The media plays an important role in informing and educating the public. It could not function without the latter. But the role of media extends beyond informing and educating – it has the ability to express opinions, rebukes, and thoughts from those who are “voiceless”.
OPEN NEWSROOM is a discussion forum initiated by Manual Jakarta that aims on providing a platform for the readers, as well as the public, to voice out their ideas. Topics that cause a stir, trends that pique people’s interest and frustrations toward problems that have people questioning – issues that surround the creative and lifestyle industry in Jakarta.
On the first instalment of OPEN NEWSROOM, we put the spotlight on creative start-ups by introducing a theme ‘Starting Up Right for Creative Start-Ups’. Held in BEAU Grand Indonesia, the forum was divided into two discussion sessions hosted by Founder and Director of Manual Jakarta, Hadi Ismanto, along with the presence of six supporting key speakers whom represent different perspectives in the industry.
Session one ‘Design Matters: Path to a Distinctive Brand’, discussed about the importance of design when it comes to building a brand. One of the speakers, Talita Setyadi of the emerging local patisserie BEAU, argued that creating a strong brand image through mindful implementation of design is very crucial in order to distinguish your brand from another. Meanwhile, Karen Djuanda of The Distillery Asia and Tisha Kazan voiced out their concerns as a business owner-cum-design specialist and a well-informed consumer respectively.
Moving on to session two, ‘Safeguarding Craft, Technique & Culture’, explored how craft, technique and culture values help to elevate a brand and also impact the industry they are in. This session brought thoughts and ideas from four key people from varying industries, barista and business owner Aston Utan of Common Grounds, ceramic artist Ayu Larasati, architect Danny Wicaksono of Studio Dasar, and Talita Setyadi.
Throughout the discussion, participants were encouraged to throw questions and opinions. And each session was ended with a period of networking, where speakers can engage with participants and further exchange ideas.
