About Chantelle-Shakila Tiagi
Chantelle-Shakila Tiagi’s career in creative production spans over an impressive 14 years. Chantelle began as an intern at MTV and from here, she navigated various demanding roles, and collaborated with high profile creatives in productions worldwide.
Now, she runs her own creative production agency, TIAGI, which was founded in 2018. TIAGI offers full-service creative production and artist consultancy services with offices in London, Los Angeles and Mumbai.
TIAGI collaborates with renowned brands like Etro, Mulberry and Jimmy Choo and have worked on editorial partnerships with publications such as AnOther and Vogue China.
Chantelle Tiagi’s impressive career journey is the result of her unwavering hard work, determination and innate business agility. Her innovative creative approach has allowed her to make her mark in the industry, and achieve everything she has set out to accomplish.
Behind The Scenes
During the in-conversation, Chantelle reflected on her career so far, emphasising the importance of having a strong network and sustaining enduring partnerships as the cornerstone of a well-rounded professional arsenal.
Her most important piece of advice: “Networking is paramount” to build valuable connections to develop and expand your business in creative production.
Chantelle shed light on the arduous demands of her role. She recounted a moment during the COVID-19 pandemic when a photoshoot faced cancellation as the photographer contracted COVID. In response, Tiagi and her team ingeniously orchestrated a virtual shoot, enlisting physical assistants as conduits for the remote photographer’s artistic vision, demonstrating the team’s creative problem-solving prowess.
The breadth of Tiagi and her team’s toolkit spans not only intellectual and artistic skill but also the indispensable attribute of their troubleshooting, as she states, “we handle all aspects, even the less glamorous ones.”
Touching upon the importance of diversity, Tiagi underscored its intrinsic value within her brand and team, asserting the necessity of gender and cultural diversity.
Importantly, she shared that accepting every commercial opportunity, particularly in the early stages of one’s brand journey, is not obligatory. This resonates deeply with her decision to decline a collaboration on moral grounds, exemplifying the prioritisation of personal integrity over professional gain.
Throughout her talk, Tiagi emphasised the role of kindness, in both recruitment and her organisational ethos, recognising its transformative power in fostering a positive work environment and nurturing a resilient personal brand.
Key Takeaways
- Half the job is being personable, proactive and a natural networker. The other comes down to how good your organisational skills are.
- Don’t be afraid to pursue things. Never give up! Always politely follow up.
- There is no rule-book.
- Always be kind, courteous and respectful irrespective of what you may be doing or who you might be working with. The fashion industry is close-knit, therefore it will work against you if these qualities are not present within your attitude to work.
Words by Nadege Mustafa – MA Fashion Journalism and Editorial Direction student
Pictures by Annelee Kilidjjian – MA Creative Direction for Fashion Media student