Joseph Tame is the Founder and Creative Director of Wild Tame Co (based in Tokyo), listed on 50Pros as a top 50 firm in Video Production, Illustration & Animation, and Social Media Marketing.
In this Q&A, Joseph shares his in-depth perspective, unique background, robust experiences, and insightful tips.
As a kid I inherited my parents' love of cameras and photography. Later, that grew into a passion for storytelling through a photo-centric travel blog, and then videos from the road. That was 2008, and I still had no career as such - just a degree in Japanese studies.
I had just married and moved to Japan when the first iPhone was released here. That coincided with web 2.0 and the Twitter boom ...and then my first ever live stream of the Tokyo Marathon.
I was very unfit and definitely not a runner, so I figured that the best way to make it to the goal was to have a virtual support team whom I didn't want to disappoint. That stunt took on a life of its own, and I've now run it every year for over a decade. My live audience grew: one year I had 40,000 live viewers, and was featured on the top page of (the now defunct) Ustream, alongside the Oscars.
The press picked up on it, and thanks to the media buzz, I started getting asked if I provided live stream/video production services on a professional level.
I saw an opportunity and so, together with my wife, founded Wild Tame in the summer of 2011. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, but decided to just give it our best shot.
It was very tough for the first ten years. We had a very small team, two children, and a never-ending stream of work thanks to our reputation and word-of-mouth. As a husband and wife team, our lives revolved around the company and the kids (in that order); we dreamed of balance!
In the past few years this has gradually changed. Now that we have an amazing team of over twenty it's no longer all on us, and we can even take some time off now and then! To reach this point, I was very deliberate in my hiring choices, by looking at how I was spending my time, and then hiring to replace myself wherever I could.
I have learnt to be very protective of my time, and aware of how I am using it. I have also shifted my thinking so as to prioritize my health - in January 2023 I set myself the goal to exercise for at least 30 mins a day, and as of the time of writing I have averaged 70 minutes per day for seven months, with only two days missed. I am no less busy than I was last year - I have just decided to make it important. The same goes for time spent with my kids - I would rather be with them than at work, something which was sadly not the case for many years.
I try hard to cut down on distractions. For example, I have my phone set to automatically switch to Do Not Disturb mode as soon as I arrive at the office. I keep all notifications switched off, and empower my team to be self-directed.
Finally, I try to go to bed early and wake up early, giving me the mornings to get stuff done before the daily rollercoaster starts. In the summer I get up at about 4.30am; in the winter at about 6am.
Running is my meditation; pursuing fitness and good health is my selfish indulgence that will hopefully benefit all those around me.
Every day is full of opportunities to apply creative problem-solving.
Once we had our first three clients (thanks to interest generated through the Tokyo Marathon, my use of Twitter, and our volunteering to help with one of the world's first TEDx events), we worked hard and set high standards for ourselves. We never did any marketing, but our client roster gradually grew through word of mouth.
Introductions by existing clients, individuals at client companies transferring to new companies, organic search.
Continuous improvement and learning are deeply integrated into our company philosophy. I love projects that provide opportunities for learning (which the majority do of course!) We invest in training courses and coaching for our team - including 1-on-1 leadership coaching.
Finding the right people to create the C-suite.
We have amazing individuals on our team who follow the latest technologies and tools and introduce them to us from a very early stage.
Potential clients should email us with a brief overview of the project or challenge they are facing. We'll then set up a call to find out more, share more about how we work, and if all parties feel positive about partnering, we'll get started!
We love our clients, and have very open and honest relationships with them. This is how, for example, we have maintained a great working relationship with our first major client (a pharmaceutical), for over a decade, and this is why many individuals at client companies insist on introducing our agency to their new colleagues after changing jobs.
Be prepared to work very hard, and have patience.
No longer limited to live-streaming the Tokyo Marathon with an iPhone strapped on my head, Wild Tame has now spent over a decade providing:
Our diverse team of creatives is ready to take on your challenge - we look forward to hearing from you! Visit us at: https://www.wildta.me/
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