Singapore's biggest YouTube success story, Night Owl Cinematics, collapsed in public after co-founders Ryan Tan and Sylvia Chan divorced and Chan was accused of verbally abusing staff in October 2021. The saga, which drew in brands, lawyers and eventually the police, became the defining influencer scandal of its era.
Ryan Tan and Sylvia Chan founded the production company in February 2013 after a failed restaurant venture, starting in wedding videography before viral hits like Shit Singaporean Girlfriends Say turned them into full-time YouTube personalities. With close to a million subscribers and seven-figure annual revenue, the couple were named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia list for media, marketing and advertising in 2016. On May 31, 2020, they announced in a 45-minute video that their divorce had been finalised two months earlier, insisting the split was amicable.
The real explosion came on October 7, 2021, when an anonymous Instagram account accused Chan of verbally abusing employees and fostering a toxic workplace culture, singling out talent Samantha Tan. Leaked audio recordings and screenshots circulated widely. Major brand partners including Colgate and Milo swiftly cut ties with the company. NOC initially dismissed the claims as a massive smear campaign and issued a cease-and-desist letter, but on October 13 Chan apologised, acknowledging she had not lived up to expected standards, and was removed from the company's artiste line-up.
The saga escalated further when a blog documented additional allegations including misappropriation of company funds and delayed payments to talents. On October 24, Chan sat for a nearly two-hour interview with influencer Xiaxue, in which she gave her side of the story and made claims about Ryan's infidelity and behaviour. Ryan responded days later, denying he had misused funds or demanded millions for his shares, and saying he wanted a clean break.
In 2022, Ryan publicly announced his departure from NOC. Chan later revealed on her podcast that the saga had triggered a 12-month criminal investigation during which police told her more than 100 reports had been filed against her, including claims of embezzlement. She subsequently joined creator company Gushcloud International. The NOC channel, once the crown jewel of Singapore's creator economy, went defunct.
The episode reshaped how Singapore brands vet influencer partnerships and remains a reference point for conversations about workplace culture in the creator industry.
The leaked materials included audio recordings in which Chan could be heard berating employees, which intensified the backlash. Samantha Tan, the talent at the centre of the original allegations, publicly pointed out inaccuracies in Chan's October 13 apology statement, keeping the story alive for weeks.
In the aftermath, Chan revealed she had endured a year-long police investigation, telling listeners on her Dirty Mess Free podcast that officers informed her more than 100 reports had been filed against her, with an entire floor of the station assigned to the cases. She later joined Gushcloud International as regional head of media strategy before pivoting to life coaching.