Promoting yourself (and of course, your unmatched skills) can be one of the hardest things to do – as anyone who has tried to design their own business card is likely to agree. And often, despite your best intentions, finding the time to do this falls waaaay back on the list behind a myriad of other deadlines and distractions.
If you’re needing an extra nudge or, if you’d simply like to see some examples of personal branding done really well, then here is an opportunity for you. What we have here is a selective focus on the Creative company, Caya Creative Studios. Delivering a consistent message in support of young, underrepresented creators, this creative studio encourages community collaboration. Bringing creators together over their shared interests and passions, they focus on strategised methods for digital media strategy, making access to high-quality, versatile spaces and equipment more affordable and accessible.
Meet Caya Creative Studio!
Who is Caya / Meet the team
CAYA is a whole lot of people, with varying levels of contribution and involvement. At its core, we are currently five people; Brad (founder & Director), Gina (Brand & Culture Manager), Durand (Head of Productions), Lorcan (Director of Photography), and our newest team member, Jared (Editor).
How Caya came to be
The idea that became CAYA Creative Studios was born in late December 2020. The scene was set over coffee between Neighbourgood Founder & CEO Murray Clark and CAYA Director Brad Farrell. They spoke about and came up with an idea to create a digital media studio that would cater to young creatives, and smaller brands.
The idea that became CAYA Creative Studios was born in late December 2020. The scene was set over coffee between Neighbourgood Founder & CEO Murray Clark and CAYA Director Brad Farrell. They spoke about and came up with an idea to create a digital media studio that would cater to young creatives, and smaller brands.
Why the name CAYA?
The name CAYA originates from the phrase ‘Come As You Are’. It is perfectly in line with CAYA’s ethos of being a home-studio-away-from-home, a welcoming, comfortable creative space and community that is open to anyone and prides itself on its community and values.
How did you manage to get this ideal location for your company in the hub of the CBD? Did you choose this location for a particular reason?
Initially, CAYA was located inside the Neighbourgood Workspace at the Cape Quarter. However, soon we outgrew the space and had to say a sad goodbye. We then moved into our current space on Loop Street in November 2021. Located above the incredible Gallery One11 at 111 Loop Street, our office/ studio/ event space is located right in the city centre. Surrounded by some of the dopest restaurants, galleries, and nightlife spots in the city, we could not have been more in love with it.
Some of your favourite projects you’ve been a part of
We’ve been lucky to have worked on a number of incredible projects in our short lifespan as a company. Some highlights include our ‘Building CAYA’ series, our ‘One Shot’ competition series in collaboration with ARTIsTheCollective, ‘Successfully Sustainable’ – our sustainability podcast, our ‘Queer Creator Celebration’ project, all available on our YouTube channel! Our biggest, most ambitious and most recent project is ‘Chasing Stages’, a pilot for a docuseries we want to do following South African musicians on the day of a performance.
Tell us more about some of the services you offer.
Through our Productions division, we provide turnkey digital media production services. Simply put, we provide an all-rounded experience of pre-production and post-production services for media – from start to finish. Our intended focus is placed on digital and social media platforms, such as websites, podcast streaming platforms, YouTube, and other social media platforms. We are all about telling good stories, about good people, whilst having a good time. We would love to bring our creativity, our experience, and our passion to your project.
Through our Studios division, we rent out the studio spaces that our Productions team calls home. Our Soundstage and our Photo Floor are available separately to rent. We also rent out the two connected spaces as one larger production space or an event venue. So far, we have hosted DJ events, a live band, premieres, a live podcast, and a market.
How can potential clients get in touch with your team? And for people new to the industry, what are some of the affordable and beneficial methods you can assist in helping them get their foot in the door?
We think that as a brand, creator, start-up, or prominent individual, it is imperative to have a digital storytelling strategy that helps to effectively communicate your story. If you do not have this from the beginning, your brand will simply fall into obsolescence. It really will. We, through our productions and studios divisions, provide creators and brands with a variety of avenues of assistance. We have got the space, equipment, and skillset to produce high production-value, engaging, intentional digital media. Why not benefit from our investment of time and money to help tell your brand story better? By providing everything from studio rental to full regular productions, we are able to facilitate as broad a range of people as possible, and help improve access to the ability to create such content for more people.
You can find out more about our services and all aspects of our story by checking out our website: cayacreativestudios.com.
