Written by Who are they: Moose & Panda
Age: You can probably guess
There’s no denying the fact that memes are how many of us communicate today. But some people are taking it beyond sharing funny memes to their group chat. Meet Just Media Things, a Singaporean duo who have taken up the mantle of creating highly-relatable and hilarious memes that revolve around the local media industry.
From poking fun at the work-from-home discourse to infusing trending pop-cultural moments with a dash of self-deprecating humour, the duo – comprising the anonymous Moose and Panda – have amassed a sizeable following since their debut in 2019. We recently got the chance to pick their brains on some of the best parts of Singapore’s media landscape, how they stay current with popular culture, and what’s next for them.
1. What are some of your hobbies?
Panda: Working out in general – gymming, running, hiking – *inserts “eh vry day, I either do a 10km run with 5 sets of tabata” TikTok audio*. I really think it is important to look good and feel good, especially when our metabolism tanks faster than the crypto market.
Moose: Manga – from shounen to romance, you’ll catch me reading just about anything. At least I get to see a main character live their dreams.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
2. What is your favourite food spot in Singapore, and what do you like about it?
Panda: I know you’re baiting me to say Saizeriya…
I love going to hawker centres because enjoying your meal while sharing tables with a stranger feels very “human”. It reminds me sometimes to slow down my pace and enjoy the little things in life. It also warms my heart when the stall owner recognises me, shoutout to Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodle.
Moose: I love hawker food too. Taste is a personal preference so I’m not going to name a spot and risk getting cancelled. It’s the only time I get to feel spoiled – for choice. No, I’m not lonely. Let me live my life.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
3. What is your favourite movie/TV show and why do you like it?
Panda: Judging by the number of memes I’ve made using their templates and being able to quote the entire show, I would say The Office. My other favourite is Modern Family.
As far as sitcoms go, both of these shows have many elements of realism but the exaggeration makes it really hilarious. Also, these shows do not contain “laugh tracks” which are painfully annoying and unnecessary.
Moose: Probably BBC’s Sherlock. Benedict [Cumberbatch] was amazing at the character and the show is mind-boggling. But just a caveat, I’m hardly a movie/TV show type of person – the last movie I watched was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
4. Three words that people use to describe you:
Panda: Uncle, Humorous, Genuine. I’d love to say Handsome but that ship sailed about 5 years ago.
Moose: Uncle, Smart (by the way this one other people say not me hor) and Humorous.
5. Who are some content creators that inspire you?
Panda: I don’t know them personally but one that comes to mind is @thebig4accountant on how they are able to build such a strong community and business through professional memes. Not forgetting @digital_chadvertising which inspired us to get started and has helped us along the way.
Moose: @thepressingtimes.sg. I don’t know what kind of media they consume to come up with their punchlines. I need whatever they are having.
6. What is it that you do at @justmediathingss?
Panda: I call myself the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) or Chief Operating Officer (COO) because I am the “funny” one responsible for coming up with ideas and content creation. I also handle all the boring stuff like invoicing – eww – and choosing the colours for the eggs on our highlights.
Moose is more of the CEO because he does more client-facing stuff. He is more eloquent and smarter which is why we decided to divide our workload that way. He also proofreads all the content because “my English is D7, but my personality is A1”.
Moose: I think CEO is an overkill of a description but what I do in summary is handle the partnerships – please reach out and collab with us – keep track of our timelines and make sure we deliver our punchlines in the best way possible.
7. What inspired you to start @justmediathingss?
Panda: I’ve always enjoyed content creation and making people laugh, so I always wanted to start a meme page. However, I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Based on my entrepreneurial experience, I understand that the key to building something sustainable is commitment and consistency.
Having a partner allows us to keep each other accountable which is why I reached out to Moose since we were already making memes regularly and sending them to our friends. Not forgetting I admire his work ethic and the different set of skills he brings to the table.
Moose: I think everyone has a creative part of them, and that for me was creating memes. I was always on social media and had a meme for every situation, whether it was in my life or about work. I had never started a meme page because I did not really see it necessary to share my stuff with people and because the memes were mostly personal.
So when Panda asked if I wanted to set up a meme page with him, I thought that the prospect was quite interesting since our work ethic and personal values are similar. And well, you know, the rest is what you see today.
8. What was the most memorable moment of your career?
Panda: I have many ‘memorable’ moments in my career because every day is a struggle HAHA. I would say starting Just Media Things is really the defining moment of my career.
The Panda from 3 years ago who wasn’t originally from this industry would’ve never thought that one day he would build a platform to connect media professionals across the world. It is amazing how life is so unpredictable. Being the admin of JMT has really given me the opportunity to know many people that I wouldn’t have been able to, and it definitely helps my career in some shape or form.
Moose: I think it has to be the night where I had to bail on my friend in the middle of eating dinner for a campaign emergency. I basically received a phone call from my boss while eating and I had to tell my friend, “Sorry, I really have to go”.
I stayed up close to 5am with my boss trying to put out a fire that was started by someone else, and by the end of it, it really got me questioning if I had made the right choice to be in this industry. I still had to go back to the office on time the next day.
9. Which posts have been the most fun for you to create?
Panda: I always look forward to Spotify Wrapped every year. When Spotify Wrapped launched in 2021, we got our memes out within the next hour trying to leverage first-mover advantage.
In such situations, it really requires you to think of creative ideas quickly and making parodies is always a bunch of fun.
Moose: Yea, we basically stay up on the night Spotify Wrapped releases to make sure we have something for this.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
10. Which post are you the proudest of?
Our #JustMediaCares post about working Overtime. This was when we decided to create a post to start a conversation about working overtime. This post reached a ton of people in the industry and it was shared everywhere, it is also one of our most commented posts as well. The thing that I appreciate about being a content creator is that we have a platform to deliver important messages and help others.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
11. When did you realise that @justmediathingss was blowing up?
Panda: I was commuting to work and on the train, I saw a stranger looking at our memes.
This happened when we had a couple of hundreds of followers, but it made me realise we were on to something.
Moose: When I saw our memes being shared by my normie friends. It was a sign that our posts were getting somewhere.
12. What are some good things about Singapore’s media industry that go under the radar?
Panda: The industry is relatively small and closely knit. You’ll never feel foreign when you enter a new environment because there will always be someone you know. If you mix with the right people, you’ll find yourself surrounded by the most brilliant and hardworking individuals the industry has to offer and they are just a message away if you ever need help.
Moose: The industry is quite technical in most parts, so it always keeps you on your toes because tools constantly change. When you work with brilliant people around you, there will always be someone who has a new way of making use of existing resources. There is something new to learn every day and be creative, even when you’re not specifically in the creative vertical.
13. What are some aspects of the local media industry that you wish can change?
Panda: Singapore is already one of the most overworked cities in the world. In addition, advertising and PR are recognised to be among the world’s most overworked and stressful industries as well.
I really want people to recognize that working more hours does not always equate to good work. It is really up to the individual to learn how to set boundaries, improve their efficiency and change their mindset because you’ll always have work to do.
That being said, we want the industry to accept that working additional hours should never be an expectation, and leaving on time should NEVER be frowned upon.
Moose: While the pandemic has greatly shifted the conversation about working in the office, WFH has also helped blur the lines of working hours even further. One of the things we hope to do through our content is to shed light on undesirable practices that make people give up their personal time for work.
I think as we grow more and more digitally connected, we need to learn how to find our own ways to work in less time. We hope that people will begin to understand that only when we can grow and recover outside of work, it becomes much more sustainable to give our best at our jobs.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
14. What are some misconceptions outsiders have about the media industry in Singapore?
Panda: The first one that comes to mind is that it is a very brainless industry and the ceiling is low. My very Asian parents had a hard time accepting my decision to leave engineering and join the media industry. Initially, my friends also felt that I was making the wrong decision and was seeking the thrill of trying something different. In other regions of the world, working in media is actually something very respectable and people actually take pride in being in media.
A second common misconception is that you cannot earn in the media industry. While we are not doctors, lawyers, finance bros or software developers, one can actually earn quite respectably if they know what they are doing and play their cards right.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
Moose: Yeah, whatever Panda said.
15. Why should you work in media in Singapore?
Panda: I’m loaded. Just kidding.
I really like how dynamic the industry is and as media practitioners, we would always have to constantly catch up with the new digital platforms, tools, and trends. In other industries, people might still be operating tools, systems and platforms from 20 years ago and if there were any new innovations, it is not available to them.
It is also not common in other industries for people who are in their 40s and 50s to use the latest platforms and know the latest trends, but it is a norm for people in media. Working in media allows you to stay youthful.
Image credit: @justmediathingss
Moose: If you like to be kept humble, you should work in the media. In all of the good and the bad ways. Iykyk.
16. How do you stay on top of the trending topics in Singapore?
Panda: We spend a lot of time on social media, just so we can deliver the memes fresh from the oven. Moose and I actually spend hours scrolling TikTok for leisure.
@justmediathings Who snitched? #justmediathings ♬ Kurt Tay shouting – Tik Toker
Moose: My screen time averages 8 hours a day. Don’t ask me if I’m working.
17. Has anyone in real life recognised you two as the brains behind @justmediathingss?
Panda: Well to be fair we are no celebrities by any means. Most of them who “figure out” our identities just heard it from someone else. While some of them may openly engage with us, others may just pretend they are unaware. If you are the latter and are reading this, don’t be shy, come and say hi. Just don’t be too loud or confrontational in front of others as we would still want to keep our anonymity as much as possible.
Moose: I’m much actually much more under the radar, so those who know are either in my close circle or heard it from someone else.
18. What are some of the wackiest DMs you’ve received from your followers?
Panda: We’ve received messages from followers who confessed to us seriously and wanted to date us. It was a very K-pop “Jimin Oppa marry me” moment but also kinda weird at the same time because they have no idea who we are or what we are like behind the screen. For all they know we could be serial murderers *chuckles* (delete this before the cops see it).
Moose: Yeah those DMs were pretty wild. Panda actually looks like Jimin IRL. People who meet Panda for the first time don’t say hi, they say, “Wah handsome sia.” (Panda: It’s Jin not Jimin, that one is Oli London JK)
19. Do you have any haters? And how do you deal with them?
Panda: We do have a couple and we usually just block them. There will always be people who want to prove that they are smarter by arguing with us on certain remarks or concepts where all we’re doing is expressing our personal opinions and trying to make people laugh. Seriously, why are you arguing with a meme page lol.
Personally, I’m more concerned about haters in real life because they might go out of their way to affect our day jobs, which is why we decide to remain anonymous.
Moose: Which is also why we always explicitly state that whatever we share is just our personal opinions. If our words help someone that’s all well and good, but our words are by no means the gospel, and people are definitely free to disagree. Haters just get blocked. Xoxo
Also, as I’ve always said, please take what a meme page says with a pinch of salt.
20. What is one piece of advice you’d give to students/fresh graduates who are pursuing a career in the media industry?
Panda: Set some goals for yourself. Think about what you want to do and where you want to be in the short term (2-5 years), and the long term (5-10 years). Once you have that goal, understand what skillsets or experience you need in order to get that.
There will always be temptations, like going for a higher paying role, changing jobs because you don’t like someone, changing industry even. What is important is to ensure that you have some goals so that you don’t feel like you’re working for nothing; avoid the temptations of instant gratification and always remind yourself to keep your eyes on the prize. Trust me, you will be rewarded someday.
Moose: What you experience in your early days/internship is only the tip of the iceberg. It gets more interesting and while your day-to-day may feel very operational, it is important to think about your career from a long-term and a more holistic perspective.
Have conversations with people who are more senior in the industry, and you’ll find that what you do at the start eventually will form the foundation that helps you transition into a variety of roles in the future.
Moose and Panda dished out 10 pieces of advice for people in their 20s.
Image credit: Just Media Things
21. What’s next for Just Media Things?
In the short term, I would say setting up our merch store. We are still looking at the best way to produce great quality merch at reasonable prices. If anyone has experience do hit us up! Also spending more time on @justsingaporethingss, do drop us a follow!
Long-term-wise, we do have a few business development models in mind but we have yet to reach a point of success where we can have that discussion of possibly doing this full time. Moose and I are doing decently in our corporate careers so this decision will not come easy.
Follow @justmediathingss on Instagram.
Just Media Things website
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This post is part of our larger feature on content creators. If you’d like to be featured, or have a nominee in mind, please drop us a note at group@thesmartlocal.com.
Cover image adapted from: Just Media Things
