The Studio
Who We Are
Founder photo coming soon
I'm Kai. South African, building DTC brands, running ads, directing creative for the last four years.
Raw & Formed isn't an agency. I run my own brands, which means when I work with yours, I treat it like mine. I'm selective. I take on three retainer clients at a time. If the fit isn't there, I'll tell you.
The studio started because I got tired of watching great products fail because the creative was generic. Most agencies don't think about psychology. They think about deliverables. Those are two very different things.
Everything I build runs on frameworks. AIDA. PAS. Callaway Story Arc. Curiosity loops. These aren't buzzwords. They're tools. I use them every day on brands I run myself, which means they get tested in the real world, not just theorised in a deck.
Who we work with
- —DTC brands doing $500k+ annual revenue
- —Founders who understand creative is a lever, not a line item
- —Brands running paid social who want better creative, not more of the same
- —Teams that can execute: once we have direction, you can move fast
Who we don't work with
- —Brands that need someone to sell them on why creative matters
- —Clients who want quantity over quality
- —Founders who want to be hands-off but also micromanage
- —Brands not running paid traffic at all
FAQ
How many clients do you take on?
Three retainer clients at a time. This is intentional. When I take on your brand, I'm fully in it. Three is the limit where I can give each brand the attention it deserves.
Do you only work with DTC brands?
Mostly. The frameworks I use are built for DTC performance: Meta, Shopify, Klaviyo, UGC. If you're not in this world, the fit probably isn't right.
Do you do the creative execution yourself?
Strategy, direction, scripting: yes. Video editing, photography, graphic design: I coordinate and direct, but execution is done by specialists I trust. I'm the creative director, not the whole production house.
What's the minimum commitment?
Retainers are a minimum three months. Sprints and project work are single engagements with no ongoing commitment.
What if it's not working?
I'll tell you. If a campaign isn't working, I won't keep running it. I'm invested in the outcome, not the hours. If the fit isn't right, I'd rather end it cleanly than drag it out.