HEPMIL Media Group has come a long way from running a single meme page in Singapore to building a regional creator ecosystem that recently came under the Publicis Groupe umbrella.
Speaking on Marketing Connected’s “In Conversation” podcast, CEO and co-founder Karl Mak reflected on how SGAG’s early success eventually evolved into a broader ambition across Southeast Asia, even as regional expansion proved more challenging than expected.
“What started as SGAG in Singapore was a meme page, and then we brought that model across Southeast Asia,” he said. “But it was very challenging to achieve the same scale in other markets. We had a failed acquisition, and that forced us to rethink the business entirely.”
That inflection point, around 2018 to 2019, coincided with the rise of TikTok and the early acceleration of the creator economy. Rather than doubling down on traditional influencer marketing, HEPMIL positioned itself around “creators” instead.
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“It wasn’t about good looks or fancy lifestyles. We wanted authentic stories from people creating on new platforms like TikTok,” Mak said. This shift led to the launch of HEPMIL Creators Network, which helped bridge the gap between emerging creators and brands navigating a complex new ecosystem.
As the business matured, so did its role in the value chain, from content creation to creator enablement and brand partnerships. “We moved from being creators ourselves to helping creators at scale monetise and work with brands and agencies,” he added.
That evolution ultimately shaped HEPMIL’s appeal to Publicis Groupe. Mak described the acquisition process as a “natural fit”, driven less by structure and more by culture.
“It really came down to people,” he said. “We asked ourselves if we could envision working with them. They are a century-old organisation, and we were curious about how they operate at scale.”
Since joining the global network, Mak said the biggest shift has been exposure to international operating complexity, from cross-market collaboration to listed-company reporting structures. “The most challenging part has been financial reporting. They operate at a level of rigor we weren’t used to as an SME,” he noted.
Despite the scale difference, Mak said HEPMIL’s creative DNA remains unchanged. “They told us, ‘you are the chef, we don’t want to cook your soup,’” he said. “That gave us confidence that the essence of what we do would remain intact.”
Looking ahead, Mak believes the creator economy in Southeast Asia is still in its early stages, with significant potential in creator-led commerce and brand collaborations that blur the lines between entertainment and marketing.
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