Film editor Mark Norfolk found Hong Kong has many advantages for a businessman and expatriate family

International acclaim for Australian movie The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith spurred Melbourne film editor Mark Norfolk to head to Hong Kong to gain Asian industry experience. Arriving in 1978, he soon built a reputation as one of the most "in-demand" film editors in Asia, setting up production and editing company The Concept Room. The company is responsible for the final cut of many notable ad campaigns, films and documentaries produced in Hong Kong and screened on both silver and small (TV) screens, in Chinese, English and other Asian languages across the region. Mr Norfolk says such success was only ever possible in a unique city like Hong Kong, where opportunities still abound for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.

"The Hong Kong film industry was booming in the '70s, so I took the decision to come to Hong Kong for 12 months to gain first-hand experience under the watchful eye of Asia's leading directors and producers. That was 25 years ago and Hong Kong has been home since.

My first job here was for Salon Films, one of Hong Kong's leading production houses, and this experience was to prove an invaluable introduction to an industry in the city that I would call home for the rest of my life. I then worked for a company called the Post-Production Shop where I met my wife, who was also employed by the same company in the Singapore office.
 
In 1995 I decided the time was right to set up my own production company, and The Concept Room was born. In 1997, I opened a branch in Guangzhou, followed by the establishment of a Shanghai office in 2001.

Hong Kong is one of the few cities in the world where someone like me could arrive, identify opportunities and be actively encouraged by both industry and government to establish a business here.

The business environment in Hong Kong is very positive and it is also a city where effort is generally rewarded, so there is the incentive to constantly do better. The people of Hong Kong have always been an inspiration, not only to me, but to the many foreigners who have settled here and maximised the numerous opportunities presented to them.

If you study the history of Hong Kong, as I have via productions commissioned by organisations such as the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the resilience of the Hong Kong people is impressive. The Hong Kong Chinese have always found a way to bounce back, after World War I, after the Korean War, even after the '87 financial crisis. They have an innate ability to come back and turn adversity into advantage and that spirit I have always found quite contagious.

Low taxation
There are numerous advantages to setting up a business in Hong Kong, not least being its low taxation. The variety of nationalities working here also contributes greatly to the international business environment for which Hong Kong is noted globally, and of course, the way China is developing has also proven advantageous to those businesses based here.

Having established a business, we found that success soon followed. The Concept Room is fortunate to have been commissioned to produce television commercials and corporate documentaries for international and Hong Kong-based corporations and government organisations.
 
As a family man I also appreciate the many advantages for an expatriate family. There is a wonderfully cosmopolitan atmosphere here. Communication is not a problem in this city where both Cantonese and English are recognised as official languages, and safety, a concern for many in other cities of the world, really is a non-issue in Hong Kong, long considered one of the safest places in the world.

Travel is another area where Hong Kong has an advantage. As an aviation hub we have easy access throughout the region, with highly efficient immigration procedures that make trying to enter even my own country of birth, Australia, pale in comparison.

Hong Kong is an international city that has much to offer the many citizens of the world who settle here. I encourage anyone with ambition, ideas and a strong work ethic to seriously consider all it has to offer in order to achieve success."

Related links:
The Concept Room www.conceptroom.com
Hong Kong Tourism Board www.discoverhongkong.com