We were lucky to catch up with Mallika Chandaria recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mallika, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights on running a small business in the creative industry. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

I would describe the past 6 years of building The 98 Art Collective as a sort of ‘coming of age’ story. We’ve grown from a group of scrappy, multi-disciplinary artists putting together underground art shows around the world to an exciting creative production company based in New York City.

Our ability to maintain quality while evolving is attributable to several key efforts: we’ve refined our services to specialize in producing film and photography, expanded our New York-based creative network through word of mouth, formalized the creative process to meet tighter deadlines and higher client demand, and consistently created space for feedback both internally and on the client side.

Transitioning out of a company’s ‘awkward phase’, means taking stock of current habits. From that point, you can identify what works and make it even better while discarding what doesn’t. The 98 is continuously trying out different workflows and making micro-adjustments to produce the best work and achieve the highest degree of satisfaction from our collaborators. The goal is to ensure steady improvement that keeps pace with the business’s growth.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly tell us about yourself and how you started The 98 Art Collective?

Anytime my Mom took me to a play, or my Dad took me to a movie, I would come home and find myself obsessed with living in the world of each story. This sparked my desire to be involved in the arts, which grew into wanting to pursue a degree in Theatre. I ended up attending Boston University where I studied directing under a BFA program. It was an incredible experience to learn how to construct the worlds that I was so inspired by as a kid, but I also learned that it takes a team of incredible people to do so.

After seeing an exhibition at the V&A museum in London, the idea for The 98 was sparked: an experimental art collective that would put on immersive pop-up shows around the world. As the shows traveled, we were able to build a solid foundation for the company to grow into what it is today.

When the pandemic happened and we were unable to put on immersive events easily, I had to problem-solve how to transform The 98 so that we could keep producing work. It occurred to me that all the artists we had connected with so far were all specialized in their fields, and would be the best team of people to engage with to create energetic, exciting, and theatrical visual content.

At present day, we pride ourselves in producing thoughtfully crafted film and photo campaigns for brands looking to access the emerging demographic. Consistent with what originally sparked my interest in the arts (and also thanks to a brilliant article I was forced to read in college called “E.F.’s Visit To A Small Planet”), I like to bring the philosophy of “world building” to each project: identifying a unique sense of color, shape, time, and atmosphere. I think what makes our work different from others is that our creative vision always incorporates a sense of movement and theatricality. Our ultimate goal is to fully immerse our audience in the brand experience.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think that my genuine passion for creating art has contributed to my reputation in the creative industry. People are drawn to those who are lit up by what they do, irrespective of their level of experience. Whether it’s a brief 15 min face-to-face brainstorm with a client or a full day on set, I try to leave my ego at the door and serve the project to the best of my abilities. I believe people can sense that sincerity.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Around four years ago, my uncle sent me the ‘Ernst & Young Business Plan Guide.’ As someone with no formal training in business management, this book was essential in helping me create a business strategy. It breaks down concepts in a digestible way and prompts key questions for any young entrepreneur. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to start a business!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.98artcollective.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/98artcollective/
• Email: connect@98artcollective.com

Image Credits
Aaron Zimmerman Hellen Elizondo Albina Aleksandrova Chris Gurninsky Mallika Chandaria Zach Cooper Matt Bastos