JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

108 JNA AWARDS • 2020 By inspiring his team to “challenge the norm and do the impossible,” William Chu, Founder and CEO of Picup Media, has repeatedly proven that simple solutions can yield phenomenal results. Chu changed the game for jewellery photography in 2017 when he and his team unveiled the well-received GemLightbox, a device that enables companies to capture well-lit and high-resolution images of their pieces. What’s more, it saves users hundreds to thousands of dollars that they used to spend on commissioned photo shoots. “Our desired outcome has always been to deliver user- friendly, as well as simple yet functional solutions that would enable jewellers to run a successful business whether offline, online or amix of both,” says Chu, whose company is also known for its photo retouching, image and video hosting, and cloud integration services. Following the release of GemLightbox though, clients started to ask if more innovations were well underway. Chu was once again ahead of the curve. Picture perfect Exhibiting foresight and vision, Chu immediately made a significant investment to develop the world’s first jewellery turntable. To achieve this, the company had to construct over 50 prototypes, before finally zeroing in on the most suitable design. The team also had to rewrite the coding for the software multiple times to ensure that it could support their long-term goals. “We don’t just rely on predictions but also on real and sometimes, collaborative case studies with our partners,” shares Chu. In 2018, Picup Media presented the GemLightbox Turntable at the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair – now known as Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong. Unlike its predecessor, this particular tool allows anyone with a smartphone to produce, not only images, but fluid, 360-degree product videos in one click. Going the extra mile, it debuted the GemLightbox Aerial in 2019, which enables users to take 360-degree videos of more complicated pieces such as long necklaces, earrings and similarly shaped items. Since the launch of these innovations, Picup Media has William CHU Picup Media Category: Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Age 40 and below) Country / Region: Hong Kong 1