At one period of time, most of us had Yahoo! email accounts and used Yahoo! as our daily go-to search engine. The internet company once even exceeded a worth of US$100 billion in its heyday.
Although we no longer rely much on these services (Google and Gmail have swept up these markets now), Yahoo! is still doing plenty in terms of media, now under its parent company Verizon, which acquired them in 2017.
Together with publications like TechCrunch and HuffPost, Yahoo! is now a brand of Verizon Media, one of Verizon’s three key pillars of business.
We took a trip down to Verizon Media’s office at Mapletree Anson to check out the quirky workspace that fuels their creativity!
Revving Up For 5G
While we’ve still got a little time to go before 5G networks come to Singapore in 2020, Verizon was the first telco in the world to put this power in people’s hands when they rolled out their 5G service earlier this year in the United States.
Following this, they’re also making sure their Singapore arm is prepared to take on changes in media consumption when 5G drops here.
Verizon Media believes this will heavily shape the world with new media capabilities, making technologies like augmented reality become much more common in the videos we watch.
So their latest addition of a new, fully equipped studio is ready to handle such productions with ease.
The studio doesn’t need to be gargantuan, but even with a small space it manages to let both human hosts and AR characters meet effortlessly on screen.
Videos can be fully produced by a lean team of as few as 2-3 people as well, thanks to having all the necessary equipment on set!
This is where Yahoo TV shoots many of its original series, such as the recently popular ‘Singlish With Uncle Gwee’ which hilariously (but also quite educationally) makes sense of how simple English words take on different meanings when uttered by Singaporeans.
Business In The Front, Party In The Back
For the rest of Verizon Media’s close to 100 staff in Singapore, not all of them may do work that requires them to step into the studio, but they’ve also been able to enjoy the newly renovated office, completed in December last year.
What’s interesting about their space is that they’ve split the entire floor into half.
One side houses a more conventional office setting with neat, practical rows of desks, nothing too flashy.
The other side is where the fun happens, furbished with floor-to-ceiling windows, bright colours, inverted greenery, and an eclectic selection of chairs.
Whether you prefer structure and organisation, or need a refreshing burst of colour to inspire you, employees are free to move between the two contrasting spaces to work wherever they like.
Healthy Workers Are Happy Workers
More than just a good looking office, Verizon Media fosters togetherness by keeping their employees well fed.
They’re adopting a popular startup practice where meals are catered for the whole team daily, led by the belief that some of the most meaningful ideas actually spring up during lunchtime conversations.
It’s pretty surprising to find a company that’s collectively this committed to healthy eating—there are no junk food snacks or soft drinks stocked in the pantry; only fruits, nuts, cereals and fruit-infused water!
Beyond physical health, they take commendable efforts to take care of mental wellbeing with personal counselling available for all employees. The sessions are kept confidential by booking through the company’s app.
Verizon Media also has some policies in place to support diversity, like providing a prayer room, and a mothers’ nursing room. All cutlery in the pantry can only be used for halal food too.
If you’re interested to get a job here, Verizon Media is constantly expanding their team, so you can keep an eye on their openings!
VP Goes To is a series where we take you to the latest events and coolest spaces for an exclusive inside look. Know a place or event we should check out? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion to our Facebook page.
Featured Image Credit: Verizon Media