Back in 2003, I had just finished my MassComm. Being the guy who edited almost everyone’s final-year documentaries, People thought I’d go straight into media. But I didn’t. (Still don’t know why!)
Instead, I joined a multi-brand retail chain. Yep.. shirts, trousers, stores, pyjamas and what not. And in those early days at Head Office, I remember one thing clearly: the lunch table banter.
The Merchandising & Sales team always had one joke for the Branding guy: "We’re the profit centre. You’re the cost centre." (Marketing budgets were... modest, let’s say.) I didn’t agree. So I said something that stuck:
“Merchandising may be the heavy machinery, but branding? They’re the screwdriver. Smallest tool but most essential! Without it, nothing big can be constructed.”
I didn’t know it then, but that one line… would one day become the name of everything I was about to build.
Enter: SCREWDRIVER (the studio, not the drink 😄)
A few months later, when I came back to media and it was time to name my editing studio.. the idea came rushing back. "We may be the smallest investment for any large corporate house, but we’ll be an essential one. We’ll hold things together. Quietly. Reliably. Just like, Screwdriver."
And that was that. Of course, the name had its own journey.
In the early days, 2006 or so, people were still naming studios after gods, surnames, or simpler relatable things like Vision Studios or so. And then there was me... showing up with SCREWDRIVER.
I’ve heard it all:
(Sometimes below-the-belt jokes too. Corporates, I tell you 🙈)
But every time, once I told the story, Eyes changed. Smirks softened. Curiosity turned to respect.
The story behind the name didn’t just "break the ice.." it opened doors. Suddenly, I wasn’t just the young guy with an odd name. I was the guy who can think!
And somehow, the name kept doing the work.
It built trust. It made us “that agency,” the one you remember (for sure). The one that listens, understands, fixes. And over the years, I've realised:
The name SCREWDRIVER didn’t just brand us. It sold us.
No, we don’t sell screwdrivers. But yes! We fix a lot.
And we do it with stories, craft, and quiet confidence.
Would love to know: What’s the story behind your name? Drop it in the comments or message me, always up for a good origin story!
#ScrewdriverFilms #OriginStories #AVwithSoul #ItWorks #Branding #NameGame