This August, explore the power of possibility at the REMIX Summit Sydney, with over 50 leading speakers across arts, culture, technology and entrepreneurship. These are the change-makers and innovators who are transforming the creative industries globally.
For Sean Lee, CEO of d’strict and Arte Museum, this is an exciting opportunity to share his expertise in person. Based in Seoul, Lee has gained international recognition for his leadership and innovation. Today, d’strict is a world-leading digital design and art company, while Arte Museum is the world’s fastest-growing immersive art experience, with four locations in South Korea as well as installations in New York, Las Vegas and Dubai.
‘My talk is titled Riding the Waves of Change,’ says Lee. ‘I’ll show who we are and how we got here. We started in 2004 as a small web design agency, became a digital marketing agency, and have grown into what we are today: a sustainable global design company with over 360 people across 12 entities in four countries.’
REMIX Summit Sydney – quick links
Bringing innovators to REMIX Summit Sydney
Returning for its 12th year, REMIX Summit Sydney presents two full days of inspirational talks, discussions and networking. Lee will be appearing alongside speakers like Tony Ellwood, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Lisa Havilah, CEO of the Powerhouse Museum, Celina Yeh, CEO of VIVE Arts in Taiwan, and Jody Malam, former Creative Director of Outernet London, the largest digital exhibition space in Europe.
During his talk, Lee will show how d’strict and Arte Museum grew from their early forays in immersive media to becoming a world leader in the field. ‘Immersive media is reshaping the spaces we live in every day, moving beyond museums and theme parks into hotels, retail, urban LED billboards, advertising and public art,’ he says.
The last five years have been a period of exceptional growth. ‘After opening our first Arte Museum in Jeju in 2020, we’ve grown into this global network that has welcomed more than 12 million visitors across nine venues.’
Such phenomenal success doesn’t just happen, and Lee is not afraid of sharing the challenges.
‘When you expand this quickly, the challenge always comes from what’s new. Every time the country and the market change, so does the culture, the audience, the regulations and the way of working, so we run into trial and error, large and small, all the time. And to be honest, even when the company is profitable, money always feels tight, because we keep reinvesting in the next city and the next artwork. The faster a company grows, the thirstier it seems to get!’
It’s easy to think of a company like d’strict as an overnight sensation, but that’s far from the reality.
‘Behind that lies a tunnel more than 10 years long, in which the company nearly disappeared more than once. [At REMIX] I’ll share how we endured and came through it, and what we held on to along the way. I hope it will be a moment to share not just the polished results, but the years behind them,’ says Lee.
Riding the waves of change
Interestingly, Lee did not come from a creative industries background. He is a certified public accountant and says he joined d’strict ‘by chance’.
‘Leading a creative company without a design background was certainly not easy. And yet, looking back, being a non-specialist is also part of what made us bolder. I wasn’t bound to the conventions of any one field, so whenever the company stalled I could ask “does it really have to be done this way?” and make the bold decision to pivot.’
One of their best-known works is known as the ‘WAVE’. These are massive screens wrapped around buildings that create a stunning illusion of waves crashing through the glass.
‘When I stand before one of our “WAVE” pieces, the only thing between me and the wave is a thin pane of glass; I call that glass our “belief.” As the saying goes, a wave is at its highest just before it breaks. Only by refusing to run, and enduring to the end, did we finally get to see the wave break. On an unconventional path, what mattered most was never dazzling talent, but the belief in our own capabilities, and the patience and courage to stay the course without flinching in the hardest moments.’
Lee says that everyone who attends the REMIX Summit is likely to face their own ‘waves of challenge’. He offers these words of advice: ‘When you do, I hope you’ll once again believe in the value of what you set out to do and find the courage to hold on. I truly believe that the moment when the waves scatter and luck arrives comes to those who stay the course until the very end.’
