A Look Back: Thinking Cap Studio Turns Six
It is, admittedly, not very cool or particularly inspiring to admit that Thinking Cap Studio was founded by chance. Even our company name was pulled out of thin air. Suraya came up with it at the SSM counter when our ticket number was called before we were ready and our original (and only) choice was rejected outright. So much about running a business still feels like that. Like we’re flying by the seats of our pants while acting cool and pretending to be professional pant-seat pilots.
Two months ago, we had the opportunity to celebrate a big milestone with a few of the many people who have made it possible for Thinking Cap Studio to thrive. We invited clients new and old, partners and media friends who have helped platform our work, and our suppliers whose skill and expertise make what we do look so much better. In many ways, our prep for the event felt emblematic of some of the most important lessons we have learned over the years and I’d like to share six of them with you - one for each year we’ve been in operation.
The Whole is Made of the Sum of its Parts
While it’s key not to miss the forest for the trees, much of curating an experience is about taking care of the little things. For this event, that meant making a playlist that we hoped would be drowned out by good conversation. It meant having extra ice-breaking activities on each table in case guests were seated with folks they didn’t know yet. It meant printing name cards for all our guests to “chup” their seats to ensure everyone felt comfortable, welcome, and included in the festivities. When they’re there, these elements can feel like extraneous “nice to haves” but without them – it would feel like something is missing.
Take Care of Your People
We were lucky enough to secure some great talent for our anniversary dinner. We had watercolour artist, Alice (@alicescape_), there to paint portraits; Lionel as our emcee to conduct the programme; and a photographer (@caxtonchow) to capture the highlights on film. As suppliers ourselves, we know what it’s like when the person you’re servicing thinks of you solely as a tool to complete a job, so we try to be thoughtful when we’re the ones doing the hiring. We invited all these kind folks to come early to ensure they had enough time to eat a warm meal before our guests showed up and we kicked things off.
Respect All the Way Down
At TCS we try to cultivate a culture of respect which extends to our clients and partners all the way to the abang security who has to register us before we can enter a mall before it opens. Everyone is a person and every person is worthy of dignity and respect – no matter their job title. Remembering that has always served us well (and has sometimes won us a little more leniency).
Do Your Own Thing
So much of content creation nowadays is about jumping on a trend with the hopes of one-upping the last person, or at the very least putting your own spin on it. But when you’re always looking for the next big thing with the hopes of being the first to hitch a ride on the bandwagon, you’ve already decided you won’t be the one driving. In an industry like ours, there is power and value in staying up to date with what’s “in” but there is even more so in being willing to stand by yourself. Anniversary dinners can be stuffy affairs designed to sell, show, and secure future business. We wanted ours to feel like a genuine expression of gratitude to our guests.
It’s Not About You
On the night of our dinner, we had to fight our instincts to duck out of the photos that were being taken. We often say that a good PR team should fade into the background. Not like a set piece but like a stagehand in all black ensuring everything is where it’s supposed to be when it’s supposed to be there. There certainly is a temptation to use a client’s project to achieve a personal goal like securing an ad on a prominent billboard, getting to work with a particular celebrity, or getting to execute some other super specific idea but pushing your own agenda limits your ability to see the big picture. We always want to be working with clients to come up with the best idea for their brand and budget.
Enjoy the Process
When we talk about our projects here on the website or on our social media pages, we very often exclusively talk about the outcome. You kind of have to – that’s what most people come around to see. But the most rewarding part about creating something is the process. It’s the trial and error, the iterating, the getting your hands dirty that makes the end product so much more satisfying. We put so much of ourselves into making the evening a night to remember and watching everything unfold so smoothly was the cherry on top of our proverbial birthday cake.
TCS may have been founded by chance but that’s the last thing we’ve done without purpose and intention. It’s been an incredible six years and we look forward to the everything that comes next.
