Asaad Badree Bakar (born 28th July 1984) is better known as Bard Baker. He acquired this name while studying in Melbourne, Australia as a child at Camberwell Baptist Day. The name was given to him by Miss Barclay. Bard originated from Badree. Initially, his name was spelled 'Bad,' which is the opposite of good in English. Miss Barclay took the 'r' and placed it between 'a' and 'd,' resulting in 'Bard.' Regarding 'Baker,' originally it was 'Bakar,' but due to pronunciation difficulties, it was simplified to 'Baker.' This is how 'Bard Baker' came to be. He is of English, Chinese, and Malay descent.
He was born a miracle child. He was born seven months, on the seventh month, the seventh child, the only child, the only son. He was born seven months which makes him a premature baby. He was born on the seventh month which is July. The seventh child because his mom miscarried six times, and he's the seventh child that survived where his mom had to undergo a Cesarean delivery, which means she can't conceive anymore, making Bard the only child, the only son. 777. While there were a lot of complications like asthma, muscle weakness, and mental challenges while growing up as a premature child, Bard has developed into a strong and smart individual as he grew up. He has ADHD but has an average IQ of 125.
Bard's strongest trait is his creativity and genuine interest in learning everything. He is well-known by his peers as a 'Renaissance Man' or 'Jack of All Trades' because of his diverse knowledge and creative skills, including painting, singing, acting, and poetry. He also possesses a range of job skills, from content management, design, event management, sales, entertainment, and public relations. There is no skill that can't be learned. Growing up as an only child, life could be lonely at times, so he picked up various hobbies such as writing, poetry, martial arts, acting and singing.
Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” – Simon Sinek.
The pursuit of happiness is what Bard seeks in life, setting the difference between having a job and having a career. Bard knows which path will lead to this, but he is aware that it will be challenging.
He has to stand out from everyone else and show how passionate he is. Therefore, he initiated the 'Hire Bard' campaign, which has now evolved into something much larger than initially intended. He traveled the world, embarked on adventures, met incredible people, and here is his journey in pursuit of his dream.
Bard graduated from 'The One Academy of Communication Design', an internationally renowned, top-tier art and design institution that nurtures talents at the pinnacle of creativity in Malaysia. He majored in Illustrations and became the first Bruneian to graduate from that institute.
He then continued his training at 'Imaginism Studios', a Toronto-based studio specializing in pre-production character and concept design for film, TV, gaming, and publishing. He received training in 'The Art of Caricature' mentored by Jason Seiler, an award-winning illustrator whose work has been featured on covers and as interior pieces for TIME, Rolling Stone, Business Insider, etc. Bard then participated in art competitions on Wittygraphy, the largest network of caricaturists and caricature fans community, and won second place twice with his 'Madonna' caricature and 'Oprah' caricature. The 'Oprah' caricature was later featured on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' as one of the 'Top 10 Oprah Winfrey Artworks'. This success led Bard to receive a contract job offer to work in the United States.
Bard is also skilled in public hosting, which led him to study 'Rock the Stage: Master of Ceremonies' by Nicky Mott to further develop his emcee skills. He completed his Diploma in Project Management from the International Business Management Institute (Berlin) and a Hotel Management Certification from New Skills Academy (United Kingdom). Additionally, he is keen on enhancing his personal skills, having completed the Cheryl Porter Vocal Method Course in 2020, a Professional 10-Hour Acting Masterclass in 2022, and the Charisma University program from 2023 to 2024.
Asaad Badree (aka. Bard Baker)
Phone: (673) 8870527
Email: Bardsville@gmail.com
Address: Kg Pandan 7, spg 39-60-11,
no.6, Kuala Belait, KA3131,
Brunei
I have more than a decade of combined international and local experience in general service duties, creative design, public relations, and digital content management.
I am a dedicated learner with a comprehensive understanding of Adobe software, Microsoft Office packages, and content management systems. I possess a versatile skill set that includes general service, public relations, content management, creative design, marketing, sales, event management, and coordination.
After graduation, Bard worked as a graphic designer for 'Adinin Maha Seramik Utama Enterprise,' where he created compelling, highly memorable creative assets for product design, digital marketing, advertising, and print campaigns, while also developing photography skills. He then received a job offer to work for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line under Face Fun LLC, where he created creative designs and implemented high-quality illustrations and caricatures both on and off-board, collaborating with a global team to assist with marketing, entertainment, and advertising. Bard became the first and only Bruneian in the entire fleet.
He then returned to Borneo and started a Search Engine Optimization company where they maximize the factors that contribute to high positioning within search engines. By combining respect for a client’s business with ethical practices, they help clients maximize their ranking in search engines. Later on, the company was transferred to new ownership in Malaysia. Bard then worked for CANDAS Creative Company as a creative designer, collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team to establish the conceptual and stylistic execution for projects and campaigns across a wide range of digital media, delivering the highest quality of design for projects. However, he left the company due to restructuring.
While waiting for the next best opportunity, Bard worked for ADN MMA Fitness Gym as a sales representative and an assistant martial arts trainer. In this role, he identified and defined growth opportunities, such as acquiring new customers, exploring new market segments, and developing new sales strategies. Bard also executed outbound campaigns and managed inbound leads. Later, he was offered a position at Times Square Shopping Centre as a marketing assistant. Within a month, he was promoted to event coordinator due to his extensive knowledge and skills. In this new role, he provided the Corporate Events team with administrative support for marketing, coordinated and executed various client and internal events, and managed entry-level events.
Working at Times Square Shopping Centre was one of the best job experiences he had. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, he had to leave, and an agreement for his return at a later date could not be made. Bard's father had cardiac arrest twice and was admitted to the hospital. Later, Bard returned to the workforce by joining Snapfeed, a platform for accessing a growing list of digital loyalty programs and local Brunei information on the go as Chief Designer. He then received a job offer to work as an event coordinator for Bright Chips Board Company, where he coordinated all event requirements with both the client and staff to ensure proper set-up, successful execution, operational excellence, and superior client satisfaction. Bard was also hired by Panaga Country Club on a contract basis to design a new website for them.
Bard was the co-founder of 'My Galaxy Store,' an online merchandise store based in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his business partner, Scott Buzato. He also recently opened a small shop in Kuala Belait, Brunei, in collaboration with CN Cube Store. Bard does freelance digital illustrations at his own studio, 'Bardsville Studios,' and works as a freelance event host and singer at 'Bard's Entertainment.' Additionally, he is the founder and chief visionary officer of an online event booking company called Eventfull BN. This company offers a one-stop overview online booking system where customers can reserve spaces (hotels, stages, halls, etc.) for their events (weddings, birthdays, business meetings, etc.) in Brunei.
He is currently the Digital Manager for Celebrity Cruises onboard Celebrity Summit and Silhouette. He is responsible for all digital experience products onboard. His role involves proactively executing operational processes and collaborating across multiple teams to support digital products and operations. He serves as the primary shipboard point of contact, liaising between Excalibur and shipboard operational leaders to drive awareness of all digital experience products and ensure content and experience meet brand and digital standards across all platforms. Additionally, his role includes coordinating training and awareness for all app and crew feature releases, implementing operations to support releases, providing content tool kits/templates, and leading change management efforts.
Bard has been featured in articles such as Washington Mail, The Sun Bulletin, Daily Silicon Valley, and many more. As of today, Bard is the only Bruneian in the entire fleet.
There's a saying, 'Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show', because jobs may fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul. Bard may not have a lot of photos or videos to show of such adventures, but that's because he was living it rather than doing it to show off on social media. Bard has a great interest in wanderlust but more in helping the community. He is highly active in volunteer work and charities. He truly believes that in life, we not only live for ourselves but for others.
Bard is an active humanitarian. He volunteered at the Royal Selangor Polo Club for the Riding For The Disabled (RDA) Charity Programme in Malaysia, which helps disabled children and adults participate in and enjoy the thrill of horse riding. He guides disabled children as they ride horses to ensure their safety. Bard also volunteers at Ciudad de Ángeles Orphanage in Cozumel, Mexico once a week with his friends Roger and Erick. Together, they entertain kids with magic, clown acts, and art shows. Bard provides creative aid to Military and Veterans Organizations in the United States through their Chilli Cook-Off Fundraiser and the Wounded Warrior Project, a charitable organization that supports veterans and active duty service members. His designs were featured in the Lynn Haven Ledger in Florida.
Bard has traveled the world to help people and causes he's passionate about, ranging from animal rescue to environmental aid, and fundraising with organizations such as WWF, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Red Cross, and War Child Organization. He has incorporated this into his daily routine, waking up at 5 am every day to go to the beach and participate in plogging, a combination of jogging and picking up litter (Swedish: plocka upp). This activity originated in Sweden around 2016 and spread to other countries in 2018 due to growing concerns about plastic pollution.
Bard travels to various countries such as the United States, Jamaica, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, China, Netherlands, etc., where he lives the life of an adventurer, engaging in activities like trekking, expeditions, zip-lining, hiking, etc., because life is either a daring adventure or nothing. He completed the Arctic Circle Crossing in July 2023.
Find hobbies that you love: one to make you money, one to keep you healthy, and one to unleash your creativity. An idle mind is the devil's playground, and by engaging in hobbies, we not only stay occupied but also nurture our souls. Bard engages in various hobbies and activities because life should not be squandered by excessive sleep.
His first hobby ever since he was a kid was visual arts, which includes sketching and painting. He became the most creative student in his school and pursued that passion further through college. He joined competitions, which led him to a job at one of the biggest cruise line companies in the world, Royal Caribbean International. While working on the cruise line, he participated in hosting events, activities, games, and competitions. He then brought those hosting skills to Times Square Shopping Centre. Additionally, he performed on stage, showcasing his talents in dancing, miming, mascot entertainment, poetry, and acting. He used to perform breakdance and popping routines for corporate functions and dance battles with his crew in Malaysia. Later on, he got involved in ballroom dancing, such as salsa, tango, and waltz. Bard received vocal training in singing from composer Darious Gaspar, focusing mostly on pop and rock styles. Currently, he is being trained by vocalist Via Alya Felias in classical and opera singing. Bard will be performing on stage with his renditions of 'A Whole New World,' 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You,' 'This is the Moment,' etc., at the 'Grand Music Recital' at Panaga Club. Sometimes, he also performs songs using American Sign Language (ASL). All of his uncles, including his dad, are singers, so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the talent tree. He is also interested in playing musical instruments, mostly the guitar and drums. Bard is also keen on composing songs, drawing inspiration not only from his love for music but also from poetry. He has always been interested in poems and poetry from a young age, memorizing all of William Shakespeare's Sonnets. While working on the cruise ship, he collaborated with Simba Castano on spoken word poetry. He was highly influenced by Def Jam Poetry and admired poets such as Shihan and Erykah Badu. Bard has his own poetry page on social media called 'Bard the Poet.'
Bard is highly active in physical activities such as soccer, martial arts, and badminton. At school, Bard won the badminton doubles school championship. He also won a silver medal in the Taekwondo Borneo Regional Championship. He goes to the gym daily and practices yoga because he understands the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Not only is he healthy physically, but also spiritually. He meditates twice a day because he understands the importance of meditation. The goal of meditation is not to eliminate thoughts or emotions but to become more aware of them and learn how to navigate through them without becoming stuck. Bard also enjoys literature and admires authors such as Paulo Coelho, Rhonda Byrne, and Simon Sinek.
"Bard is an amazing person to work together, he is very smart, helpful and funny to work with and friendly. He is very talented. I have seen many clients talking about his amazing work. In short I truly would like to work together with him again and wherever he is I am sure he will be doing a good job." - Thiago Venceslau (Brazil)
"Having the opportunity to meet and personally know this renaissance man is a privilege. Learned not only in the craft of visual arts, he is also a master in the performing art of dance. From an artist to an artist. I truly admire his work and it is a pleasure of mine to have spent idle off-work time with him exchanging ideas. Kudos Mr. Baker!" - CP Alipio (Philippines)
"Bard Baker is a very sweet, humble and is filled with many talents! His work is absolutely PHENOMENAL!!!!!" - Aundreia McGraw (United States)
"Bard Baker is a wonderful guy who gets along with anyone who wants to make friends with him. Being on the ship with a lot of different nationalities, I can say that Bard is very open to cultural differences and can adapt to different situations. I remember transferring ships with him, he doesn't seem to have a problem adjusting to a new environment. He is not only one of the sweetest guys I've known but one of the most creative artists I've seen." - Min Reyes (Philippines)
"I had the pleasure of working with Bard Baker aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Not only does he have an innate artistic eye for design, but he is also very detail oriented, creative, and a diligent worker. Bard has a friendly demeanor and would be a asset to your team." - Joy Bartko (united States)
"Bard is a very nice and approachable person and always willing to help. His work is amazing, it flows well and has tons of originality to it!" - Justin Truong (United States)
"Bard is a very hard worker who possess excellent skills and as down some amazing projects. Creative mind and easy going attitude make him very easy to work with and very professional. To be able to deliver and exemplifies brilliance in is work is amazing. I would recommend bard to anyone at anytime of any given day" - Ceon Beveridge (Jamaica)
"Bard is a good guy. I met him on a cruise ship when I was on vacation. He was working as the ships caricature artist. He was very approachable and has a friendly personality. I myself was a shy person and did not make many friends without having someone know them ahead of time. I asked him to look at my own work as a conversation starter and it went off from there. Our conversation ranged from gaming to some tips on life. I took pictures of him using his camera when he was singing for the live band. With having a good personality and the level of skill he has I am sure that he will make a name for himself in history." - Jeffrey Chang (United States)