Who we are

As one of Asia’s premier technology journalists (BBC, Reuters, Wall Street Journal), Jeremy Wagstaff has long made it his mission to create content that is accessible, compelling and trustworthy.

Cleft Stick brings that expertise and experience to content funded or created by companies, governments and institutions: what we know as sponsored content or thought leadership.

He has encouraged clients to think beyond narrow targets and to create content that inspires confidence among existing customers and wins over new ones. In the right hands, sponsored content, white papers, speeches, op-eds and corporate reports can be as readable and as ground-breaking as traditional journalism.

Our process of costing out a project is transparent and quotes can be provided quickly. If we can’t help you we can recommend partners who can.

We’re based in Singapore but our clientele is global.

Jeremy Wagstaff

Jeremy has been reporting since 1986 from more than a dozen countries, from Cuba to China. He’s best known for his long-running Loose Wire column on technology in The Wall Street Journal, his regular commentary spots on the BBC World Service, and his most recent incarnation as Thomson Reuters’ chief technology correspondent in Asia. Since 2018 he has been the chief thinker and writer behind Cleft Stick, a Singapore-based consultancy. From the start the goal has been to bring journalistic rigour and understanding of what people like to read to the world of content created or sponsored by companies and governments.

Our approach

There's no shortage of companies and institutions looking to leverage their knowledge and experience to enhance their brand and public understanding of what they do, and the technologies that drive them. But oftentimes the results are unsatisfactory: the key process of deciding what stories to tell, and the actual research and writing are usually outsourced to freelancers. The result is content that lacks the quality of journalism it shares a platform, satisfying only narrow internal metrics and failing to reach and persuade the markets the client was hoping to touch.

Cleft Stick takes a different approach. We work solely on behalf of the end client, helping to make the best use of their budget by getting involved at the earliest stage possible, defining their goals and the content that would best help them.

These early discussions are vital in helping the client think more deeply about how to convey the message to the target audience, discarding jargon and industry cliches for a fresh, dynamic voice that rises above the surrounding noise.

Our values

We bring to bear journalistic values honed over decades: never short-change the reader (or viewer, or listener.) Research thoroughly, clearly spell out your message and argue it compellingly. Tell the story simply but expertly, remembering that every sentence you write is an opportunity for your reader to turn the page.

Clients appreciate our honesty, directness and the freshness of our ideas, whether it’s for a 1,000-word article or a 20,000-word white paper.

Get in touch and see if we can help.