The $7000 movie ticket

The Bangkok ritual behind a 168K-strong community

Jul 23, 2026

As you read this, I’ll be in the skies flying home to Brisbane from Bangkok.

Last weekend, my friend Kasidis Satangmongkol (Toy) invited us to see The Odyssey (have you seen it?). We agreed to meet him at the cinema around 11am to grab our ticket.

Toy was standing behind a trestle table in front of a lineup of about 50 people. Unbeknownst to us, he hadn't just bought a few tickets.

He had booked out the entire first-class cinema for 600 members of his community, DataRockie.

What a lovely idea!

This is Toy’s superpower - building relationships and a strong community base through online education, so I wanted to share how he does it with you today.

Firstly, let me tell you about Kasidis Satangmongkol (Toy)

Toy on the right at his epic cinema event

Toy is a data analyst and data science instructor, based in Bangkok Thailand. He founded a facebook page/ community “DataRockie” in 2016 (now with 168K followers), and in his words, it’s been a 10-year journey just like The Odyssey.

He offers online courses from data, coding to emerging technologies like ai. More than 45K Thai students have enrolled in his free classes at datarockie school. A lot of happy students, with more than 2500+ reviews on his FB page.

His mission is to democratise data science knowledge to all Thais (Leanne’s note: So good!)

I love Toy’s approach and asked him to answer 3 questions on building community and relationships.

1. How have you built a community over 10 years? What are the top 3 tips you could offer someone who wants to do something similar?

My philosophy is “Give to Grow”. We give more than we take. I am driven by Stoicism (ancient Greek philosophy).

The best way to grow a community is to out-teach and out-share your knowledge. Education is the best marketing, in my humble opinion.

Above all, be good. Virtue is an ancient word, but it’s more relevant today than ever. (Being good is the best business strategy)

Top 3 tips:

Write ridiculously good content, ideally once a week, long form article on your own website, then share it on social media i.e. Education is the marketing
If you write 100 content pieces, make sure 99 of them focus on education, and only one focus on action (i.e. selling). This sounds crazy, but it has worked for me in the past 10 years. Give more than you take. This logic resonates with me a lot, if all humans gave more than they took, the world would be a better place, the math is so simple, be good.
Give unconditionally. I give away a lot of free courses, host many free events, including The Odyssey movie last Saturday. This is the paradox, to give is to grow, and the more we give the more we grow.

Also - my favourite book in 2026 is “Incorruptible” by Eric Ries, he says that the purpose of all great companies is “human flourishing”, our customers, our employees and, lastly, our stakeholders/ investors.

2. Booking an entire cinema for your community is so cool! Why did you start doing this?

I started doing movie days in 2023, the first movie was John Wick 4, and I continue this ritual every year e.g. Deadpool, Dr.Strange, Mission Impossible, Tron and The Odyssey.

The booking is so simple, I contacted the cinema (SF in Thailand), talked to the sales rep and booked the date, paid the fee. The cost depends on the size of the cinema (how many seats), if it’s a blockbuster movie and the day of the week (weekday is generally cheaper than weekend).

It costs me around 2,500 - 7,000 USD per event, depending on the factors I mentioned above. The Odyssey was around 7,000 USD for 600 people. So cool! 🍿

I use my profit to host this event. It’s a win-win. I just want to meet my students, meet the community, and cherish the moment together.

In the end I think people don’t remember who you are, they remember how you make them feel. Movies and storytelling serve this purpose well.

(Leanne’s note: I really enjoyed this lesson. Often, I think when I host an event I have to give CONTENT value and expertise.. but curating a shared experience like hosting a movie is so powerful, too!)

Actually, I planned to have a mini talk before the movie, but we ran out of time. Maybe next time, the end of this year for Doomsday!

3. How do you cultivate your network and stay in touch with others?

We have a Discord community for alumni (my students). A public Facebook group that shares useful information related to data knowledge. I started my newsletter, but I’m not very active. I know the newsletter is my next move, and I will spend time building my list this year.

In the past 10 years, I have met a lot of people, including Leanne (and her cool husband Chris! Happy birthday!). I met Sean D'Souza, my mentor. I just DM (send him a message), and we connect. That’s it.

Be a genuinely good person, and people want to connect with you more. I think this is so true. This is ancient wisdom since the age of Aristotle.

But today, virtue is rare. Being good takes courage. I have tattoos on my left arm saying, “The obstacle is the way” and “Fortune favors the brave”.

Virtue above all else. Goodness against all else.

Love you Leanne, thank you for having me on your Substack.

Catch-ups in Bangkok with Kittipong Ruksa (left) and Kasidis Satangmongkol earlier this year.

Toy’s already invited me to his next movie meetup at the end of the year for Doomsday. Looks like I need to check out flights and get back to Bangkok in December, ha ha!

But what an amazing way to live, and congrats on everything you’ve created for your community in Thailand, Toy. Love your approach!

What did you think of Toy’s wisdom? What else have you seen done well that helps to build a strong community?

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