Apple Celebrates Innovators in Southeast Asia with “Here’s to the Dreamers” Campaign

To showcase the boundless creativity and resilience of Apple innovators from Southeast Asia, the tech giant is launching its “Here’s to the Dreamers” campaign this August 9th. The campaign will spotlight the journeys of several talented individuals who have overcome challenges to turn their dreams into reality. Across Apple’s various platforms, including the App Store and Apple Music, the company will share their stories to inspire others to pursue their own passions.

DreamChaser

Phuc Pham and Hiep Tran, the young Vietnamese developers behind DreamChaser, created Vietnam’s first historical pixel-art endless runner game. “My game development journey is quite rough,” admits Phuc, who courageously dropped out of university to pursue game development professionally, juggling a full-time job while developing DreamChaser and sharing his journey on his popular YouTube channel.

DreamChaser tells the story of escaping the pressures of urban life to return to a place of tranquility, with the player running through iconic Nguyen Dynasty landscapes filled with mythical creatures and traditional Vietnamese elements.”

ThoughtFull Chat

Next, the campaign shines a spotlight on Singaporean Joan Low, who left her banking job to found the digital mental health company ThoughtFull. Low recalls, “In the late ’90s and early 2000s, mental health was rarely discussed.” However, her experience caring for a loved one with mental health challenges profoundly impacted her. Low’s app, ThoughtFull Chat, connects people with mental health professionals for accessible, text-based or video therapy anytime, anywhere.

She is proud that ThoughtFull Chat’s text-based therapy is “the first in Asia to prove clinical efficacy in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.” Furthermore, Low emphasizes that the app’s approach “focuses not just on crisis intervention but also on preventative measures and overall wellbeing.”

Potion Permit

The campaign also celebrates the work of sibling duo Andika Pradana and Anggia Lestari, the co-founders of Indonesia-based game studio MassHive Media. Earlier this year, they released the charming simulation game Potion Permit. “Back then, there weren’t many educational programmes focused on game design and development. We had to compete with bigger companies for skilled professionals,” the duo recalls. However, they say they’ve “learned so much from our failures and successes, and I believe that’s what keeps us moving forward.”

Potion Permit follows the story of a chemist in the town of Moonbury, inspired by Pradana’s partner’s experience as a doctor. “I wanted to show that heroes don’t always wear armor or wield swords; sometimes, they’re the ones who support and heal,” Pradana explains.

WithU

Tyme Suteesopon and Sirin (Nanny) Thamakaison, two high school students in Thailand, developed the mental health app WithU as a project under the non-profit Crying Cloud, founded by Thamakaison. Suteesopon explains how WithU brightens users’ days by “rotating inspirational messages every 20 minutes, providing constant encourag.ement.” Additionally, users have well received the app for its “timely and uplifting messages,” and the recent English language update has expanded its accessibility to a broader range of users.

Through these creative works and the personal stories behind them, Apple aims to inspire other innovators in Southeast Asia to pursue their own dreams, no matter the challenges they may face. Furthermore, the “Here’s to the Dreamers” campaign continues the company’s efforts to support and empower innovative communities around the world.

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