# Entity Plan: TS Media & Creative

The merged TS Studio + TS Media entity. Design + brand + product agency + publishing + podcasts + conferences. Internal creative capability for every TS portfolio entity; external commercial agency channel; ecosystem brand asset for TS Holdings recruiting + thought leadership + customer acquisition.

Y2 Q2 launch as lean entity ($200K seed; cash-generative within 18 months). Tier-3 (no government-customer touch material).

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## Identity

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Entity name | TS Media & Creative Pte Ltd + TS Media & Creative Vietnam Co. Ltd |
| Group | TS Culture & Creative |
| Target launch | Year 2, Q2 |
| Mechanism | Greenfield (merger of TS Studio + TS Media planning) |
| Tier (D17) | Tier 3 |
| Legal structure | Singapore HoldCo + Vietnam OpCo per D1 |

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## Mission and Wedge

**Mission:** Be the creative engine of TS Holdings — internal brand + product design + content for all TS entities, plus external commercial agency revenue that funds Vietnamese tech-ecosystem media presence (podcasts, conferences, publications, thought leadership).

**Three integrated lines:**

1. **Agency** — design + brand + product agency work for TS portfolio entities + external Vietnamese commercial customers
2. **Publishing** — Vietnamese tech publishing (long-form content, sector reports, Vietnamese-language industry intelligence)
3. **Events + Podcasts** — TS-branded podcasts, annual TS CEO Summit, sector conferences

**Why merged (per D20 reasoning applied at launch):** D15 originally flagged that TS Studio + TS Media share creative talent pool, project monetization, and brand surface; running as separate entities fragments value. Merger from Day 1 saves operational overhead and unifies brand under one creative leadership.

**Why now:**
- TS portfolio entities (Y1 launches) need professional brand + product design from incorporation
- TS Founder Academy (Y2+, in TS Education) needs production-grade content
- TS Holdings ecosystem visibility helps with recruiting + customer acquisition
- Vietnamese creative agency market is fragmented; mid-tier opportunity

**Why us:**
- Captive internal customer base (all TS entities) provides bootstrap revenue
- TS Holdings ecosystem brand makes external selling easier
- Cash-light business (agency margins; minimal capex)

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## Market and Competition

**TAM (Vietnam, 2026):**
- Vietnamese creative agency market: ~$200–400M
- Vietnamese tech publishing + media: ~$50–100M (small but growing)
- Vietnamese conferences + events: ~$30–60M

**SOM (5-year):** $5–12M ARR

**Competitors:**

| Competitor | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| **Ogilvy Vietnam, Dentsu Vietnam** | Premium international agencies | Premium pricing; weak tech-sector specialization |
| **Pencil Group, Click Vietnam, Wala Wala** | Vietnamese tech-savvy agencies | Sub-scale; project-shop DNA |
| **Vietcetera Media** | Vietnamese English-language tech media | Editorial-led; weak commercial agency |
| **MV Magazine, Forbes Vietnam, Saigon Times** | Vietnamese business media | Traditional; weak digital + brand consulting |
| **Tech in Asia Vietnam, e27 Vietnam** | Regional tech media | Regional, not Vietnamese-deep |

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## Customer Strategy

**ICP:**
- Internal: every TS portfolio entity (captive)
- External commercial: Vietnamese mid-market companies needing brand + design (especially tech, F&B, retail)
- External enterprise: large Vietnamese conglomerates with brand-modernization need

**First 10 customer targets:**

1. Internal: TS Holdings parent brand + every Y1 entity launch (TS People, Mira, TS Tech Consulting + Managed Services)
2. Internal: Y2 launches (TS Block, TS Land, TS Health, TS Education, TS Intel, Blue Dot — all need brand identity + product design)
3. External: 2–3 named Vietnamese commercial customers (VPBank, Techcombank, FPT — large Vietnamese corporates needing modernization)
4. External: F&B chains (Highlands Coffee, Phuc Long — branding refresh demand)

**Acquisition motion:**
- Y2 Q2–Q4: Captive internal + 2–3 external commercial customers
- Y3+: Dedicated AE for external; TS Founder Academy production cross-flow
- Channel: TS portfolio cross-referrals; Vietnamese tech-conference partnerships

**Pricing:**
- Agency: project-based ($30K–$500K typical); retainer ($10–60K/month)
- Internal portfolio: cost-plus 5%
- Publishing: subscription-based for premium sector reports
- Events + podcasts: sponsorship + ticket revenue

**Customer wedge gate (D18):** Creative MD identified + 2 external commercial customer LOIs + 3 internal portfolio customer commitments (already implicit from portfolio).

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## Capital and Cap Table

**Y2 launch capital:** ~$200K seed (small)

- Founder direct: $200K
- No external round at launch (cash-generative business; can defer external)

**Cap table:**

| Stakeholder | % |
|---|---|
| TS Holdings | 75% |
| Creative MD + senior creative leads | 10% |
| ESOP | 15% |

Standard model (not founder-shareholder variant) — Creative MD recruited for craft + brand work, not as founder-CEO operator profile.

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## Operator / Creative MD Profile

**Required:**
- 10+ years Vietnamese creative-agency or media leadership
- Brand + design + product design experience
- Vietnamese network: tech sector, F&B, retail, financial services
- Vietnamese national or long-experience expat

**Sourcing:**
- Ogilvy Vietnam senior creative directors
- Pencil Group / Click founders or senior
- Vietcetera editorial + creative leadership
- Dinosaur (Vietnamese creative agency)
- Forbes Vietnam editorial leaders
- Returnees from international design studios (Wieden+Kennedy, R/GA, Frog with Vietnamese background)

**Compensation:** Standard variant. MD 8–10% + cash $80–110K + bonus.

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## Founding Team

| Role | When |
|---|---|
| Creative MD | Y2 Q2 |
| Head of Publishing + Podcasts | Y2 Q2 |
| Senior Designers × 2–3 | Y2 Q3 |
| Senior Editors / Producers × 2 | Y2 Q3 |
| BD Lead | Y2 Q3 |

**Headcount:** Y2 end: 8–12 · Y3: 15–25 · Y5: 30–50 · Y8: 60–100.

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## Product / Tech Strategy

Not a tech-platform entity. Primary deliverables are creative work + media content.

Some platform investments by Y3:
- Internal asset library / brand portal (for TS portfolio entity consistency)
- Podcast + video production infrastructure
- Conference + event management (potentially uses Pavilo software if Pavilo is pursued, otherwise standard event tooling)

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## Go-to-Market

- Y2: Captive internal + founder-led external outreach
- Y3+: Dedicated BD; TS portfolio referrals; TS Founder Academy cross-promotion
- Channels: Vietnamese tech conferences (Vietnam Web Summit, Tech in Asia Vietnam); brand-industry events

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## Milestones

| Horizon | Target |
|---|---|
| Pre-launch (Y2 Q1–Q2) | Creative MD identified + 2 external commercial LOIs |
| Y2 Q3 (launch) | Internal brand work for 5+ TS entities live |
| Y2 Q4 | $30K MRR (external + internal billable) |
| Y3 Q2 | $80K MRR; first TS Holdings annual report published; first TS-branded podcast launched |
| Y3 Q4 | $150K MRR; first TS-organized industry conference |
| Y4+ | Cash-flow positive; supporting TS Founder Academy production |

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## Top Risks

1. **Creative MD attrition** — creative leadership is the entity. Mitigation: equity + brand-build alignment; clear creative authority.
2. **Internal/external balance** — risk of becoming captive internal agency without external commercial discipline. Mitigation: explicit external-revenue targets per quarter; cost-plus 5% internal pricing creates discipline.
3. **Conference/event execution risk** — events have operational complexity. Mitigation: hire event-experienced producer; partner with Pavilo (if pursued) for software; cap event count Y2 (1–2 only).

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## Cross-portfolio synergies

| Internal | Direction |
|---|---|
| Every TS portfolio entity | Brand + product design + content (captive customer) |
| TS Education / TS Founder Academy | Content production partnership |
| TS Holdings parent | Annual report; CEO Summit; ecosystem media |
| TS Tech Consulting | Customer-facing creative work cross-sell |

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## Tier 3 — no additional requirements

Standard D6 / D7 discipline. PDPD applies for customer-facing publishing/media data.

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## Exit scenarios

| Scenario | Probability | Outcome | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustained portfolio entity (most likely) | 60–70% | $3–8M ARR; high-margin agency; cash-generative | Y3+ |
| Strategic sale to international agency group (WPP, Publicis, Dentsu regional) | 10–15% | $30–80M | Y5–Y7 |
| Strategic sale to Vietnamese media group | 5–10% | $20–50M | Y5+ |
| Stall | 10–15% | Sub-scale | Y3–Y5 |

**5-year target (75th):** $15–35M valuation
**8-year target (75th):** $40–80M valuation (entity remains capital-light)

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## Dependencies and gating

- Creative MD identified
- 2 external commercial customer LOIs (lower bar than other entities — small launch)
- Founder direct injection ($200K) committed

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## Related documents

- [../aggressive-8-year-growth-plan.md](../aggressive-8-year-growth-plan.md)
- [../operator-ceo-recruiting.md](../operator-ceo-recruiting.md) — TS Founder Academy ecosystem support
- [ts-education.md](ts-education.md) — TS Founder Academy production partner
- [../../notes/decisions.md](../../notes/decisions.md) — D1, D10 (Culture & Creative group rationale), D11 (Saigon Volume standalone-brand precedent — TS Media & Creative does carry TS prefix because it's primarily internal-facing for portfolio), D15 (merger candidates), D20 (spin-out playbook — Y5+ if scope broadens)