In an industry often dominated by big companies where the mainstream is king and conventional ways of thinking dictate the way, THU was born. It wasn’t created to blend in with the masses, even though we knew that would have been the easy way to achieve success.
We knew the rules and how the industry worked, so why not try to fit in? Simple: because that’s not our purpose. We recognized a critical gap that we wanted to fix. This is a highly segmented industry with no safe space for all fields to connect, develop skills, and improve careers and lives. Each different field had initiatives and programs, but there was no holistic system and no one was trying to create bridges between all the different parts. Determined to fill this void and make this puzzle whole, we set out to create a space for growth and an alternative to the typical ways of doing things.
Welcome to the first part of our story of defying the ordinary by believing in people above all else. We are still writing new chapters as we go, and this is an invitation for you to step Inside THU.
Did we complete this puzzle? No, but we’re proud of the progress.10 years have passed and we’re still collecting different pieces. Each one makes a difference, and to be honest we don’t believe that this puzzle will ever be truly complete. We worked tirelessly to build what we have so far, and we know that we still have a long way to go. First, we took the time to map the whole industry and its different backgrounds, identified key players, and listened to a lot of people from all backgrounds, levels of seniority, and organizations (which is something we never stopped doing). This work allowed us to analyze all the dynamics that were causing harm and jeopardizing the industry. After understanding the problems, we started creating solutions in the form of a strong pipeline of events and projects. We delivered groundbreaking initiatives with plenty of mentoring and networking opportunities, talks, workshops, recruitment and portfolio review sessions, and many other chances to truly connect - including our “Creativity for Impact” program, focused on social change.
But let’s rewind and go back to the beginning, shall we? THU started in 2013 as a small event with big dreams in Tróia, Portugal. Then, we wanted to create a way to help more talented people come to the event even if they didn’t have the means for it, so we created a challenge where artists could submit their art and win an all-inclusive ticket (the Golden Ticket Challenge, that still exists and now has a sustainable dimension). We also started to get an itch to reach more people from all over the world and help them connect, so we created the Gatherings, small events that allowed us to peek into the local creative scene of different cities and energize it. Then we moved the main event to a different country for two years, were invited to come back to the roots, decided to create more digital programs to accelerate ideas and encourage talent (Talent League), came up with a whole new event concept focused on storytelling in Kaga City (THU Japan) - and then another one focused on entrepreneurship to support creators in taking a leap into the business world (Creators Circle). Early on, we also ventured through the worlds of content creation, coming up with our own channel, called THUTV. This proved to be a very costly idea that made us struggle, but looking back, we are grateful for the lessons and for the content that still inspired people to this day, including The Sketchbook Series.
Looking back on this journey, it’s clear how important the years of the pandemic were. Physical events - the thing we were known for - were suddenly out of the equation, as everyone was isolating themselves and trying to stay safe. We could have faced the impossibility of hosting an event as something negative, but we were happy for the opportunity to focus on the digital dimension and realize how to solve industry problems outside of an event setting. This may come as a surprise to you, but our main event and profit don’t exactly go hand in hand, as most companies prefer to invest in the ones who attract masses of thousands of people, prioritizing big numbers over true impact.
We knew Covid was a moment of struggle for companies and individuals, and we had to be on the top of our game to be able to help them from a distance. During this time, other companies realized that our community was very active outside of our events, and that we provided much more than that. Career Camp, our online career event that everyone can access for free, was also born from the needs of the community during the pandemic, and it still exists to this day, with the necessary growth and transformation.
These are just some examples of our growth and path up during the last ten years that we spent building a framework to become a powerhouse for creative change and a catalyst for economic growth and social well-being. We gave it our all. Yet, we’re still fighting the misconception that we are a festival, an event, a software program, or a gaming company. As you know, we are neither of those things. We're a global organization for creative doers, thinkers, and change-makers who will turn the world into a better place—and yes, we're talking about you. Being a part of the creative industries means we are in one of the world's fastest-growing sectors. The creative economy industries generate nearly 50 million jobs worldwide, accounting for revenues of over $2 trillion. There are predictions that this economy could grow 40% by 2030, adding more than 8 million additional jobs, so it's safe to say that this industry has a tremendous impact and plenty of opportunities.
However, it's easy to get stuck in this machine's gears. That's why we exist: to support a community of more than 30,000 people from 180 countries. Our community - the Tribe, as we call it - has different backgrounds and comes from various life paths. Still, they all have one thing in common: they believe in protecting a place where we can build each other up, shielding each other from a chaotic and volatile sector. This is a place where like-minded talents, business agents, and governmental partners exchange knowledge, inspiration, and opportunities to impact society through the development of the creative economy. Together, we go against this industry's selfish, dark, egomaniac side and make it a fair place where everyone can grow and thrive.
Since the beginning, we have been grounded in values that may be hard for newcomers to understand. What we do reflects the change we want to see in society. From the start, we established our own set of rules, which we continuously strive to incorporate and reinforce. There are many ingrained habits to dismantle, and it's always a process. If you're a part of our Tribe, this means you…
- Recognize the value of creative work and put it first
- Believe in giving back to the community
- Fight discrimination and exclusion
- Thrive on multidisciplinary collaboration
We're proud to have a Tribe of down-to-earth people who share a passion for creativity and root for each other. If you also believe in the power of making a change and being in a community with this mindset, join us (link to create account) and start exploring how we are backing the Tribe's success and investing in the future.
In this industry, all our journeys are interconnected. There's no point in being selfish and ego-driven if we can achieve much more working together.
