Hubud

Ubud, on the island of Bali, has long hosted encounters between a receptive, profound and ingenious local culture and independent minds from around the world. As first a visitor then a resident, I noticed the frequency with which I ran into unquestionably able people—including maverick creatives and entrepreneurs, corporate escapees, and downshifters—inspired about new ways of living and working.

Having experienced coworking at one of the earliest spaces in London, the question quickly formed: “What would be possible if these people could come together in the same space?”

I developed the name and concept for Hubud (Hub-in-Ubud), before meeting two Canadians who shared a similar impetus. As co-founders our vision was for Hubud to offer a haven for people creating change in their work and lifestyle, help diversify the tourism-heavy economy, and multiply opportunities for Balinese and the international community to engage meaningfully with one another.

I led on prototyping the concept as a pop-up over two weeks. With the concept validated, our search for a permanent space continued over the next several months until we discovered an amply sized bamboo building in central Ubud, owned by an architect and the village chief.

As Creative Director I took care of the brand, website design, marketing and activations, and design of the physical space—as well as instating and running various series of events, the lifeblood of a coworking community.

Hubud grew strongly from the start and since opening in 2013 and welcomed over 8,000 members from 80 countries, before becoming a casualty of the pandemic, closing in 2021. In its time it was top ranked among global coworking spaces by international publications including Forbes, Lonely Planet and Huffington Post.