A day at Snap: inside London’s creative tech HQ

Photo at Snap HQ. L-R, top: Lyv Opara, Jason Mavron, Michael Callaghan, Ehsen Hanif, Waseela Mahmood, Shahwali, Ben Tivey, Ollie Bird and Tobi Olatidoye. L-R, middle: Aleena Seddighi, Alina Haidary, Buse Camlar, Sofia Ferreira, Diana Pricop. L-R, bottom: Jamie Aldridge, Sheena Igbiri, Olamide Ajisola, Lola Davidson, Rebecca Pattni, Georgia Wolfin

Lola Davidson and Olamide Ajisola meet the people behind Snap and try their hand at lens-making

Snapchat has been the backdrop to our teenage years, so having the chance to see what really goes on inside their headquarters was too good an opportunity to turn down.

Stepping out of Farringdon station, we were hit by a wall of heat, but the buzz of finally walking into the building soon took over. We joined a group of Exposure contributors for the day. It was brilliant meeting people from such different walks of life, including several ex-students from our college, which felt really comforting.

Something that surprised us most was that Snapchat wasn’t always called Snapchat, it actually started out as Peekaboo, reflecting the way messages disappeared once the other person had read them. When they eventually changed the name, they kept the ghost as the logo, a small detail, but one we think holds real value, as it’s a little reminder of where the app began.

We were also struck by just how many different sectors and roles go into running Snapchat, around 5,000 people work for Snap globally.

We also got to hear about the career journeys of some of the people who work at Snap. The panellists were Charlotte Aubert (creative production), Chirag Gada (software engineer) and Cardmel Boadu Arthur (Snap Lens Lab alumna). Charlotte and Chirag have both been at Snap for around 9 years and the big message that came through was how much they value the company’s culture, especially being kind, smart and creative.

It was especially great to hear from Cardmel, who is 22 and recently completed Snap Lens Lab, a training programme that runs every year for young people interested in augmented reality and design. She was very enthusiastic about how much she’d learned, how much she’d enjoyed the experience and the doors that programmes like this can open for young people who might not normally have access to opportunities like this.

The day left us genuinely motivated and reminded me not to doubt my own ideas

Lunch was such a thoughtful touch too, laid on in a welcoming setting. It was fascinating to explore the building, which had a futuristic design, with sleek open-plan spaces, combined with various vibrant yellow accents creating an energetic and exciting atmosphere. During our break, we were still discussing topics raised by the careers panel and couldn’t stop talking about it.

We ended the day with an inspiring opportunity to participate in a Snap Lens workshop with Shahwali Shayan, where we created our own lenses and explored the creative side of the platform. It was a good reminder that alongside discussions of regulation and responsibility, innovation remains at the heart of technology. It was a brilliant workshop.

Looking back, there was a lot to take in. It can take time to work out what you want to do in life, but the answer comes eventually, and it’s worth taking every opportunity to learn more about yourself and what’s out there.

One thing that really stuck with us was Snap’s reminder that being kind is one of their three core values, alongside being smart and creative. Kindness, they said, can take you far in life and tends to lead you to other kind people, which felt like a wholesome piece of advice.

The day left us genuinely motivated and reminded us not to doubt our own ideas. If you ever get the chance to visit Snapchat, take it, you won’t regret it.

A huge thank you to Cords Short (philanthropy program manager) and the team for having us. It was amazing to see all the creativity that goes on within one company.

Below are a selection of photos of the our day by Writer and Filmmaker Tobi Olatidoye