Switching on to shop

He’s been an actor and a singer but for the last several years Puchong “Toom” Siritunyapol has been putting his talents to good use in building a business empire that includes several PSI satellite TV channels, among them Oom Maharuai TV, Champ Channel, Dara Channel, Fahsai and Grace Channel, the shopping channel Dara Manee Jewelry 2001 and drama channel Fahsai Karnsadang.

The eldest son of veteran actress Chanthana “Nok” Siritunyapol, Puchong, now 49, was also responsible for the sexy voice-over on Oom Maharuai’s pitch for the gold watches inscribed with the five-row yantra ink tattoo by Ajarn Noo Kanpai, who shot into the international limelight when he tattooed his five rows on Angelina Jolie’s back. 

“In fact, we started by helping Ajarn Noo Kanpai to sell his amulet coin on our Dara Channel. It proved so popular that I came up with the idea of the watch. That too was a best-seller,” says Puchong, who is the president of the Oom Maharuai company.

The success of the amulet distribution also prompted Puchong to set up Oom Maharuai Film. That produced its first and only movie, “Noo Kanpai: Suek Mahayan” in 2010 based on the life of the master but failed to turn a profit. It closed shortly after.

A depressed economy and the political crises, however, have had a negative effect on several of Puchong’s businesses including Oom Maharuai, which was forced to downsize its staff from a high of 1,000 to 400, a level it maintains today.

“Previously, well-made watches with jewellery were selling for Bt5,000 to Bt6,000. Now it’s hard to sell ones priced at Bt1,500,” he laments.

But this businessman is not someone to be discouraged. He recently launched Champ Music International, which is headed by former singer-songwriter Sornsak Suankaew, a veteran with six albums to his credit and a trail of hits including “Itcha”, “Jai Pla Sew” and “Khid Mai Sue”, a soundtrack of Channel 7’s TV series “Duangjai Patiharn”.

Sornsak picked the artists now signed with Champ Music International with the exception the first two: Ronnachai Panichtrakul aka Art K1 and Ekkarat Suwanaphum.

“The music label focuses on all genres ranging from luk thung, luk krung and mor lam, to songs-for-life, pop and rock and creates content for our channels. It also organises gigs for them and sells their CDs,” says Puchong.

 “In an attempt to breathe new life into our country’s flagging music industry, we organised the ‘Oom Maharuai Sanjorn’ [Travelling Oom Maharuai Show], which is like Channel 3’s ‘Sanjorn’ show. Our own artists take part in the event as well as act on television and in the movie and serve as product presenters. Champ supplies artists for TV dramas and we sell our TV content to Laos and Cambodia. I’m now looking at markets in Myanmar. I think foreigners like Thai products.”

Puchong admits that fans of the artists who record with Champ Music International are also those who pay attention to Oom Maharuai’s products.

“That’s because I don’t focus on teenagers, as they don’t have the money to spend on CDs. My targets are ordinary working people who splash out on CDs, VCD karaoke and the rest. We do however cater to the youngsters and have several pop and rock artists on our books,” he says.