The internationally renowned art and fashion photographer from Thailand reveals his work with Allies of Skin, and how the challenge of working remotely during COVID-19 motivated him to find new creative inspiration in uncertain times.
If Tom Potisit has learned anything during the past year and a half, it is to stay flexible and expect the unexpected.
After he started working for tech-savvy skin care brand, ‘Allies of Skin’ in Singapore as Head of Visual Content, he expected to follow the company once is moved its headquarters to Berlin, Germany. Originally, he was going to set up the studio himself but due to ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, he instead found himself working remotely like millions of others worldwide.
This presented him with the digital challenge of taking everything online, working closely with people from different parts of the world, all with different background and time zones. In essence it is a reflection of the product line itself, with the Allies of Skin’s brand DNA positioned for people of all backgrounds, irrespective of race, gender, or sexual identity.
It was founded on a simple goal of creating smart, effective products using potent antioxidants, probiotics, and nutrients to supercharge the skin’s ability to heal, regenerate and correct itself.
Tom reflected on how he found himself in Singapore at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 to discuss his possible collaboration with Allies of Skin. He just managed to leave and get back to Thailand before things got worst.
Potisit said, “After my return Allies of Skin offered me the position as Head of Visual Content. I went into self-quarantine and started seeing a big shift in how COVID-19 would impact media production, with the bulk of the work shifted online without a choice. As a photographer who works with a lot of people on each project, I realized that nothing was going to be easy, and I would have to tap a new creative vein for inspiration.
“Allies of Skin’s business model is based on online transactions, and they need a lot of content to fulfil the company’s multiple communication pillars. They believe that my expertise and ability would bring value and help the organization meet theirs goals.”
It also forced him to adapt and adopt new technologies and learn how to maximize the use of digital portals in order to support teams from different parts of the world, all working on different time zones. He also had to dig deep to find new creative inspiration, a very real challenge in these uncertain times.
“As a photographer from Thailand working for an international tech-savvy skincare brand, it all made me feel small, exceedingly small. In Thailand, I have the luxury of being known of my work, but I had to step out of my comfort zone to keep up with the brand’s rapid growth.
“However I also feel truly fortunate because I love that. It is a whole new game, new territory and I felt like I needed to learn how to speak a new language in order to support such a talented team with a diverse background in international brands. It is no longer about what I do, it is about the whole group working as a team to move in the same direction,” he added.
The brand is currently moving to expand into the Asian market, with China in its sights as the next target market and plans to also launch in Thailand very soon. However, Allies of Skin is already available online at Sephora Thailand.
As an artist who is fascinated by data and uses it as reference in most of his work, Potisit joined Allies of Skin to combine his photography skills with ‘Digital Data-Driven Creativity’ that supported the marketing team achieve high-performing campaigns result.
“Nicolas Travis, the founder of Allies of Skin believes in changing lives through skin care products while supporting important social (Black Lives Matter), gender equality (Mermaids) and environmental causes (Treepoints) at the same time.
“It is a fascinating combination of very ethical business practice and I want to be part of the company’s journey,” Potisit concluded.
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