The Future of RICE Media

SINGAPORE, 29 March 2026 — RICE Media, Singapore’s leading independent cultural publication, has been acquired by Hustle Studios, the creative studio arm of Hustle Singapore, marking the beginning of a new chapter for one of the country’s most trusted voices on Singaporean society and culture.

Hustle Singapore has been a longstanding training partner of RICE, working alongside the publication to develop creative skills for Singapore audiences. The acquisition deepens that relationship, bringing together RICE’s editorial credibility and community reach with Hustle’s expertise in learning, facilitation, and training programmes in the creative industry.

“We started RICE because we believed Singaporeans deserved honest, thoughtful storytelling about their own lives,” said Mark Tan, outgoing founder and CEO.

“I think we’ve largely accomplished that mission.”

Co-founder Julian Wong adds, “What we’ve built over 10 years has gone far beyond just content creation. Instead, we’ve built a community of people who want to think seriously about Singapore and their place in it. Hustle shares this vision, so this felt like the right home.”

“What stood out to us was that RICE was never just a publication. For the new generation, it has always been part of Singapore’s cultural and creative infrastructure,” said a representative of Hustle Singapore. “Our role is to support its next phase: not just continuing the storytelling, but creating more spaces where Singaporeans can reflect, create, and connect with one another.”

The acquisition comes at a time when many Singaporeans are navigating significant uncertainty, whether about careers, cost of living, or what the future holds in an era of rapid economic and technological change. In conversations with RICE readers conducted last year, recurring themes included burnout, the search for meaningful community, and a hunger for creative expression outside of performance metrics.

RICE and Hustle Singapore intend to respond to this directly.

Under new ownership, RICE will expand beyond publishing into creative industry programmes, workshops, and community experiences, building on the audience it has earned while exploring new ways to bring people together around the questions that matter most to them.

“Singapore is not short of information,” said a representative of Hustle Singapore. “What many people are looking for today are spaces where they can make sense of change together, beyond just through content, but through participation, learning, and creative expression.”

The goal is not simply to sustain what RICE has been, but to grow into what its community has been asking for. During this transitional phase, founders Mark Tan and Julian Wong will continue to serve in an advisory capacity.

RICE Media will continue to publish at ricemedia.co. Further announcements about new programming and community initiatives will follow in the coming months.

Founded in 2016, RICE Media is an independent Singapore publication known for honest, longform storytelling about Singaporean identity, culture, and everyday life. Since its founding, RICE has built one of Singapore’s most engaged communities of readers across digital and live formats.

About Hustle Singapore

Hustle Singapore is a creative academy that develops programmes, workshops, and experiences across storytelling, design, media, and digital skills for individuals, organisations, and institutions. Over the years, Hustle has worked with a wide range of industry partners, brands, and communities, and has become known for building accessible pathways into the creative economy while supporting the growth of Singapore’s creative talent ecosystem.

Media enquiries

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