Chariot Agency puts their money where their mouth is to promote people-first culture

Chariot Agency is set to showcase its talents to Malaysians. Not through a pitch, campaign, or piece of work though. No. Chariot Agency is bringing its talents to the 2024 iteration of Kuala Lumpur Illustration Fair (KLIF).

Going by the Chariot Collective during the festival, they are set to open a booth that features The Breakfast Chubs – three Malaysian strays turned food reviewers. Neyo the street cat, Birbirt the pigeon, and Siti Kus the rat, are poised to make their debut at the event with official merchandise featuring their many foodie adventures.

Chariot Collective consists of agency creatives: Amy Tan, Dennis Tew, Iqbal Othman, Jessie Lim, Samantha Tan, and Syahrul Azril. This initiative is a testament to Chariot’s dedication to its people-first culture, and creating an environment where employees are encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. By supporting their artistic endeavours, Chariot not only enhances the well-being of its team but also enriches the creative landscape of the advertising industry.

When asked about Chariot Agency’s reason for this initiative, Managing Director Adrian Cheah had this to say: “Many people have dreams and passions outside of work that they may abandon due to a lack of resources or support. At Chariot, we value these dreams and are committed to helping bring them to life.

Supporting employees’ passions stimulates creativity and new ideas that they can apply to their roles. This diversity of experience provides fresh perspectives and innovative solutions for our clients’ business challenges. Additionally, it strengthens the relationships between the company and our employees.”

According to Jarrod Reginald, Executive Creative Director at Chariot Agency, an experience like this can only make them better creatives. He adds: “KLIF was the perfect opportunity to let the team explore their creativity beyond advertising, and bring back the joy of just creating – without the brand roles, or sales targets, or KPI objectives.

It reminds us why we’re in the creative business in the first place. All of us in the team identified ourselves as creatives, way before we were ad people. And it all goes back to the culture we are creating here.”

Agency culture is led by Vanessa Pang, Senior Agency Manager, who played the part of producer. “When KLIF was first brought up, we weren’t sure if our colleagues would even be interested. It was a self-starter project that they would have to juggle on top of their day-to-day work, and all we would do was provide them the means to make it happen.

But they took the opportunity and ran it like it was their own. It’s been a joy to watch them bring the Breakfast Chubs to life, and whatever comes out of it is a product of their own blood and sweat. We hope that seeing how fulfilled this experience made them will encourage other Charioters to seek outlets that bring purpose to their work.”

While it’s the Chariot Collective’s first debut, it is not the first time the agency has supported other Charioters in bringing passion projects to life. They have also lent a hand in creating comedy show posters, producing a rap album cover, and publishing a book.

The Breakfast Chubs and the Chariot Collective will be at KLIF from May 3 – 5 at GMBB KL. Drop by their hideout to see where their foodie adventures have brought them, and have a chat with one of their creators.