SHERMAINE WONG

CHAMPIONING CREATIVES Co-founder, Cult Creative

Shermaine Wong is the co-founder of Cult Creative, characterised as a “LinkedIn for creative people, where you can find jobs and connect with peers and mentors.” A public relations whiz, Shermaine came into the creative industry in 2009, starting with PR firms before working with Harper’s Bazaar as a sales manager. After returning to PR work, the mother of three had a realisation. “I was experiencing burnout and had developed a passion for candles, styling, and beautiful things. I delved into the start-up life by founding Tish Events – an experiential events agency,”

Shermaine shares.

The event design, production and management company took care of brands like Disney, Nestle and Adidas. “These were my clients from Harper’s Bazaar, and it goes to show that the power of networking is so important,” Shermaine asserts. But when the pandemic hit, Tish Events saw ongoing projects cancelled.

“I realised then all these creative freelancers working with us lost their jobs. Cult Creative began as an Instagram account to shine a light on the creative community. It was to unite them and give them back the power to showcase their work.” A non-tech founder of a tech company, Shermain recruited fellow creative veterans Manisha Jagan and Lina Esa to grow the start-up.

The Cult Creative app is available on Google Play and the App Store with over 10,000 downloads and 4500 professionals across Malaysia, Toronto, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and even Belgium. “It has become somewhat of a global platform, but most jobs are still in Malaysia with over 400 employer brands associated with us,” Shermaine details.

Asked about her long-term goals for Cult Creative, Shermaine is firm on elevating the local creative industry. “We want to be a regional creative platform and become ASEAN’s first creator lab network. We want to enable Malaysian creatives to work in Bali and be hired by Singaporean companies. There should be borderless opportunities for all.”