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Deep Dive in Design with Kelley Cheng: When will I, will I be famous?
Cosentino Singapore hosted the final talk in the series with three prominent design editors sharing tips on smart media pitching for budding and veteran designers
It’s a wrap for the inaugural quarterly talk series, Deep Dive in Design, hosted by Cosentino City Singapore and Kelley Cheng of Studio SML! Of course, it ended with a bang to a full crowd catching the closing light-hearted session that was specially curated for both budding and veteran design practitioners: how to get famous?
Titled “When will I, will I be famous?”, the session brought together three prominent design editors based in Singapore for a panel discussion with Kelley Cheng on how to pitch a project to the media, how to get published, how to maintain a good relationship with the press, and how to get famous through clever media exposure. They are Marc Almagro, Young Lim and Ar. Razvan I. Ghilic-Micu.
For the uninitiated, one of the most frequently asked questions about media pitching is how to get started?
Marc prefers to receive pitches in the form of a well-written, succinct press release. “Understand the target audience of the publication you are pitching to; I need a story, a voice that is unique. If it is something that my audience will enjoy reading, I will pursue it,” explains Marc, who is the Editor-in-Chief of Media Group Pte Ltd which publishes magazines such as SquareRooms, d+a, Portfolio, to name a few.
Meanwhile, Young prefers to keep his ears to the ground. The Editor-in-Chief at Home & Décor Singapore actively looks out for new happenings and trends to create memorable stories for the magazine’s readers. “There are a lot of internal processes that we need to undertake before a project is finally chosen and published, and some don’t make the cut. My advice is to keep sharing with us your new projects,” shares Young.
“Conceptual clarity and great photography,” quips Razvan on his top tips on media pitching. He is a practising architect and current Editor-in-Chief of The Singapore Architect (TSA) Magazine that has transitioned to a fully digital magazine in the past year.
The panellists also discussed the relevancy of print media in this day and age where digital platforms seem to rule. Marc believes print is still relevant, especially for those who love the feel and experience of reading. He says, “Consumable information goes digital, while something that you want to hold on to goes to print.”
To Young, print and digital platforms such as social media can cater to different audiences, though there are overlaps. He shares that while print still holds a more premium placement in the publishing world, he earmarks many contents online due to its mass reach.
Ending the session, Razvan added a pearl of wisdom for fellow architects and designers, “Being consistent with what you care about and what you honour is important. Your authenticity shows in the work you do.”
Deep Dive in Design is a series of quarterly talks that is curated and moderated by the Creative Director of The Press Room, Founder of Studio SML, and President’s Design Award Recipient, Kelley Cheng. The series aims to shine the light on all things design-related, enabling designers of different genres to come together and discuss architecture, design and life. This collaboration builds on C-TOP Design mission to support design professionals at all stages of their creative process.
The previous three sessions of the series touched on topics related to climate change, sustainability, urbanisation, and subjects that resonate with both the architecture and design fraternity, and the general population of this red dot island.
Speaker profiles:
- Razvan I. Ghillic-Micu, Editor-in-Chief, The Singapore Architect
An extroverted all-rounder and great communicator, Razvan leads Commercial Architecture at Hassel Singapore. Outside of practice, he is active in the Singapore Institute of Architects as the Chief Editor of The Singapore Architect (TSA) Magazine and was the Festival Director for Archifest 2021.
- Marc Almagro, Editor-in-Chief, Media Group Pte Ltd
A veteran in the media and publishing world, Marc has amassed three decades of industry experience and has helmed magazine titles such as The Peak and Portfolio, amongst many. As a digital content creator, he hosts a podcast series on business dynamics and a video presentation on culture and the arts.
- Young Lim, Editor-in-Chief, Home & Décor Singapore
Having started his media career as a PR specialist for luxury travel brands such as One & Only, COMO, Eastern & Orient Express, Young’s passion for design led him to becoming a design writer for The Peak magazine before taking on the role of editor for Tatler Homes and his current portfolio in Home and Décor Singapore.
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