YXE: OTB Media

Tell me about yourself and what you do?

Hi Ryan, 

My name is Sam Seto, founder and creator of Think OTB Media.  I was always taught to never use an acronym in a business name or website, but obviously, I’m a terrible listener.  OTB stands for Outsidethebox.  What we do at OTB Media is create things.  We do a lot of design and a lot of print.  We touch into a little bit of Film & Photography (I don’t consider myself to be a photographer, but I do have enough basic knowledge to snap a decent photo if need be).  Basically if you can print it, we can do it!  We also run a blog.  The blog is like the OTB headquarters, it’s where we post everything that inspires us.  Another thing we do is OTB apparel.  We recently put up our online store and have had a positive response!  There really is no better feeling then spotting a stranger with an OTB shirt on.

What was it that sparked you to do this?

I’ve always been into graphic design and print.  I took a few classes in high school and continued on my graphic design journey with a year of post secondary.  I did a few odd jobs for friends and family, but nothing really major.  As the years went by I focused more on my freelance work and started to get busy.  I created a name for myself, Shape Shift Studios.  That didn’t last long.  I ended up getting busy with work and family.  Everything was put on hold.  Fast forward a year and I got back into it, stronger than ever.  This is where Outsidethebox Media was born.  We’ll be 2 years old in March.

What do you need to be successful in this sort of market?

In order to be successful in this market, you need to be unique.  To be unique these days is incredibly hard compared to what it used to be.  With DSLR’s, Photoshop and the internet, everyone is a designer (and photographer).  It’s incredibly cheap to buy a digital SLR now, and Photoshop is available with 2 clicks of a button.  With that being said, you need to out shine the competition, which is thick.

Explain your favorite and most rewarding project that you’ve worked on.

Being in this business you get to meet and work with a lot of incredible and inspiring people.  That’s the number one perk within the design and print field.  Every project I work on is equally rewarding.  However, IF I had to pick a couple I’d have to go with the CREAM stickers and our OTB Shirts/Stickers.  The Cream stickers I designed and printed for Lance Feliciano, a pro-drifter from Los Angeles California.  The stickers were a huge success and can be seen on cars across So Cal.  To have something you designed being passed around miles away is quite humbling.  And of course the OTB shirts and stickers will always be a rewarding project.  To hear where some of these stickers and T-shirts are spotted makes every second I put into OTB well worth it.  I could say Thank you a million times, and it wouldn’t be enough. 


Big shout out to the guys who helped make OTB what it is today, JMak, Kyle, Bryce and Chris.

Thanks to Sam for giving us the scoop on his business. You can follow him on Twitter and/or on his website. 

We had hello saskatoon stickers made by OTB Media in the past, get a hold of us if you would like some (only a few remaining).

Love the North