News of 2005
05.12.2005
Lorenz meets Sir Richard Branson
This image shows Lorenz Wagener (Rimagine GM) with Sir Richard Branson during a "Breakfast with Sir Richard Branson" event at the Marriott Hotel in 2005 in Shanghai, China.
21.11.2005
Rimagine shoots for the German Center
For the opening ceremony of the brand-new German Center in Shanghai, from November 17th - 19th 2005, Rimagine was exclusively assigned to do the event photography. A special crew of five photography experts worked exclusively for this entire three day event - night and day. The Rimagine Photography team followed the guests to various destinations: Museums, science parks, city attractions, company visits, perfomances on stage, press conferences and speeches in a very tight and complex schedule.
John Foster, Director of Production, project managed the entire event and turned it into a big success for Rimagine: "The most challenging task was concisely managing the thousands of shots done every day. This had to be accomplished in order to give our client an organized selection immediately following the event." Also the photographers and their assistants did an excellent job without getting tired or loosing focus. In total, Rimagine created more than 8,000 photographs, from which the client finally selected not less than 2,500 stunning images, which will be used for print and online campaigns, brochures and websites.
07.07.2005
Christoph in "Shanghai Star"
Shanghai Star. 2005-07-07
EVER dreamed of ditching your 9-to-5 job, starting your own company and riding off into the sunset on the galloping Shanghai economy? Christoph Lienke has gone one step farther: he's done it all while actually having fun.
The Berlin native, co-founder of a thriving photo production house, is living the dream of many a China expatriate who, though surrounded by the glitter of opportunity, is stuck in a lackluster office job. After years in the work-a-day world - from factory jobs to corporate gigs to bartending - in his native Germany, the United Kingdom and United States, Lienke heard Shanghai calling.
"I wanted to do something completely different," said Lienke, a congenitally friendly 36-year-old with an easy smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go somewhere the economy was doing well. But I also wanted personal change. I wanted to learn."
That made China an easy choice. "I had a connection to China because of my martial arts," said Lienke, who had begun studying kungfu, tai chi and qigong at age 15 in Berlin. So, in winter 2002, he made an exploratory trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong "to see if I could really live here".
Best decision
It was quickly clear that he not only could, but should. On his second day in the country, Lienke met a professional headhunter at a German party, and was hired soon after by a German manufacturing firm in Shanghai.
At the same party, he unknowingly made another German connection that would shape the direction of his life in China. After chatting with a friendly fellow German, the woman offered to put Lienke in touch with her boyfriend, Laurenz Wagener, who was working in marketing for a Chinese online company.
Lienke soon followed up with a call. Wagener was immediately impressed with the stranger's initiative. "It was a good first impression," said Wagener, 28. "I thought: 'He's a pretty good cold-caller.' That's something I've never liked; I'm not good at it."
At the time, the idea of forming a company together was years away. But Wagener knew then that Lienke, who earned a degree in marketing and communication from a university in Munich, was someone with whom he could work. "We have skills that complement each other," he said.
Less than two years later, in July 2004 over another lunch, Wagener popped the question. "He said, 'Hey - what do you think about starting a company?"' recalled Lienke. Wagener also remembers that lunch, during which they decided to give it a go and mulled several ideas for their new business. The one that ended up making the most sense was the production house - a one-stop shop for companies in need of photos (usually of products) for in-house publications, catalogues and advertisements. And so Rimagine was born.
"It sounds too good to be true," Lienke said recently over a plate of zucchini fritters and a Greek salad at a Xintiandi bistro. "But saying yes to Laurenz was the best decision I've made in 10 years."
The pals both took the title of general manager, while a third partner, China native Jiang Lei, became director of operations. In picking a name, they played on the creative side of their business. "The 'R' is for re-invent," said Lienke. "We wanted to reinvent how to produce pictures."
Successful partnership
Starting with a workforce of two operating out of their respective apartments, Rimagine now has a staff of 15, a big new office near Jing'An Temple and a client list that includes IKEA and Elle Magazine. The company, which has a small stable of international photographers, both manages the photo shoots and handles the processing, retouching and digital imaging afterwards.
Recent contracts have included everything from retouching photos for skincare ads to sending photographers to production plants in Guangzhou to take pictures of machinery.
Wagener's instincts about complementary personalities proved correct. These days Wagener is content to handle strategy, concepts and paperwork (Lienke's most hated chore), while his partner loves nothing more than to shuttle around town, lingering over long lunches with potential clients. "It's not the greatest pleasure for me to approach people I don't know," said the soft-spoken Wagener. "He's so outgoing; when he goes out, he always comes back with 20 namecards."
Maintaining balance is a running theme for the pair. While the Rimagine staff puts in the long hours and occasional six-day work weeks needed to grow a new business, Lienke and Wagener try to offset the punishing schedule with regular staff dinners and a ritual of celebrating all employees' birthdays with cake and a party.
If the path all sounds too smooth, Lienke is quick to note there have been obstacles along the way.
One of his biggest challenges has been figuring out and adapting to the differences between Chinese and Western clients. "With the Chinese clients, it can be very chaotic. They'll call and say, 'Can you do it now?"' said Lienke. "We don't work that way; it's a totally different mentality."
Local clients have a hands-on approach that includes personal visits to the office; Lienke hopes that as the company continues to work with Asian customers, trust and understanding will grow. "They come over, they want to see what we do. They're on the sets during shoots. With international clients, we'll give a briefing and then they just trust us to get it done.
That's about as close as you'll come to glimpsing Lienke's negative side. "He's not a complainer, he's a problem solver," said Wagener. "He's very positive, very optimistic. He's always interested in meeting new people and having good conversations with them, and seeing new things."
Workaholic freedom
While the affable Lienke can schmooze with the best of them, he is strict and disciplined when it comes to another arena: his body. Instead of the martial arts he once loved, he now spends about two hours each morning practising yoga and meditation. "It's not only the work, but the city that can take your energy," he explained. "I need it for my balance."
To that end, Lienke tries to sleep at least seven hours a night and makes regular visits to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. "He checks my yin and yang, and he gives me terrible-tasting medicine," he said. The foul potion, cooked up by his ayi, is imbibed daily. In addition, Lienke doesn't smoke and rarely drinks.
"Anything that's important to him, it's always 100 per cent, he's very radical," Wagener said. "He's very enduring and very strict. He has a lot of discipline."
Among the greatest pleasures in Lienke's life are good friends and good food, though his eating habits are often the butt of good-natured ribbing by those good friends. A self-described vegetarian for the last three years, he makes a notable exception - for mutton! - because his trusted TCM doctor advised him it is good for his health.
Currently in a long-distance relationship that leaves him the freedom to be a workaholic but takes its toll on his phone bill with daily calls to Germany, Lienke's time will be further stretched this summer when his brother, a 31-year-old lawyer, moves to Shanghai. (His parents live in Munich, as does a 39-year-old sister.)
When Lienke talks about projections for the future - professional and otherwise - it becomes clear he isn't just goal-oriented in the world of business. "I want to have four kids - at least four," he said. Lienke also hopes to one day adopt a Chinese baby girl. "China gave me so much personal growth and understanding; I'd like to give something back to China," he said, adding, "And, of course, they're cute. They're wonderful!"
For the foreseeable future, however, Lienke's life will revolve around his other baby: Rimagine, which he says has yet to turn a profit but is meeting projected earning targets. "We don't think success comes in the short term," explained his partner, Wagener. "You need to consistently work hard, but not so hard that you collapse. It's a slow take-off, a plane rather than a rocket."
As the pair continue their slow but steady ascent, Lienke is cautiously optimistic. "Until now it's a good story," he said, his broad smile tempered with humility. "But we have to prove now that it's a sustainable business, that it really works.
01.07.2005
ELLE appoints Rimagine for Summer Swimwear Feature
Due to previous success in working with Rimagine, ELLE Magazine requested that Rimagine be responsible for producing their July 2005 Summer Swimwear Feature. In addition to swimsuits and bikinis, various accessories were also included in the feature. In total, ELLE dedicated six pages to the feature, and Rimagine photographed over sixty different swimwear articles.
Presented with a very tight schedule for the entire shooting, Rimagine worked closely with ELLE's Senior Fashion Editor in order to accomplish the task at hand. Additionally, Rimagine designated an “ELLE TEAM” of top talents to work exclusively on this project. Due to superb teamwork with all involved and the superior skills of Stylist Susan Shen the shooting was finished on time.
26.05.2005
Strong growth in 3 months
In the past 90 days, Rimagine is proud to have acquired and successfully served several multinational clients. The following renowned companies have been added to Rimagine’s client list:
- ELLE MAGAZINE
- KUEHNE & NAGEL
- IKEA
- BERTELSMANN
- EINHELL
- COPERION
"One of the main reasons for our strong growth is Rimagine’s advantageous location" says John Ray, Rimagine’s Director of Operations. More and more companies realize the real benefit of getting products photographed directly in China, the #1 manufacturing nation worldwide.
Clients not only save money, but also significant operational effort. Furthermore, demand for on-location photography from multinational companies for their Chinese branches has also notably increased.
The ‘On-Location’ Photography Team is always on-hand and ready to be commissioned by clients who need a photography crew on their premises.
15.03.2005
Launch of photochina.de
According to Asia-expert Kenneth Courtis of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, Rimagine is on the right track. Mr. Courtis predicts: “China will become a powerhouse nation in terms of manufacturing, and this development seems unavoidable.” * To benefit from this trend to the fullest, Rimagine launched in cooperation with its partner oceancrew, Germany, a new joint effort website - www.photochina.de. The platform is tailored for the German market and should not only present the services of the two companies, which become even more beneficial for companies because of the above mentioned trend, but also honor the cooperation of the two companies.
“Large multinational companies, such as Wal-Mart’s competitor Carrefour, re-locate their Global Purchasing Center to Shanghai. This shows me that we are on the right track, because all photography decisions will be made here” says Hado Brockmeyer, Business Development Director of Rimagine.
The website gets currently promoted on different search engines as well as on the March edition of the newsletter from the internet portal Redbox, which gets read by an average of 20,000 readers from the creative scene in Germany.
05.02.2005
Strategic new partnership
More and more companies recognize the great potential in outsourcing their need for catalogue and product photo-graphy services to Asia. On this account, and because of our know-how in this area, Rimagine chose Shanghai as its head-quarters.
Seeking a competent repre-sentative in Europe, Rimagine has entered into a strategic partnership with the company Oceancrew based in Hannover, Germany.
Oceancrew is a photography consulting company specializing not only in consulting, but also producing shootings for clients such as Adidas-Salomon AG. Christoph Lienke, General Manager of Rimagine, had this to say about the new partnership: “Besides a very interesting worldwide network of experts, Oceancrew has the necessary experience and expertise in this business to be the ideal representative for Rimagine in Germany.”
The Rimagine team is looking forward to working with Oceancrew and hopes for a successful partnership. For more information about Oceancrew, please visit their website: www.oceancrew.de. If you have any questions about the partnership, please don’t hesitate to write us an email: info@rimagine.com.
10.01.2005
New Director of Photography
The Rimagine Management team is proud to announce that Dragan Filipovic will be joining Rimagine on 10 January 2005. Dragan as the 'Director of Photography' will be responsible for overseeing the whole photography division of the company.
Having been a professional photographer for 26 years and working on assignments in cities like London, Belgrade, Paris, Athens, Bangkok and Shanghai, Dragan adds extensive experience and know-how to Rimagine. Especially his four years working as a photographer in Asia helped him to reach an even higher level of understanding the differences between Eastern and Western aesthetics.
