Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) School of Business Management collaborated with the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) and Nexus to produce The Call Up, a four-part video podcast series featuring the experiences and perspectives of NSmen, National Servicemen Full-time (NSFs), active personnel and family members of servicemen.

Produced by 15 final-year Diploma in Media and Communication Management (DMCM) students as part of their Teaching Enterprise Project (TEP), the series involved four days of filming and over two months of post-production. With each episode running approximately 45 minutes, students gained hands-on experience managing an industry production from pre-production through to post-production, while maintaining consistent production quality and bringing a youthful perspective to content aimed at younger audiences and their families.

The Business Challenge

The idea for The Call Up podcast was first proposed by Mr Gavin Kinch, then-member of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) and Principal of Anglo-Chinese School (International) in 2025.

Mr Kinch saw the potential of podcasts as an increasingly popular medium to make conversations about National Service more relatable and engaging for audiences. Nexus supported the development of the podcast to bring this idea to fruition.

Producing the series also presented a significant technical challenge. One of the recordings was conducted live outdoors with nine on-camera participants, including the Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamed. With limited audio-visual equipment available, the team had to manage a multi-camera production in an outdoor environment where close coordination was critical.

It was the first time NYP staff and students had managed a live multi-camera production of this scale in an outdoor setting.

The Solution

The 15 DMCM students worked closely with Nexus and other stakeholders throughout the production, from conducting site recces and planning the set design to preparing National Service-related props, rehearsals, filming and post-production.

To manage the technical demands of the outdoor recording, the students carried out extensive equipment testing and pre-recording checks. This preparation helped the team minimise potential technical issues and enabled the actual production to proceed smoothly without disruption.

The students also brought their understanding of younger audiences to the creative process, incorporating emojis, memes and other Gen Z cues to make the content more relatable while retaining the intent of the conversations.

Outcomes and Impact

The Call Up was released on MINDEF’s YouTube channel on SAF Day, 1 July 2026, and has garnered approximately 42,000 views to date. The series also received wider publicity through CNA, with coverage online and on television.

Watch a highlight from The Call Up here.

The students delivered a professional-quality video podcast series at an estimated 10 to 20 per cent below prevailing market rates, demonstrating how student talent could contribute meaningfully to an industry production while creating value for the partner.

For the students, the project provided authentic industry experience in managing a large-scale media production, from stakeholder coordination and production planning to filming and post-production. The completed series also serves as a strong portfolio piece showcasing their applied capabilities across media production, communication and project management.

The project also strengthened NYP staff’s experience in managing multi-camera recording and live production workflows in a complex outdoor environment.

The collaboration did not end with The Call Up. Nexus and NYP have continued working together on further media production projects, extending the partnership into new opportunities for students to apply their skills to real-world industry work.