ACTRESS, host and stand-up comedian Irene Ang is looking for a new challenge.

As her artiste management company, Fly Entertainment, celebrates nine years in the business, Irene now wants to develop Singapore's own versions of David Beckham and Tiger Woods.

She wants to turn local sporting talents into marketable sports stars and reputable brands in their own right.

Besides that, Fly Entertainment is also looking to manage the best of creative artistes from the entertainment industry, such as fashion show producer Daniel Boey and theatre director Beatrice Chia-Richmond.

An ex-Singapore fencer who won a SEA Games silver medal in 1991, Irene told my paper that she gave up her fencing dreams due to financial difficulties, and she is determined to do what she can to help young athletes follow theirs.

Said Irene, 39: "Artistes and sportsmen are similar in a way. Their career lifespans are short-lived. We're looking to work with established sportsmen on what happens after their sporting career is over.

"In addition, we are scouting for young potential sports stars. By developing their marketability together with their sporting performance and working closely with coaches and managers, we hope to provide a platform for them to get financial support to guide them to the next level."

"Some could perhaps become actresses, actors, hosts or models," said Irene, who already has her eye on Singapore's water polo boys and young gymnasts.

Irene readily admitted to my paper that she does not know how her new venture will turn out, but she quoted her motto, adopted from Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see in the world".

As an actress, she learnt first-hand about the challenges artistes in the industry faced in landing shows. So, she started Fly in 1999 - the first, and now the largest, artiste management agency in Singapore. To date, Fly has managed more than 100 artistes, including Celest Chong, Fiona Xie and Allan Wu.

With no prior business experience, Irene said the past nine years of running Fly has been a steep learning curve.

The company got into a spot of legal trouble in 2001, with three artistes seeking legal proceedings to break free from the company. While the cases were eventually settled out of court, Irene said that, since then, she has learnt the importance of legal technicalities.

The actress in hit TV series Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd also said that she might not be done playing Rosie - the role that shot her into the limelight - just yet. Talks about a show in Malaysia are in the pipeline.

She said: "And I still haven't totally shed Rosie's image yet - people are still asking me about Chu Kang."

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