Kontinentalist is a data-driven storytelling studio with a vision to bring Asia to the forefront of global conversations. We tell stories on Asia’s key topics by visualising data, working with partners and clients to bridge the gap between research and the public.
Thought Pieces from Kontinentalist
A Deep Dive into Our Editorial Illustration Process
Griselda Gabriele
12 May 2021 | 9 min read
Designing Data Visualisations for Social Media
Griselda Gabriele
17 Jun 2020 | 6 min read
How to Tell Data-Driven Stories
Kontinentalist
19 Sep 2019 | 5 min read
What is an ‘Asian’ perspective?
Loh Pei Ying
10 Dec 2019 | 5 min read
LEE HAN SHIH
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, KONTINENTALIST
About the Founder & Director
Lee Han Shih is the founder of the Potato Productions group, a collection of companies based in Singapore engaged in education, map-based narration, third-world education through digital means, medical technology products, translation between ASEAN- and major world languages, and urban farming. He started Kontinentalist out of a love for maps, and he believes things are seen more clearly when the data are visualised. His belief that many others will feel the same way about data led him to start Kontinentalist as a way to communicate complicated data and information.
He was a teacher, civil servant, and long-time correspondent with the Business Times before throwing caution to the wind to start the Potato companies. In his late sixties, he speaks Chinese and English fluently, and is able to curse in a few more languages. He thinks he is punny—though no one, including his wife, agrees. He is also a director of the Lee Foundation, which was founded by his grandfather.
Note: Potato Productions and the Lee Foundation are not affiliated.
LOH PEI YING
HEAD & CO-FOUNDER, KONTINENTALIST
About the Co-Founder & Head
Pei Ying co-founded Kontinentalist with Lee Han Shih in 2017, and she wears many hats in Kontinentalist. She leads the company in achieving its overall business and editorial goals, making strategic business development plans, and managing partnerships.
Her work experience includes stints at various heritage-related institutions, including three years at the Asian Civilisations Museum’s curatorial department. Her background and passion for history is the driving force behind many of her stories at Kontinentalist, which delve into cultural and historical contexts. With Kontinentalist, she seeks to empower voices through cause-driven stories as well as change people’s perception about Asia and its cultures.
A young and relatively green leader, Pei Ying believes firmly in collaborative decision-making as well as building empathy and diversity at the workplace and in work processes. She’s a self-starter who has taught herself all the tools of her trade, from understanding and using Geographic Information Systems to product management, data visualisation, and storytelling.
