Growing up in Selangor, Amanda Siew had no clue that the late nights she spent watching television news with her father would eventually become part of her own career.
She recalls running to her father’s home office before midnight to watch Nightline – the news programme broadcasting daily at midnight on TV3 – listening to the late veteran newscaster Raymond Goh deliver the news.
Her father also kept stacks of newspapers at home, although Siew admits she was more interested in the comics and lifestyle sections.
“Looking back at it now, it feels like a full circle moment going from these moments to the journalism career I have built now. It’s definitely not something I ever saw coming,” she says.
After graduating in 2021, she joined KWTV – a local TV station in Oklahoma City, US – as a news producer.
Today, at just 26 years old, Siew has gone on to become the fourth Malaysian to win an Emmy, recognised at the Heartland Emmy Awards for her role in producing the coverage of Oklahoma’s devastating wildfires on Mar 14 2025.
Competing against journalists from Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming, she has also been nominated in three categories: live news producer, evening newscast and special event coverage.
Her team took home six Emmys that night, making the recognition more meaningful for Siew considering the years she spent far away from home building her career.
During the award ceremony, she chose to wear a modern-inspired cheongsam, bringing a piece of Malaysia with her onto the stage.
“It was surreal to be able to physically showcase my country on stage and to now permanently represent Malaysia and my family with this national honour.”
An important job
But believe it or not, the day that led to the award-winning coverage was far from ordinary for her.
Siew is responsible for producing the station’s 6pm newscast, spending hours researching, writing and deciding how stories are presented before monitoring the broadcast and making the necessary changes on the fly.
“I usually tell people being a news producer is like putting together a really complex jigsaw puzzle … while the room around you occasionally catches on fire,” she says humorously.
On Mar 14 of last year, that metaphor couldn’t be more fitting.
Wildfires are common in Oklahoma, but the outbreak on that day was among the worst Siew had covered. More than 400 homes were burned across the state and four people lost their lives.
She worked closely with three reporters in the field, some of whom were just feet away from burning embers, as they worked to provide the locals with information that could help keep them and their loved ones safe.
“Producing news on a regular day is already a a fairly stressful task because you are constantly adapting to unexpected changes in your show, but adding the extra responsibility of trying to warn and save Oklahomans’ lives in real time was a lot more pressure,” she explains.
It was a sobering experience, but it also reinforced for Siew just how much journalism matters.
Therefore, winning the Emmy validated the effort and hard work being put in that day by Siew and her team.
Not only that, it also represented something a little more for her.
Siew shares she has struggled with imposter syndrome and questioned whether she had made the right decision moving so far from home, leading her to miss family milestones and moments over the years.
“Winning the award also showed me that every single tear shed and hardship I went through to build my career away from home was worth it.”
She hopes her journey and achievements will serve as an inspiration for Malaysians to chase their dreams and persevere through every obstacle for their passions.
To any aspiring journalists out there, Siew advises: “There are so many life-changing stories that need to be told, and the best person for the job is you. You know your community inside and out, and there’s no better expert to amplify those voices than you.”
