We spoke with Shooby Kandel, Co-founder and Account Director at Mude – a digital marketing agency that resides in the coworking space at the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). Driven by a passion to create, they offer video, graphic design, and web services.

What’s the origin of Mude? How did you get to where you are now?

I met my co-founders Ben and Taka through Innovation ACT in 2015. They were already planning to start an agency offering video and music production. With my background being in business and IT, we seemed like a good match for each other, so we incorporated the company together that year.

We gradually expanded our service offering into graphic design, then web design/development and branding.  As our team and skills grew, so did our networks and the size of projects we’ve been delivering.

In short, the pitch today is that we run a local creative agency providing creative solutions across brand, digital and video for a range of clients across startups, SMEs, government and corporate. Check out the 60 sec pitch here [which was recorded for First Wednesday Connect].

What does a typical day look like for your team?

Most of our team is spread across CBR, Sydney and Melbourne so we have a heavy reliance on Slack for communications and Monday for project management and sales. Days will usually start with a brew and planning conversations around projects we’re working on and new projects in our pipeline before the team gets into their day.

Because of the range of our services, a day across our team is really broad, it could look like anything from planning and doing the creative for a video shoot, editing, client workshops, milestone meetings with clients, designing a website and brand, etc.

Tell us about what you’re working on right now

On digital side, we’re helping a local premium cake business manage clients more effectively and have the confidence to charge more for their product through a luxury brand and website, working on the development of a website and portal for a local community housing provider that’s going to solve a ton of problems and make their processes more efficient too.

On the video side, we’re wrapping up a brand and explainer video for a NSW utility provider to better communicate with their audience and we’re about to start planning for a series of training videos targeted towards Defence veterans.

What’s your favourite thing about being part of the coworking space at Canberra Innovation Network?

The community is great and opportunities to network and grow your business come along often. Being able to tap into someone from CBRIN when I have a challenge to work through is great too.

How do you think creativity and innovation work together?

I think creativity breeds innovation. I like the below quote, creative minds building on each other’s work over time is what leads to new innovations.

“Technological innovations are often not the output of any single individual but the result of collective and incremental efforts over time. Concepts, ideas, and discoveries of predecessors inform problems anew, such that designs may be honed, flaws corrected, and efficiency increased” (Carr, Kendal and Flynn, 2016).

How has the Canberra Innovation Network helped you?

By providing access to their services, mentors and events. Our business wouldn’t be where it is without them.

What are the key company milestones for the next 6-12 months?

Pre-covid we’d just moved into a new studio in Sydney. We’re planning to commercialise the space and open it up for film/photography studio and event bookings. We also plan to refresh our own brand and website to better reflect our goals and positioning! We want to be recognised as a leading agency across brand, digital and video services. We’re also going heavy on our own comms and marketing. This means regular social media updates, EDMs, blog posts and digital advertising with staff dedicated to it.

Who should connect with you?

Anyone looking for a creative solution to their business problems or to better connect with their audiences. Always happy to consult!

Get in touch with Shooby to see how you can collaborate.

See what Mude have been up to recently: view their latest showreel and check out their latest company update.