CEDARVILLE — Two Cedarville University graduates, Ernest Toh and Ian Chan, have co-founded 3i Creatives, a Malaysia-based media company specializing in human-centered sports storytelling for the Asia-Pacific region.
The company officially registered as a Malaysian business earlier this year in January 2026, aiming to strengthen the growing sports media industry in Malaysia.
Toh, a 2022 graduate in sport business management, and Chan, a 2025 graduate in broadcasting, digital media and journalism, met while studying at Cedarville University.
They are combining their professional experiences with a vision to enhance sports media in their home country, focusing on high-quality production, commercial content, photography, videography and digital storytelling.
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Toh leveraged his experience gained since graduating to establish 3i Creatives. He said his professors at Cedarville University equipped him with practical business knowledge and a biblical worldview that continues to guide his career.
“Having great professors played a key part in my growth,” Toh said. “Their approach was simple: Learn all there is to learn, then stand out for Christ in a world that so desperately needs Him.”
Toh’s perspective on impactful content deepened while he served on the creative team for the University of South Carolina athletics department. He worked alongside producers of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” during the production of the college football documentary series “Any Given Saturday.”
The University of South Carolina was a featured program, allowing Toh and the University’s creative team to provide location recommendations, support story development, and contribute footage to Netflix and ESPN. This experience reinforced the value of documentary-style storytelling that emphasizes people rather than just competition.
“After working on ‘Any Given Saturday,’ I started to dream about taking the skills I had built overseas to grow the media industry in Malaysia, specifically in sport brands and lifestyles,” Toh said. “I realized that as much as people love watching games, sports connected with people on a deeper level when they were able to relate to the athletes’ stories.”
After returning to Malaysia in 2025, Toh partnered with Chan to establish 3i Creatives. “Ian and I both have a deep passion for quality storytelling in sports and lifestyle,” Toh said.
“Working in the States broadened our perspectives, and we can’t wait to continue to share what we learned with other creatives, growing the visual media community in Malaysia through our projects.”
One of the company’s early accomplishments came earlier this year in May, when 3i Creatives produced multimedia content for the PERODUA Malaysia Masters, an internationally recognized badminton tournament.
The team captured event photography, created YouTube highlight packages, and produced the tournament’s post-tournament sponsor video. This demonstrated its ability to deliver professional content for major sporting events.
Toh expressed his excitement about this new chapter. “Moving back and deciding to embark on this journey of entrepreneurship in an environment I have been away from for so long has brought some uncertainty with it, but I am excited to be back and have the opportunity to impact my home country.”
Today, Toh and Chan continue investing in 3i Creatives with the goal of helping athletes, brands and organizations tell compelling stories that inspire audiences throughout Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Through their work, the Cedarville alumni hope to elevate the region’s sports media industry while demonstrating how meaningful storytelling can create lasting connections across cultures.
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