Michael
Ong​
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Creative Director | Visual Storyteller | Cultural Curator | Co-Founder of Satsang Living
Michael Ong is an award-winning commercial director, visual storyteller, and mindful photographer with over 30 years of experience in video production, motion design, and postproduction across broadcast, digital, and social platforms. Originally from Malaysia and now based in Kansas City, he holds degrees in Graphic Design and Broadcasting & Film, two disciplines that continue to shape his unique creative lens. Michael began his career as a motion designer and rose to become Creative Director at Take Two Productions, where he led the development of award-winning motion graphics, visual effects, and experiential content for national campaigns and documentaries.
For the past 15 years, he has served as Studio Art Director at Hallmark Cards, Inc., where he played a pivotal role in building a world-class in-house production studio. As a director, he has helmed national commercials and emotionally resonant branded content that reflects Hallmark’s legacy of heartfelt storytelling. Beyond his commercial work, Michael is known for his commitment to cultural authenticity. He has served as Chair of Asian American Resource Community at Hallmark (Asian ERG) and co-led the creation of the Multicultural Center of Excellence, guiding the enterprise toward more culturally attuned practices. But Michael’s artistry extends beyond the studio.
A passionate world traveler and mindful photographer, he approaches every journey as a canvas, capturing more than just images, but emotion, stillness, and meaning. Through curated experiences and creative retreats, he teaches others to see through the lens of intention, using photography as a tool for reflection and deeper presence. Michael is co-founder of Satsang Living, a lifestyle and creative platform rooted in well-being, cultural wisdom, and conscious exploration. Whether behind the camera or leading a workshop, Michael helps others rediscover wonder in the everyday, believing that the truest stories are the ones we take the time to see.
WHAT DOES SATSANG LIVING
MEAN TO YOU?
Satsang Living is about making everyday choices with intention, tuning into how they shape our emotions and experiences. It’s in the quiet decisions: how we spend free time, what we notice while traveling, or choosing stillness. This mindfulness helps us savor fleeting beauty, find meaning in the ordinary, and create a life rich in vivid, lasting memories.
WHAT'S YOUR LATEST
QUIET JOY?
Music. It's an easy way to reach our emotions and psyche. Maybe it's the vibration of sound waves, or that music shares the same intangible quality as feelings. My friends make fun of me, but I don't care because it works. I tune to Apple Music's Spa Station constantly in my car. It prepares me to face whatever's coming at work and de-stresses me on the way home. I can let go of all the bad energy before I walk through my front door. Staying in this calm state probably lowers my blood pressure and it's definitely the best antidote for road rage.
Subashini
Nadarajah
Creative Strategist | Visual Experience Educator | Empathetic Branding Expert | Co-Founder of Satsang Living
Subashini Nadarajah is an award-winning creative director, educator, and equity champion with over 35 years of experience in branding, design, and human-centered leadership. Originally from Malaysia and now based in Savannah, she brings a global perspective and a deep-rooted commitment to empathetic storytelling, cross-cultural creativity, and mindful living.
Subashini previously served as Global Executive Director of Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at VML, where she focused specifically on Empathetic Creative. In this role, she led groundbreaking initiatives including the Multicultural Creative Center of Excellence and co-founded Ascend, a yearlong sponsorship program for rising Asian and Pacific Islander professionals. Her work earned her the 2021 ACE Award from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce for advancing DE&I in both the workplace and the broader community.
Her career spans leadership roles at Bernstein-Rein, Blacktop Creative, Hallmark Cards, and VML, where she helped shape campaigns for global brands such as McDonald’s, Disney, Google, and Intel. As Global Director of Design at VML, she was brought in to build a design practice from the ground up, one that has grown into one of the agency’s most powerful and celebrated global design teams.
Now a Professor of Graphic Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Subashini teaches courses rooted in empathetic and inclusive design. She has also taught at the University of Kansas and Kansas City Art Institute, where she introduced new frameworks in design ethics, empathetic branding, and visual storytelling.
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Subashini is co-founder of Satsang Living, a creative lifestyle platform grounded in cultural wisdom and intentional living. A trilingual world traveler, photographer, artist, and potter, she brings holistic insights to every endeavor, whether through design, teaching, or spiritual practice. Her creative work, including a self-designed home featured in Dwell Online, reflects her belief that empathy and aesthetics can build bridges across communities and cultures.
WHAT DOES SATSANG LIVING
MEAN TO YOU?
Satsang Living, to me, is mindful living. It’s waking up each day as if it were your last, not in fear, but with intention. As a practicing Hindu, I see each day as sacred. What I do today shapes tomorrow.
Even the smallest rituals sipping tea, lighting a candle, pausing before I speak, become moments of presence. It’s a spiritual practice, a quiet devotion to balance, beauty, and gratitude. Satsang Living is not just how I live… it’s why I live the way I do.
WHAT'S YOUR LATEST
QUIET JOY?
Since moving to Savannah in July, my latest quiet joy has been watching the massive container ships glide silently down the Savannah River from my apartment window. There's something grounding about the deep echo of the foghorns and the slow, steady rhythm of the ships, a daily meditation wrapped in mystery and movement.
William
Brown
Company Owner, Will Brown Interiors, LLC | Co-Founder of Satsang Living
William Brown is an award-winning interior designer, photo stylist, and certified Feng Shui practitioner with over 30 years of experience in interiors, product development and innovation, and lifestyle branding. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, and having lived in Europe and various regions of the United States, he brings a global lens and a deep sensitivity to how design can shape well-being, identity, and transformation.
William held creative leadership roles at two global brands, Hallmark Cards, Inc. and Target Corporation. At Hallmark, he cultivated a strong foundation in product development and visual storytelling through the lens of photography and photo styling. At Target, he deepened his expertise in product design, trend forecasting, and design innovation. These experiences inform his work as founder of Will Brown Interiors, where he blends refined aesthetics with practical Feng Shui to create soulful, high-functioning spaces for discerning homeowners. He participates regularly on design panels, guest podcasts and industry trade show events and workshops that empower the interior design creative community.
William’s commitment to inclusive design extends beyond client work. He co-led the creation of Hallmark’s Multicultural Center of Excellence, an enterprise-wide initiative that advanced culturally attuned creative practices. He also served on the Board of Directors for both DIFFA Kansas City and the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, where he contributed toward equity, small business community engagement and mentorship initiatives.
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William is co-founder of Satsang Living, a lifestyle and creative platform rooted in cultural wisdom, spiritual connection, and conscious living. Through his Feng Shui and interiors work, he guides others to create supportive spaces that reflect who they are and support who they are becoming—spaces of beauty, balance, and intentionality.
WHAT DOES SATSANG LIVING
MEAN TO YOU?
Satsang Living, for me, is about gathering with kindred spirits who reflect back my truest self and invite me to grow and expand my consciousness. It’s where design, mindfulness, and storytelling converge, because it’s at this intersection that I find myself in the rhythm and energetic flow of living with purpose.
WHAT'S YOUR LATEST
QUIET JOY?
My current Zen Quiet Activity is running. After about 20 minutes, something shifts internally when my breathing evens out, the mental clutter settles, and I slip into a steady rhythm where clarity begins to rise. It’s a discipline to get there, but once I do, I feel deeply present, open, and creatively restored. It’s in that space, just beyond the noise where my visionary mind feels most alive and attuned to help me solve my most pressing issues.
