Where did the idea for the company come from?
My business partner and I wanted to build a house of ”popular culture” – one that identifies trends, forecasts social movements, understands the 21st century definition of ”brand” and one that innovates constantly.
What gave you the courage to make the move into your own business?
Youth, some pathological optimism. and a good business plan. We felt confident that there was a market for what we do. Coming from an understanding of pop culture at a street level, we knew that if we could use that – we’d really get somewhere.
We went into this with a solid background of research and planning. For example, we spent three years researching popular culture trends before we launched the production arm of the company. That”s why Pophouse is different – we are thorough and meticulous without losing our creativity and flair.
What has been the biggest hurdle?
Living in a country that doesn”t necessarily ”embrace” innovation – and working in a business community that doesn”t nurture good instinct. At Pophouse we try to encourage a spirit of ”creative democracy” in our business – and everyone can participate in that. Being open-minded, expressing your creativity, putting out ideas – these are the things that make what we do enjoyable and effective.
What is your motivation?
Making something work out of nothing. It’s amazing to look at what we’ve built up and I feel really proud of what we’ve achieved. That’s motivation enough.
Who are your mentors? Inspirational books or people?
I pull in influences from all aspects of popular culture. From Martha Stewart to Cameron Crowe to Leslie Moonves – there isn”t one thing that I can look at and say ”this is my inspiration”. It all has an effect on me.
How do you stay on top of it all and focused?
There is a real understanding in the new millennium that work is not only about money, it’s about job satisfaction. So, I try to keep a sense of humour. The whole idea behind what we do is to enjoy popular culture and explore it. I work with a great bunch of people and we love what we do.
What is your top strategy for success?
Read everything!! There is so much out there to absorb. Care about what you do. Be inspired by what you do. Also, it’s really important to think before you speak. You can get into a lot of trouble when you don’t consider your words and the consequences of what you say.
Is there any advice you’d like to offer?
If you want to come up with a good idea for a business or product, you have to throw out all your pre-conceived ideas. Forget about what is possible and what makes good sense, and come up with something really wild. If you believe in the idea, and it is intrinsically a good one, you will succeed.
