Before joining ZenGroup I worked as an English teacher at an Eikaiwa for a year to get my foot into Japan. After that I worked in a Japanese cross-border e-commerce company for 2 and a half years to improve my professional and Japanese language skills.

I decided to apply to ZenGroup because not only did I know people who were in the company and enjoyed being there, but also because the position that was available would allow me to use my creative skills so I thought it was a perfect fit.

The workplace environment at ZenGroup creates a space where we’re able to concentrate on our jobs as everyone is always hard at work together. On the other hand, our office desks are decorated with everyone’s favorite items so it’s a very happy environment as well. We also have fruit day which I always look forward to.

The part of my personality that fits well with ZenGroup is that I am very flexible and understanding. These qualities are important in ZenGroup as everyone is from different places around the world and we all have different ideas but we have to come together to find the best solutions and ways of action.

I would definitely recommend my friends to work at ZenGroup because of the positive work environment, the people that work here and the ability to challenge yourself. ZenGroup is a breath of fresh air compared to traditional Japanese companies but we’re still challenged every day to improve our skill sets.

I am a part of the Content Unit in the Creative Section. The Content Unit is in charge of filming, photographing, editing videos and photos, and recording audio for the departments at ZenGroup. We make everything from simple social media videos to professional ads and more such as internal projects.

We have a studio area where we can produce media but we are also often leaving the office to film and take photos at locations around Kansai as well.

The Creative Section not only includes the Content Unit but also the Design Team. The Design Team specializes in graphic and web design but still works with the Content Unit as they are often using photos we take in their designs.

We are a very close-knit team which makes working together even easier!

The most memorable experience I have while working with my colleagues was during the creation of ZenMarket’s 4th of July campaign video: ZenYeah

ZenMarket’s marketing team wanted a video for the campaign to use a song inspired by “Team America: World Police”.

I created the (very chaotic) storyboard and directed the video shoot which involved actors from the ZenMarket’s marketing team and HR while a unit member of mine filmed and a member of the Design Team helped with directing the photoshoot as they would be using the photos for the campaign.

Needless to say, the video is still mentioned to this day by everyone that was a part of it.

When I think of ZenGroup, the word “growth” comes to mind. Everyone is very talented in the company so there are plenty of opportunities to learn from them but also to return the act and help them when needed as well. I’m often learning new things regarding filming and learning different editing techniques but I’m also often helping other departments when it comes to storyboarding and creative ideas.

ZenGroup has many benefits that are attractive to me. One of the best benefits is the amount of paid-holidays we get. Because there are many people in the company that are from different countries with different times of the year that are important to them, it’s more beneficial for ZenGroup to provide us with a large amount of paid-holidays rather than giving us a normal amount with Japanese national holidays off as many of us don’t necessarily observe Japanese holidays.

Flex-time is also great as we can choose to come to work from 7-10 am and leave at 4- 7 pm. I often use flex-time depending on if I wish to go home early that day or sleep in and leave work later in the day.