the form of disasters.”

As Kelantan recently experienced its worst floods in decades, the native Temiar tribe fight back desperately against logging and the destruction of the forests they call home.

View the full report in CNA’s website.

Stories

Energise the Word (2019)

Producers: Carmen Myer & Jules R. Ong

DW (Germany)

Founders in Malaysia are stepping up to the plate. German entrepreneur Fridtjof Detzner talks to them about the increasing demand for energy and their drive to find alternatives. The vision: to secure the planet’s energy supply.

This documentary series won the Bronze World Medal in the Documentaries category at New York Festivals 2018. Congratulations to the team! 🙂

Stories

Malaysia's Baby for Sale (2016)

Reporter: TC Chan

Undercover work and fixer: Jules R. Ong

Al-Jazeera 101 East

101 East investigates the sinister world of baby selling in Malaysia, where infants are sold to the highest bidder.

Visit Al-Jazeera website to view video

Stories

Special Investigation: Malaysia Invaded by Our Wastes (2019)

Reporter: Virginie Villar

Local producer and drone pilot: Jules R. Ong

France Info 2 (France)

An investigative documentary on the illegal recycling of foreign plastic wastes in Malaysia and why French wastes is ending up in Malaysia 10,000 km away.

View France Info website to view video

Stories

Malaysia's Plastic Jungles (2021)

Reported & Directed by: Alexandria Pauliat

Producer & Translator: Jules R. Ong

TRT World | Off The Grid | Documentary

Malaysia’s Plastic Jungle documentary investigates the consequences of illegal foreign plastic waste recycling on Malaysian people’s health and environment. And meet the people who refuse to be the world’s dumping ground. #plasticwaste #Malaysia #dumpingground

View it on TRT World’s Website

Nominated, 2021 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards

Get to know

Our Team

Jules Rahman Ong is a freelance journalist, news producer and documentary filmmaker. He believes that the media can help bring change, and has a special interest in making films about the environment, civil society and marginalised communities. An award-winning filmmaker, Jules has vast experience in fixing, producing, and investigative work. Jules is the co-founder of Rainbow of Love School for Refugee Children, an exco member of the Centre of Malaysian Indigenous Studies, and co-founder of Bumi Kasih Permaculture.

Download CV

Jules Rahman Ong

Director / Producer / Fixer

Chitoo

DOP / Director / Producer / Editor

Chi Too is a cameraman, editor and producer for news and documentaries with a special interest in human rights and civil society concerns. His works span across issues pertaining indigenous people, deforestation, statelessness, women's rights and civil rights. He is also an artist and an arts worker.

Tham Kar Yin is a writer, producer, and director based in U.S.A. and Malaysia. Her most recent release was an independent feature about an immigrant child forcibly separated from her mother. And she’s currently finishing a documentary on families with unstable housing in the most expensive city in the U.S. Her work has shown on television and at film festivals.

Tham Kar Yin

Writer / Producer / Director

Susheel Younas

Cameraman / Editor

Susheel Younas is an experienced DOP and cameraman who has worked with CNN, Al-Jazeera, Channel 9 Australia and Geo TV in Pakistan, shooting news packages and documentaries. Now based in Malaysia, he has widened his skills to include corporate videos, video editing with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier and creating 2D animation. Susheel is adept in a wide range of broadcasting cameras such as the Sony D-50, Sony Z5) HDV, XD Cam EX-1, CCU Cameras (Recording/Live).

A writer, producer, emerging director with a love for the great outdoors, Jasmine brings a mix of creative technology, print and broadcast media experience working with Reader's Digest, Channel News Asia, Swiss TV, Green Peace UK and The Guardian UK. She is passionate about youth, health, humanitarian and environmental issues. Jasmine received a Motion Picture Association International Script-to-Screen (Malaysia) 2nd prize for "KURANG MANIS (Sugar,Less)", a project that traces the lives of six Malaysians in new "new" Malaysia. Jasmine is a currently completing a Master of Arts Screen Business at AFTRS and a Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney and recently completed a course at NIDA's Directors Studio.

Jasmine Low

Writer / Producer / Emerging Film Director

Our Clients'

Testimonials

"I can’t recommend Jules enough. Our team engaged him on a very tricky investigative story across multiple locations in Malaysia. He got up to speed immediately and even conducted pre-interviews before we arrived. Once on the ground, he provided transport, local knowledge, a third camera and even a drone. I look forward to the day when I can work with Jules again."

Kevin Hirten

Investigative Producer, Al-Jazeera

"I've been working with Jules for the last 10 years and he is one of the most reliable, efficient, well-informed, well-connected field producers in the region. He always delivers and goes beyond expectations in terms of suggestions and problems solving. His knowledge of every aspect of Malaysia is extremely precious. It helps that he is an emphatic person, who can easily connect with people we interview and can be a pleasant companion of adventures."

Loretta Dalpozzo

Asia freelance correspondent for Swiss National TV

"I worked with Jules Ong in Kuala Lumpur in the summer of 2018. I was doing a story about the 1MDB financial scandal for BBC TV, radio and online. Jules' local knowledge -- and great contacts -- were of enormous help, and he proved to be an able cameraman. He also showed himself to be both flexible and quick-thinking when the former prime minister, Najib Razak, was unexpectedly arrested while I was there. Jules was prepared to work late into the night with skill and ingenuity to help me cover this breaking story. The week I spent in Malaysia went far more smoothly than I could have imagined because of his hard work."

Michael Bristow

Asia/Pacific Editor, BBC World Service

"I worked with Jules during the Malaysia General Election in 2018. He has an impressive knowledge of and insight into Malaysian politics, good contacts and a solid understanding of TV news production. Throw in an unflappable personality and spades of professionalism and you have Jules – I’d work with him again and have no hesitation recommending him to anyone."