Podcasts about Southern Cross Austereo

Welcome to a midweek update from Unmade, on the morning after News Corp's main marketing-industry focused event of the year, D_Coded. Yesterday's big announcement was Tubi. Two months after announcing the sale of Foxtel, News Corp is back in the TV business.Also today, Enero's sinking share price hits the lowest point in more than a decade.News Corp Australia gets back into TV with TubiFor a while now, I've been puzzled by Tubi.It's the biggest asset in the extended News Corp universe not to have a presence in Australia. In the US, Tubi is a big deal. Its share of total TV viewing is nearly 2% and it's bigger than Peacock, Paramount+ and Max. In some quarters it's been bigger than Disney+.Actually, it's not entirely true to say that Tubi has not had a presence in Australia. Tubi has been here all along and repped by Foxtel Media. But it didn't receive much love, even as it built towards 1.3m active monthly users locally.When I interviewed Foxtel boss Patrick Delany this time last year, I told him I was surprised they were not doing more with Tubi.At the time, Delany argued that the reason for Tubi's success in the US is the fact that it's entirely free to its audience. While Australia's free to air networks are available over the airwaves, US viewers are used to paying for everything they watch via cable. So Tubi was a bigger point of difference, he argued.However, I suspect that was not the only reason. With Foxtel about to pass into the ownership of DAZN, Tubi now represents News Corp's seat back at the table of television. It didn't make sense for News Corp to go hard until the Foxtel deal was done.Tubi has a straightforward business model. There's no paid membership tier. It's pureplay FAST - free ad-supported streaming TV.That puts Tubi in the same space as 7plus, 9now, Tenplay, along with global players like Paramount's Pluto TV. And of course, with the FAST services being offered by the connected TV providers.Incidentally, Tubi lives within the other half of the Murdoch empire, Fox Corp. News Corp is effectively a local rep.In today's podcast I interview News Corp's executive chairman Michael Miller. He pushes back against my assumption that Tubi lacks premium content. And while it's true that Tubi has a deep archive, a look at the home page this morning reminds me of the experience of standing in the discount section of my local video store. They looked like blockbusters, but I just hadn't heard of them.(Titanic 2, anyone? Jack's back… and he's got a score to settle about the whole floating door episode.)Tubi's secret weapon is the world's favourite price point: free. There are plenty of Australians who can't or won't afford to pay for their streaming.And its not-so-secret weapon is the marketing firepower of News Corp. Would Kayo or Binge have grown without the company's cross promotion?In my conversation with Miller, he places Tubi as a “top three or four” marketing priority for the year.And News Corp is backing the push with an aggressive price point - a launch price of a $15cpm.Considering that's likely to be big brand advertising on the main lounge room screen, that's an aggressive price.By the way, in case you can't read the small print on the screen behind sales boss Barrett in the photo above, the price is for campaigns with a minimum spend of $20,000, running before June 30. And “independent measurement unavailable”.The rest of today's conversation with Miller spans the other announcements around D_Coded, including marketer-friendly expansions of its Intent Connect planning system, and the company's continuing efforts to make the concept of engaged reach a thing.Miller also makes it clear that News Corp still views the coming election and US trade war concerns as a delay, not an end to the News Media Bargaining Code framework. “We have been patient,” he says.Unmade Index fights off Trumpcession fears as Enero sinks to decade-long lowDespite an early selloff triggered by global concerns over a looming Trumpcession, the Unmade Index bounced back in later trading yesterday to finish flat.The biggest local weight on the Unmade Index, Nine, was lifted by its majority-owned real estate platform Domain. Nine was up by 1.3%, while Domain rose 1.8%.ARN Media was up by 4.9%, taking it back above a $200m market capitalisation.Among stocks moving in the other direction, print and marketing group IVE lost 8.6%, while Seven West Media lost 3.2% to land on its lowest point since January. Southern Cross Austereo was down by 3.6%.Enero Group, owner of ad agency BMF among others, slumped by 6.7% to land on its lowest share price in more than a decade.The Unmade Index ticked up by a fraction, rising by 0.09% to land on 551.2 points.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.We'll be back with more soonHave a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade + Mumbrellatim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Host: Andrew Birmingham, Editor - CX | Martech | Ecom Two years after a Mi3 published a comprehensive analysis of the customer data market in Australia, we revisited many of the brands we spoke with to assess their progress and measure their return. Companies that have persevered are realising strong returns and extending beyond their early use cases. But it has often been a hard road to hoe. There are integration and organisational challenges to overcome - and unexpected problems such as bill shock from unanticipated quarterly charges that can run into tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. As to the market, it’s more competitive than ever with the number of CDP vendors active in Australia rising significantly even though the volume of tenders has largely held the line, according to industry insiders. That means competition is heating up. There are three macro trends – the rise of composable CDPs - we’ll explain that later - and greater CIO control over data infrastructure amid a backdrop of three-year software renewals rolling over and the need to accurately assess ROI for a technology that is often hard to assign direct value against. Rich McFarland from Compare Club, Courtney Gerrits from the University of Tasmania, and Cam Strachan from Southern Cross Austereo dive deeply into the detail, discussing their experience with their own CDP implementations, describing the tangible benefits gained, such as improved customer acquisition costs, enhanced communication strategies, and increased operational efficiencies…there’s a few lessons they learned along the way to boot too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gemma Varone, Chief of Staff, 7NEWS Perth This week Nic catches up with Gemma Varone, Chief of Staff of 7NEWS Perth. Not sure what a chief of staff does? Nic and Gemma hash it out. Hear about how Gemma's time as a producer for Australia's Golden Tonsils - John Laws – along with how her role as newsreader at Nova and Southern Cross Austereo led to her position in Perth's leading newsroom. Nic and Gemma discuss: Which role she created horoscopes for and where she learnt how to play vinyl live to air at 19 years old Why there's no substitute for hard work What she loves about radio and why tv is more challenging What she looks for in a good yarn Which iconic Aussie anthem she performed at karaoke, singing back up for 9 News Perth sport presenter Paddy Sweeney The Experts Podcast is hosted by media professional and commentator, Nic Hayes. The Experts Podcast pulls back the curtain on media and helps you to get a better understanding of how media works. We speak to the country's leading journalists, hosts, anchors and producers, who are setting the national news agenda as well as some of the most prominent experts who appear in media around the country. The Experts Podcast, powered by Media Stable.

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade, taking in the Melbourne edition of Compass. And below, a down day on the Unmade Index.You should be at next year's Compass. If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the day to make a decision. If you sign up for an annual membership before the end of today you'll get a $50 gift voucher.Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025.* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade.‘We should be prepared for rage' - Compass Melbourne on the rise of activismThe final stop on Unmade's six-state Compass tour of Australia was Victoria, for a feisty conversation around the state of the industry, the Campaign Brief imbroglio and the state of the Melbourne radio wars.Today's podcast features highlights. The speakers were Gold's breakfast host Christian O'Connell, NAB's CMO Thomas Dobson, CHEP's executive strategy director Nomfundo Msomi, and Kimberlee Wells, CEO of TBWA.As has been the case in several states, the topic of Campaign Brief's all-male coverage of the creative industry was nominated as the industry's worst moment of the year. Wells told the audience: “The industry's biggest loss, controversial, I know, is Campaign Brief.”In October the publication experienced a fierce backlash after publishing a review on Australia and New Zealand's top creative talent featuring 20 men and no women. It triggered a debate about the masthead's behaviour over many years.Many agency groups took the decision to stop submitting their work for publication on the Campaign Brief blog. The controversy appears to have given momentum to the local operation of Little Black Book to fill some of the void.Wells, also a board member of industry association the Advertising Council, went on: “And it is not because of the changes that are being made, but I think there's a lot of questions being asked at the moment around what becomes the central dialogue for creativity in the industry.“And it's something that I know we're certainly grappling with at the Ad Council. So there are a lot of changes that needed to be made, but we need to make sure as a result of that, we're not actually losing creativity and a space for creativity to be elevated and to be celebrated across the board.”Msomi added: “As far as our biggest gain, it's the opportunity to have difficult conversations as an industry. So we've been talking about representation and opportunities for women, minorities, people from different ethnic groups, diversity within our industry.“I'm really hoping that after we go away for the two mandatory weeks where Australia shuts down, that we come back with that same fervor in place.“This is an opportunity. It's uncomfortable for some people, and for others, it is exhausting. We've gained the chance to really talk and to be vulnerable if we want to save the industry.“We've lost, and we continue to lose women. Let's acknowledge that it's happening under our watch. But more than just losing women, I think we're losing the trust of women as an industry to make change.”On the topic of advertising creativity, Melbourne was another edition of Compass where panellists nominated Telstra's work this year as a plus for the industry. Msomi told the room: “I'm going to take the biggest win as being Telstra. I think there's a lot of lessons in that for all of us around the importance of brand, the importance of craft the importance of getting back to creativity - and the importance of not listening to everyone in your organization who wants to have a point of view on the work, but actually backing your own gut.”Melbourne has also been home to the biggest radio story of the year - ARN Media's decision to network the Sydney-based The Kyle & Jackie O Show into the city on Kiis. While maintaining its lead in Sydney, the show has failed to find an audience in Melbourne.ARN stablemate O'Connell, whose own show on Gold has regularly topped the FM ratings, argued that while the battle has been great for drawing attention to radio, some stations have been wasting money on short term promotions rather than focusing on the quality of their shows. He said: “It's just really interesting - people are talking about it. Breakfast radio still matters to people which I think is really great for my industry.“The loss for the industry is how a lot of the other shows I go up against are chucking so much money at buying listeners - big, noisy cash giveaways. I understand why they do that; I've never done that - I think it's about deepening the connection you have with the audience. I think it's transactional and I think actually it's hurting radio.“The big noisy cash giveaways to me is dumb, moronic radio.”The panel also tackled the rise of retail media (Dobson was sceptical); rebuilding business confidence in a tough economy, the next wave of agency consolidations, and predictions of a rise in consumer activism.In prescient comments which she made before the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thomson in New York, Msomi warned: “I think we should be prepared for rage. I think the bubbling under, and now bubbling over, of the real palpable rage that we feel in our industry and in our society, I think it's not going to die down.“With anger comes activism, and with activism comes change.“There's this misnomer that people who are activists and people who are trying to change things are always upset and that their anger is not productive. But that's how you get International Women's Day, that's how you get Black History Month, from organizing and from actioning that rage into something more.”* The next stop for Unmade's Compass roadshow is Auckland on Tuesday February 18, at NZME's iHeart Lounge on Graham Street. Tickets are on sale now.How Unmade's 2024 Compass tour has unfolded:Unmade Index sinks The Unmade Index retreated by 0.48% yesterday, to land on 431.7 points.Among the worst performers was Nine's real estate platform Domain, which lost 1.2% yesterday. Domain's market capitalisation has sagged by 17% since the ousting of CEO Jason Pellegrino two months agoAudio stocks Southern Cross Austereo and ARN Media both went backwards yesterday, by 0.9% and 0.7% respectively.Ooh Media beat the wider trend, rising by 1.7%Time to leave you to your Thursday.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Have you ever wondered what makes someone a great leader? Joining Sarah Grynberg this week is John Kelly, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo and a profound thinker who believes in the transformative power of storytelling and philosophy. A longtime supporter of the podcast, John shares how life's most challenging moments—including his son's cancer diagnosis—have shaped his approach to leadership and his understanding of what truly matters. In this deeply moving conversation, John and Sarah explore the shift from fear-based leadership to one rooted in empathy, authenticity, and connection. They discuss the wisdom philosophy brings to modern life, the strength found in vulnerability, and the immense challenges leaders face, including the emotional weight of making tough decisions like redundancies. Together, they reflect on how life's hardships, both personal and professional, can lead to profound growth and transformation. Let this episode inspire you to lead with integrity, reflect deeply, and navigate your own challenges with resilience and humanity, embracing the courage to make a difference both in business and in life. Purchase Sarah's book: Living A Life Of Greatness here. Watch A Life of Greatness Episodes On Youtube here. Purchase Sarah's Meditations here.  Instagram: @sarahgrynberg   Website: https://sarahgrynberg.com/ Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgrynberg Twitter: twitter.com/sarahgrynbergSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's episode of the Unmade podcast features the fourth stop on our Compass tour, when we visited Perth. Plus, further down, bad news on the economy tanks the Unmade Index.You should be at next year's Compass. If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade.Taxing the platforms, shaking Perth out of creative complacency, and the ‘b******t' about what it really takesThe fourth stop on Unmade's end of year Compass tour took the team to Perth, for an entertaining panel featuring five veterans of the WA media and marketing scene.Clive Bingwa became MD of Nine Perth six years ago after a media agency career including 303 and IPG Mediabrands. Steve Harris is CEO of Perth's biggest agency, The Brand Agency, as well as being a board director of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of WA and of Fremantle Football Club. Taryn Hare is Executive Manager, Brand and Customer Strategy at Bankwest and was previously at 303, and part of the Brand Agency team that launched Bunnings Warehouse into the UK. Meg Coffey is the Founder of State of Social and managing director of digital marketing agency Coffey & Tea. And Amber Martin is the cofounder of the Hypnosis creative agency after stints at Wieden + Kennedy in London, and Host in Singapore.The conversation ranged from the lessons to be learned from the elites sidelining Donald Trump to what it really takes to succeed in the industry, and the barriers that creates for mothers.The lessons of the US electionOn Trump, Harris - who traveled to the US to watch the election unfold - argued that the media failed to capture some of the nuance. “Trump is grossly misrepresented by the Australian media. I think it's a sport to show the 10-second sound bite where he said something and not show the 30 seconds or the 60 seconds around that. And so I think everyone missed it.”Hare observed: “The fact that someone with that history is leading the free world is because Harris and her team potentially underestimated the needs of common people and campaigned on things that weren't that relevant Listening and truly understanding customers and what they need is the real lesson here.”Coffey argued that poor media literacy contributed to the result. She said: “I think media literacy has never been more important, and I think that we've lost track of that.”Whi is Google getting a free pass?The debate moved to the topic of Australia's relationship with social media. Harris pointed out that the negative impacts of social media only moved up the news agenda once Meta had decided to stop paying publishers.He said: “If you look at the big media war on social media, particularly the big major media companies, it wasn't really an issue until Facebook stopped paying under the Media Bargaining Code. When they were taking several hundred million dollars from Facebook, then it was okay. Well, it wasn't okay, but it wasn't an issue.”Harris suggested that Google is getting preferential treatment in news coverage of the social damage it contributes to because it still gives money to publishers. He said: “I'm not a big fan of Facebook for a range of reasons, but I just think it's worth noting everything you read is about Facebook. Google's getting a free reign because Google maybe still pays the money towards the media bargaining code.”He added: “Why don't these companies pay their fair share of tax? We wouldn't need a media bargaining code if they paid proper tax and they were structured correctly.”Raising the bar on creativityThe dual themes of the economic slowdown and the level of advertising creativity in the Perth market came together after Hare nominated raising the bar as a key topic that needs to be discussed. She said: “The issue that I talk about a lot is how we raise the creative quality in a market like Perth, where there are so many forces working against us.“It's very small. There are lots of businesses here that are the sole business in their vertical. They don't have to try as hard.”Harris agreed: “I think Perth is very comfortable. It's been easy to make money. It doesn't matter if you're selling coffee, selling cars, building homes, selling real estate, whatever you do in Perth in the last 15 years, it's an easy, easy economy.“And we've become a bit lazy.”The painful truth about finding career successMeanwhile Harris nominated his own unspoken conversation: “I don't think honest conversations are had about what it takes to be really, really successful. Everyone sits around and talks about your doona day, your mental health day, your right to disconnect.“And it's all b******t. If you want to be really, really successful, you don't see any Olympic gold medal winner saying, ‘I didn't train because I wanted a doona day'.“If you want to be really, really successful, you're going to have to make sacrifices, you're going to have to work harder than other people, it's going to hurt, it's going to be painful. There are things that aren't going to be nice but you'll get to be really, really successful. And I just don't think those conversations are had in any sense because they're just politically incorrect and everyone shies away from them.”Bingwa, agreed, saying” It's a tough industry, it's very competitive and there are no short cuts.”Amber Martin took a different tack, arguing that the industry loses women who become mothers. She said: “An important conversation that we need to have is around how hard this industry can be though when you're a woman and you have a baby and you try and come back into this industry, which does expect you to work really, really hard to reap the rewards.”She went on: “In our industry we're not seeing very many women at the top despite them making up the bulk of this industry that we work in, and I wonder if that's because we have this culture of ‘you have to work really hard to reap the rewards' which I agree with, but what does that look like? Is that about presenteeism, is that about being in the office all the time? What can we do to make that an easier transition for women once they've had children?“It's just too hard to have work-life balance and come back and work in a job like this. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of my baby, but I get a hell of a lot of satisfaction out of working in advertising as well. I don't want to give it up, but gosh, it's hard.”Slowing economy drags on Unmade IndexThe Unmade Index sank by nearly a full percentage point yesterday as the market digested implications of new numbers indicating slumping gross domestic product growth.Advertising spend is disproportionately affected by economic performance, and the Unmade Index fell more badly than the wider ASX All Ordinaries which lost 0.3%Nine fell back below a $2bn market capitalisation after losing 0.8%. Southern Cross Austereo had the worst day on the index, losing 3.7%.ARN Media moved in the other direction, improving by 3.6%Time to leave you to your Thursday.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. (Special thanks to Team Abe's for cleaning up what was poor audio recorded at the venue.)We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's episode of the Unmade podcast features the third stop on our Compass tour, when we rolled into Sydney. Plus, further down, the board of radio network SEN signal that they want to be dealt into the deal-making action.You should be at next year's Compass. If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade.Transparency deprioritised: 'If there are dodgy agencies out there, those two probably deserve each other'The third chapter of this year's expanded six-state Compass Roadshow rolled into Sydney earlier this month with four of the industry's most high-profile people.Telstra CMO Brent Smart has been the client behind some of the industry's most talked-about advertising work this year. Peter Horgan chairs the Media Federation and is the outgoing CEO of Omnicom Media Group. Lou Barrett leads sales at News Corp Australia. Jasmin Bedir is CEO of creative agency Innocean and founder of gender equality initiative Fck the CupcakesAn early topic was the price of not doing distinctive work.According to Smart: “I think the really brave marketers are the ones who create boring things. That's super brave.”Later in the conversation, he expanded on the point: “The bravest markers are the ones doing boring, invisible marketing.” Of the Telstra work, Smart said: I don't think it's brave, I think I'm commercially smart. I do it to drive a commercial result. I don't do it for vanity or to win awards. I do it because it's more commercially effective to be creative.”Meanwhile Horgan flagged the challenge of procurement departments driving down agency remuneration. He told the room that his challenge of the year was : “Pushing back on weaponised procurement, which means we don't need humans any more in the communications ecosystem, trying to push back on that reductive narrative.”He added: “Two years ago the revenue was easy… and the humans were hard. This year, humans aren't easy, but the revenue is bloody hard.”Smart argued that it is in brands' best interests to avoid simply chasing the lowest cost with agencies.. “Screwing down your partners is not how you get discretionary effort from your partners. A lot of clients forget we can pay an agency a fee, but the bit you can't buy is their passion and how much they care, and that's a good commercial decision.”For Bedir, a theme of the year was the rise of generative AI. “I am deeply concerned about gen AI. What I hear from clients is there's a lack of governance in most organisations. There's so many suppliers trying to peddle you stuff that magically makes your problems go away. That's the latest gold rush.”Accountants on the marchAnd Barrett warned of a media landscape dominated by CEOs who had come up through finance. Recent months have seen Seven West Media, Nine and Southern Cross Austereo all put their chief financial officers in the top chair Asked to nominate a challenge for the industry, Barrett said: “The rise and rise of the CFO. With so many CFOs running media companies now, I worry we're going to end up with a lack of creativity.”Bedir also warned that the industry is struggling to find diverse new talent: “I'm concerned about the pathway of getting people in to the industry. If you've got the same group of people we end up with the same outputs.”And Horgan also flagged as a problem for the industry, the issue of brands investing less in understanding their media investments, He said: “Transparency is a double edged word, which needs to be owned on the client side as well."It's not the focus that was. There's a bell curve of clients out there who have ten person team, haven't been able to sell expertise they need to board and are not able to sell the expertise to the board. You do the maths. If there are dodgy agencies out there, those two probably deserve each other.And Barrett added as an issue: “Over reliance on social and platforms. These guys are not paying taxes in Australia. They are not paying for content.” She added: “I'm not talking about Google, I'm talking about Meta.”Smart also acknowledged that he had learned a new lesson this year, having not previously given enough priority to influencing the staff of the brands where he has worked. He said: “Something that is often overlooked by marketers is, make your staff proud to work for the brand. That has an incredible impact on how they show up. I wouldn't have thought as much about that in the past. But I've seen some incredible impact.”Unmade Index rises as SEN tells the M&A market: Deal us inThe Unmade Index nudged upwards for a second day on Wednesday, while SEN Radio's owner Sports Entertainment Group used its AGM to signal that it wants to be a player in media deal making.SEG's chairman Craig Coleman told shareholders that the company has been tidying up its balance sheet including selling Perth Wildcats and its New Zealand station SENZ. SEN has reduced its net debt to $13.3m and delivered an EBITDA profit of $9.6m in the last financial year.Coleman told investors: “We are now well positioned to be an active participant in beneficial media consolidation moves.”However, although SEN said it was on track to improve its profitability in this financial half, it said the radio market remains tough. “Our media division is seeing a tightening in the economy with businesses feeling the impacts of a lingering slowdown which is not isolated to any particular industry.”SEG is the smallest of the ASX-listed audio players with a market cap of $64m, compared to ARN's $225m and Southern Cross Austereo's $130m.SEN's share price did not move after the update yesterday, after seeing a drop of 8% the day before.The Unmade Index closed 0.41% down on 451.6 points.Time to leave you to your Thursday.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. (Special thanks to Team Abe's for cleaning up what was poor audio recorded at the venue.)We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition. Today's episode of the Unmade podcast features the second stop on our Compass tour, where we took the temperature of the Brisbane media and marketing community. Plus, further down, in the Unmade Index, SCA's share price spike begins to unwind.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, why not do it today? Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn, REmade, Unlock, and Compass, all returning in 2025* Member-only content and our paywalled archives; * Your own copy of Media Unmade.Trust, finding consensus in the fractious TV market, and Facebook's declining relevance for marketersLast week saw Unmade's Compass tour hit the Eastern seaboard with the Brisbane edition of the event delivering an excellent conversation.Among the topics was the opportunity that a more complicated marketing environment creates for brands that are good at what they do. Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer of Budget Direct observed: “I like complexity. I'm tired, but I like complexity because best navigator wins.”Meanwhile Cath Brands, CMO of B2B pricing specialists FlintFox, raised a topic that has come up a number of times during Compass: growing scepticism towards the effectiveness claims of some of the global digital platforms. She observed: “As a marketer, Facebook is so 1980s in my mind. I'm over it as a platform from an advertising perspective.” However she acknowledged that other Meta brands are still drawing audiences: “The cool kids aren't on Facebook but they are on Instagram.”Michael Crutcher, now a PR executive and a former editor of the Courier Mail said the industry needs to start talking about “the looming war between social media and mainstream media in Australia”, with Meta and potentially Google dropping out of their news funding deals. He added: “And 2025 is going to be nuclear for that.”Meanwhile, Simon Murphy, chief strategy officer for Publicis Worldwide Australia, suggested that social media is benefitting from a decline in public trust in established news outlets. He warned: “There's a crisis of trust and social media definitely plays into that space. They're filling that void.”Kerr, who is one of the biggest buyers of TV advertising in the country also had a warning for the TV networks: “I am annoyed with TV. It's really sad to see the way they can't come together. I always say ‘never be hard to buy'. We're at the point where it's worth coming together to make it so that it's a much more tradeable, understood medium. TV is such a wonderful medium if you want to deliver a brand narrative and a story so I think it would be truly wonderful if they said ‘Let's save this together'.”* Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer, Budget Direct* Cath Brands, CMO, FlintFox* Michael Crutcher, Director, 55 Comms* Simon Murphy, Global Strategy Director, Publicis* Jennifer Garner, Senior VP of sales, EpsilonUnmade Index flattens as SCA recovery runs out of steamA day after Southern Cross Austereo's share price unexpectedly spiked upwards by 12.6%, it lost 5.2% yesterday, taking it back down to a market capitalisation of $130m.It was a mixed day for Australia's listed media and marketing stocks. Nine gained 0.4%, while Ooh Media lost 0.4%.Among the broadcasters, ARN Media had the best day, gaining 2.9%.The Unmade Index finished the day flat on 447.5 points.Time to leave you to your Thursday.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we share the highlights from the opening chapter of this year's Compass roadshow. And further down, the Unmade Index's green streak comes to an end.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (2025), Unlock (2025), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. Brand fame, burnout and doing more with lessUnmade's six-state Compass roadshow kicked off in Hobart last week.Today we share highlights from that first session. The discussion, recorded in front of a live audience, featured Ally Bradley, GM of Southern Cross Austereo in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and the NT; creative Chas Bayfield; Lindene Cleary, CMO of Tourism Tasmania, Abe Udy, founder of audio production house Abe's Audio; and Simon Crerar, editor-in-chief of SmartCompany.The evening kicked off with a warning from Bayfield that timidity from brands in their advertising is a far bigger risk than controversy because unremarkable advertising will not be seen. “The big challenge is invisibility,” Bayfield warned.Other topics in the debate, moderated by Unmade's Tim Burrowes, included the journey of Tourism Tasmania's ‘Come Down for Air' positioning, the business challenges being faced by SmartCompany and other publishers, the effects of burnout on over-stretched teams, and the threats and opportunities offered by AIFor those curious about the reference to Blackcurrant Tango, this was Bayfield's famous 1998 ad, ‘St George':The Compass roadshow continues next week. We're in Perth on Monday, Adelaide on Tuesday and the tour concludes in Melbourne on Wednesday. Tickets are on sale via this link.Unmade Index slips back into the redThe Unmade Index's four-day winning streak came to an end yesterday with falls almost across the board for media stocks.Among the larger businesses, Southern Cross Austereo has the worst of it, losing 2.8%. Audio rival ARN Media dropped 2.1%The Unmade Index lost 0.69% to land on 429.8 points.Time to leave you to your Thursday.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's interview features Australia's most talked about business writer, Joe Aston, whose book on Qantas has dominated the political cycle for the last ten days.Also today, in the Unmade Index, Seven and Nine held their AGMs, taking different approaches to acknowledging their failings.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Complimentary tickets to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (2025), Unlock (2025), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives; * Your own copy of Media Unmade.‘No amount of PR can fix the operations of a company that is failing': Joe Aston on how profit-chasing caught up with the Qantas brandToday's conversation with Joe Aston takes place where brand, business, and lobbying collide.His book The Chairman's Lounge contains the most detailed examination yet seen of the Qantas-operated network of invitation-only lounges for politicians and the business elite.Across Australia's capital cities, alongside the well signposted Qantas Club and Qantas Business Lounges, is a third type of lounge, hidden behind mirrored doors, with word ‘Private' written on them. The Chairman's Lounge isn't just a space with an a la carte menu and top shelf wine; being invited to become a member means a range of travel perks. No matter what type of ticket they buy, a Chairman's Lounge member will likely be upgraded when they fly.At the very least, they'll be sitting in the front row of economy. Ever noticed those smartly dressed people enjoying the extra leg-room of row 4, being greeted by name by the cabin crew and handed a glass of something nice from the business trolley? Chances are they're CL members.And for influential politicians travelling internationally, CL status means buying an economy class ticket and sitting in a first class seat.The Chairman's Lounge has been an incredibly effective lobbying tool, allowing Qantas more access to politicians than any other business in Australia. Says Aston: ”What the Chairman's Lounge does is make Qantas the most powerful lobbyist in Canberra.”And that's without taking into account the bosses who bend their company travel policies towards Qantas, even if other alternatives are cheaper. As Aston puts it: “It's worth every cent. The operating costs aren't that high compared to what it gets people to do, and that is spend millions and millions more than they otherwise would”.Aston's book covers the period where underinvestment in operations began to catch up with the Qantas brand. He is critical of the board for failing to hold former CEO Alan Joyce to account as the brand deteriorated. That includes Australia's most famous adman Todd Sampson. “I do think it is ridiculous that he's still on the Qantas board - he proved to be completely useless when it mattered.Not, by the way, more useless than than anyone else, and not less useless: just as useless.Theres a risk of burying the lede in this interview. His Rear Window column in the Australian Financial Review was often an agenda setter. So what will he do next?Aston hints that he may launch a newsletter of his own: “Doing my own reader-funded content is something I've thought about.”He acknowledges that his style of writing on the edge puts him in danger of attracting threatening letters from defamation lawyers. “It's all a risk calculation,” he says. “It's how much revenue you can generate and is it enough to just pay for whatever litigation costs come your way. “Index bottoms out as TV networks share a gloomy outlookThe Unmade Index recovered marginally on Thursday after hitting another all-time low the day before.Yesterday saw The Unmade Index lift by 0.15% to land on 424.2 points. The Index, which tracks the value of Australia's ASX-listed media and marketing sector, began at the start of 2022 on a nominal 1000 points.Both Nine and Seven West Media held their annual general meetings yesterday.Nine's chair Catherine West used a significant her address to shareholders to acknowledge that the company still needs to do more to address its problematic culture within its newsrooms.SWM's chair Kerry Stokes dedicated one paragraph of his address to tell his shareholders that his company has now modernised its culture, and four paragraphs to complaining about the ABC's coverage of the problem.Nine told the market that after an Olympics boost, TV revenues have returned to the 10% rate of decline seen in the previous financial year. It warned “we are seeing no tangible signs of improvement to date”.Seven said its revenues are likely to be down about 6.5% for the half.Nine's market cap grew slightly yesterday, up by 0.9% to $1.75bn. Seven West Media lost 3%, to land on $239mMeanwhile, Ooh Media recovered by 2.1% and Southern Cross Austereo was up by nearly 1%. ARN Media went in the other direction, losing 4.2%.Time to leave you to your Friday.I'll be back tomorrow with Best of the Week.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today, ahead of his visit to Australia for next month's IAB Leadership Summit, we talk to IAB Tech Lab's CEO Tony Katsur about the state of play in digital advertising. And the Unmade Index approaches a new low.Only Unmade's paying members get full access. They were entitled to a ticket to today's inaugural Unlock conference in Sydney. They also get an invitation to our Compass: Reflections and Projections event, taking place across six states throughout November. Next year they'll also be able to join us at our AI-focused conference HumAIn (Q2 2025) and at our retail media conference REmade.They get full access to our archives, which go behind the paywall after two months. Feeling jealous of all that access? Maybe that should be you. Upgrade today.‘Data provenance is going to be one of the top issues in 2025 and 2026': What IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur worries aboutBeing the boss of IAB Tech Lab, the standard setting body of the digital advertising industry, must be a frustrating experience. With more responsibility than power, the IAB attempts to shepherd its members towards agreed tech standards including around audience measurement.In the rise of the open web, the industry broadly agreed about specs like standard ad sizes and audience measurement. In Australia, the IAB endorses Ipsos as preferred currency, and before that Nielsen.In CTV (connected TV) though, in Australia and around the world, there's no such consensus. That includes Foxtel at the centre of a coalition of streamers pushing for a solution from Kantar, while OzTAM, owned by Seven, Nine and Ten, takes a different direction with VOZ (Virtual Australia).Then there's the issue of global platforms who want to apply their own measurement and standards to their walled gardens, which tends to deliver them the results they want.Today's podcast guest is IAB Tech Lab's New York-based Tony Katsur, talking to Unmade's Tim Burrowes. Katsur be speaking on standards at the IAB's Leadership Summit in Sydney on November 20.Katsur is a veteran of the digital advertising economy having worked for some of the industry's formative players including DoubleClick, MediaMath and Rubicon Project before joining IAB Tech Lab three years agoIn the wide ranging conversation, Katsur describes himself not so much as a sherrif of what was a wild west, but a constable, imploring his constituents to do the right thing.On CTV he observes: “There are companies that may believe that they're a walled garden, but they're not. Therefore they think they can go it alone with their own proprietary forms of measurement.“There are a lot of companies out there that think they're a bigger deal than they are, and think they can measure themselves or have their own proprietary measurement standard.”Among the other topics discusses are the threat that the large language models of AI pose to the intellectual property of media owners; why data provenance will be the key phrase of 2025 and 2026; whether the preparation for cookie deprecation that never came was wasted effort (he argues not); and reasons to feel optimistic for publishers.* Tony Katsur will be speaking at the IAB Australia Leadership Summit on November 20Unmade Index hovers over the trapdoorThe Unmade Index slipped to within a fraction of a percentage point of a new all-time low yesterday. The index, which plots the movement of Australia's ASX-listed media and marketing companies, lost 0.51%, to land on 437.7 points. It's previous all-time low of 437.4 points came six weeks ago.The index was pulled down by shifts at the top of town, with Nine losing 1.3% and its majority owned real estate platform Domain dropping 1.7%. Nine is now trading at its lowest point since April 2020.It was a better day for the audio players, with ARN Media gaining 2.8% and Southern Cross Austereo up by 3.1%.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. The Unmade team are all in Sydney today for our Unlock conference. And we'll be back with a text-led edition tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Along with revealing the lineup for the Brisbane edition of our Compass event, we today feature an in-depth interview with Mark Frain, CEO of Foxtel Media, recorded around last week's Upfront event. Plus, a further dip in the Unmade Index.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including Unlock (October 31), Compass (across November), HumAIn (Q2 2025) and REmade (Q3 2025);* Members-only content; and all of our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade.  Budget Direct Chief Growth Officer, Nine MD, Publicis strategy chief and comms veteran to bring Compass to Brisbane Cat McGinn writes:We can today reveal the leadership panel for the Brisbane Compass event, Unmade's annual industry meet-up, this year taking place in six states. The panel features Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer of Budget Direct; Michael Crutcher, PR professional and former editor of the Brisbane Courier Mail; Simon Murphy, chief strategy officer for Publicis; and Kylie Blucher, managing director of Nine Queensland & Northern NSW.The panel will be moderated by Unmade's Tim Burrowes and the discussion will later be featured as an Unmade podcast.Unmade's paying members are entitled to a complimentary place at Compass, and tickets are on sale here.Unmade's Compass roadshow takes place across six states.* Wednesday November 6 - Hobart, The Hope and Anchor;* Tuesday November 12 - Brisbane, The Prince Consort;* Wednesday November 13 - Sydney, The Sporting Globe;* Monday November 18 - Perth, The Globe;* Tuesday November 19 - Adelaide, Elephant British Pub;* Wednesday November 20 - Melbourne, The Garden State Hotel.‘We agitated for change and we didn't get the answers we were looking for': Why Mark Frain created the VFCFrom his opening words on stage at last week's Foxtel Media Upfront event, it was clear that boss Mark Frain hasn't made peace with the decision made by Seven, Nine and Ten to refuse him a place at the ownership table for measurement system OzTAM.Instead, he has gone it alone, with Foxtel building its own measurement system powered by Kantar, and inviting a coalition of streamers to join them in the Video Future Collective.Frain sees it as the free-to-air networks' loss: “It's been cathartic” he tells Unmade's Tim Burrowes. “We did request to become officially part of OzTAM from a shareholding perspective. We also discussed the opportunity to provide our data to that business where we thought we could enrich and improve the service. And unfortunately, the shareholders said no. So from there, that forced us down a different direction.”The biggest downside of the schism is that for media agencies and brands they now have a second measurement system to contend with. Frain is unapologetic. “Any change causes some unrest”.This new direction includes the creation of a coalition of streamers under the banner of the Video Futures Collective, chaired by Foxtel's Toby Dewar. Alongside Foxtel, the VFC membership now consists of Amazon Advertising, Disney Advertising, Samsung Ads, SBS On Demand, Vevo and YouTube. Frain says, pointedly, “Everyone's got an equal share of voice.”* Declaration of interest: Foxtel provided my travel and accommodation for the upfront event, and they've been advertising with us this week. The podcast interview was not part of any commercial arrangement.Unmade Index continues downwards driftTim Burrowes writes:The Unmade Index's slow stall has stretched into a week after losing another 0.74% yesterday. That followed a drop of 0.73% on Tuesday. The Unmade Index, which tracks Australia's listed media and marketing companies has been losing ground since last Tuesday. It closed on 444.7 points last night.Yesterday saw Vinyl Group grow by 4.6% to a market capitalisation of $111m, just behind Southern Cross Austereo's $112m.Ooh Media's slide also continued, losing 2.5% yesterday to land at $641m. The company has lost nearly 9% over the last month.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. We'll be back with more tomorrowHave a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's edition features a fascinating exploration of how Four Pillars Gin became such a huie brand success, with an in-depth conversation with co-founder Matt Jones. Also today, we share details of the Sydney panel for Unmade's Compass roadshow.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including Unlock (October 31), Compass (across November); HumAIn (2025), and REmade (September 2025).* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. Smart, Barrett, Horgan and Bedir revealed for Unmade's Compass Sydney panel next monthCat McGinn writes:We can today reveal our Sydney panel for our annual industry meet-up Compass, which will travel to six states for the first time.The Sydney edition, taking place on November 13, will feature Brent Smart, CMO of Telstra; Lou Barrett, managing director of client partnerships at News Corp; Jasmin Bedir, CEO of creative agency Innocean; and Peter Horgan, outgoing CEO of Omnicom Media Group, for a lively discussion of the year just gone and outlook on 2025.The pub conversation will also be featured as an Unmade podcast.Unmade's paying members are entitled to a complimentary place while tickets are also on sale here. Unmade's Compass will for the first time take place across six states. We'll be announcing each state's speaker lineup across the next few days* Wed 6 November - Hobart;* Tues 12 Nov - Brisbane: The Prince Consort;* Wed 13 Nov - Sydney: The Sporting Globe; * Mon 18 Nov - Perth: The Globe; * Tues 19 Nov - Adelaide: Elephant British Pub; * Wed 20 Nov - Melbourne: The Garden State Hotel.Love and craft and marketing - how Matt Jones helped create the legend of Four Pillars GinA year on from a $100m exit, Four Pillars Gin co-founder Matt Jones has written a book about the business discipline behind the creation of one of the great Australian brand success stories.Unusually for the author of a business book, Jones is not just a strategist, but one who put his money where his mouth was. Along with partners Stuart Gregor and Cameron Mackenzie, he made the decision to create a luxury gin brand, and then executed it brilliantly.Lessons From Gin: Business the Four Pillars Way tells the story of how they did it, and offers a series of insights that anybody building a brand could borrow from. The book breaks the story into four stages - thinking, crafting, sharing and growing.In today's Unmade podcast, Jones shares with Unmade's Tim Burrowes some of the lessons applied, and learned, along the way.He makes the case that many business are underpowered in having marketing brains at the top. Like Jones, Gregor came from the communications world as owner of the PR agency Liquid Ideas. Mackenzie was the only working directly in the production of alcohol.Says Jones: “We were far heavier in terms of creative industries, creative mindset, brand mindset, marketing mindset than 99% of leadership groups out there in the world.“My perspective on the whole is that businesses are underweight when it comes to those voices around the leadership table. And I think that is something that we absolutely benefited from, that we valued these things that we might call brand leadership. We valued them at the heart of the business, not just the marketing strategy.”Lessons from Gin will be published by Wiley on October 30 and is available on presale. On October 31 Jones will deliver the keynote at Unmade's Unlock conference in Sydney where he will discuss the role of telling stories in building brands. Tickets are on sale now, or complimentary to Unmade's paying members.SCA moves back past VinylTim Burrowes writes:The old order reasserted itself on the Unmade index yesterday with Southern Cross Austereo moving back past Vinyl Group.SCA lost 1.1% to land on a market capitalisation of $111.5m, But Vinyl Group lost 4.4% to land on $111.1m.Most acitvity on the Unmade Index was negative yesterday with Domain losing 1.3% and parent company Nine dropping 0.8%.Seven West Media bucked the trend, growing by 3%The Unmade Index fell 0.67% to land on 454.1 points.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.I'm about to hop onto a flight to Sydney to cover tonight's Foxtel Upfront event. I'll let you know how it went in tomorrow's newsletter.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.In today's audio-led edition: With Campaign Brief under fire for continuing to focus only on male creatives, the industry reacts; AI exhumes movie stars; the ACCC's exposure of Coles' and Woolworths' shady pricing hits their brands; and Seven defends yet another legal case.We've upgraded Unmade's membership. Annual members now get a free ticket to all of our events. That includes Unlock on October 31; our Compass series in November; and REmade and HumAIn next year.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership also includes members-only content, access to our paywalled archives and your own copy of Media Unmade. Upgrade today.Why won't Campaign Brief acknowledge women (and why do male execs still support them)?The scandal of the last few days has been playing out on LinkedIn as the industry questions Campaign Brief's ongoing emphasis on the talents only of male creatives Campaign Brief's latest ranking of creatives in NZ and Australia - in the gift of publisher Michael Lynch - focuses mainly on men. Even agencies featuring on the list, including Thinkerbell, appear to be asking themselves whether it's a good idea to be there.Thinkerbell was among the agencies highly placed. CEO Margie Reid, who is also a director of Support The Girls Australia, took to LinkedIn over the weekend to distance her agency from the ranking, writing: “Thinkerbell has not paid, created or had any part to play in the list that appeared in the latest edition of the Campaign Brief magazine or the BestAds ranking list. Nor were we contacted when the list was published.”Creative Jet Swain put it more succinctly yesterday: “Shame on you Campaign Brief. Nothing has changed in the three decades I've witnessed this blatant misogyny. Your NZ lists had no women, and Australia only has Tara Ford.”Also in today's podcast: AI can bring dead actors back to life; but should it?; Coles and Woolworths have seen tangible brand damage from the ACCC prosecution new data from Roy Morgan Research shows; and Southern Cross Austereo is accused of ‘mocking' its local TV news obligations.Further reading* LinkedIn: Thinkerbell's Margie Reid on the Campaign Brief sexism row* LinkedIn: Darren Woolley of Trinity P3 on the Campaign Brief sexism row* LinkedIn: Jet Swain accuses Campaign Brief of misogyny* Australian Financial Review: Think you know that voice? Dead celebrities are working again* The Australian: Aldi nabs ‘most trusted supermarket' title as Coles and Woolies suffer* The Australian: An absence of local news in the regions is denying a voice to the people whose lives are affected* The Australian: Seven blocks release of ‘humiliating' docs in case against ex-producer Amelia Saw* Australian Financial Review: Inside ARN's Melbourne gamble on The Kyle and Jackie O ShowToday's episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinnEditing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Time to leave you to start your week. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we talk to two of the co-founders of Mercha - Ben Read and Sam Hardy. Plus, the top of town pushes down the Unmade Index.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (September 2025), Unlock (31 October), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. The Unmakers: Meet Mercha - ‘A digital platform in an analogue industry'Mercha can claim to be the first branded merchandise player in Australia to have fully digitised its processes in what remains marketing's arguably most analogue sector.Last month the company wrapped up a $300,000 crowd-funded seed round, valuing it at around $10m.In today's edition of The Unmakers, Unmade's Tim Burrowes talks to CEO Ben Read and chief revenue officer Sam Hardy about why the promotional marketing sector has taken so long to scale up in Australia. As Hardy puts it: “Mercha is a digital platform in an analogue, old school industry.”Over just three years, Mercha has ramped up to a turnover of $2.9m in the last financial year.Promotional merchandise is also a sector facing headwinds as sustainability moves further up the agenda. Mercha claims to be part of the solution by focusing on products that people will want to keep. Says Read: “It is shocking to me that 66% of promotional products end up in landfill. That is just disgusting to me. It should never happen.“We're trying to be better than an industry that is not trying hard enough.”By way of example, Hardy adds: “We had a radio station out of Sydney ask us very early on in the piece to do 250,000 whistles for a New Year's Eve event. Plastic whistles next to the harbour. And it would have been great, the revenue. But we turned it down.“I draw the line on offering people crap that's going into the bin or offering people product that's not made fairly.”Unmade Index red up top, green belowThe Unmade Index slipped on Wednesday after Nine, the biggest locally listed media and marketing stock lost 1.6% to fall back to a market capitalisation of $1.9bn.The move added to the daylight between Nine and its 60.1% owned subsidiary Domain. Domain slipped by 1.2% yesterday.Ooh Media was also on a losing trend yesterday, slipping by 1.1%In the mid market, ARN Media and Southern Cross Austereo both saw slight improvements.Vinyl Group, which this week announced the acquisition of blockchain music collectibles business Serenade, rose by 9.5%. In the company's annual report released on Tuesday, it said it had written down the value of its Vampr “LinkedIn for musicians” platform, founded by CEO Josh Simons, by $1.8m, but remained “bullish”.The Unmade Index slipped by 0.7% to 461 points.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio. As disclosed in the podcast, at the time of recording this interview, I was considering taking part in the Mercha crowd funding round on Birchal, via my super fund. I did choose to investWe'll be back with an end-of-week update tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today: As Vinyl Group this morning announces yet another acquisition, we talk to CEO Josh Simons about the bust-up that saw the ousting of Brag Media co-founder Luke Girgis, and the background to his opportunistic acquisition of Mediaweek.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (next week), Unlock (31 October), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. ‘I stand behind the acquisition every day of the week': Vinyl boss Josh Simons on the bumpy Brag Media buyoutAmong the bosses of Australia's ASX-listed media companies, nobody has had a more random path to the hot seat than Josh Simons. From the lead singer of rock band Buchanan, Simons went on to found Vampr, a social networking site for the music industry, before seeing that acquired by the company he went on to head, Vinyl Group.Simons was the architect of Vinyl's $8m+ purchase of the Brag Media group, publisher of The Brag and local editions of Rolling Stone and Variety among others, at the start of the year.The initial plan was for Vinyl Group to be a portfolio company with its Brag Media arm run separately to its music platform interests. But that quickly fell over, with the less-than-amicable departure of Brag Media co-founder Luke Girgis five months after the takeover.That left Simons taking what he describes in today's interview with Unmade's Tim Burrowes as “a masterclass in media” as he relocated from Melbourne and took charge of the Brag Media publishing operation.That's included a lesson in the publishing etiquette around journalistic independence. Simons concedes that he was “naive” when he took control adding: “I'm not dogmatic in terms of my views on things. And I think it's important to be able to know when you've said something stupid.”Vinyl Group, with a market capitalisation of a little under $92m, is behind only Nine, Domain, Ooh Media, Seven West Media, ARN Media and Southern Cross Austereo when it comes to local ASX-listed media companies. When it comes to the narrower business of publishing, Vinyl is fourth if you also include the dual-listed News Corp. As Simons observes dryly: “It's not lost on my parents.”During the interview, Simons offers few clues about what led to the ousting of Girgis, although he hints: “We had to invest in areas that were previously just not being invested in. We needed to bring journalists in.”Hires have included Lars Brandle as head of content, and promoting former Daily Mail and Cartology executive Jess Hunter to head of Brag Media. Since recording the interview, editor-in-chief Poppy Reid who was part of the Girgis era, announced her exit.Earlier this month, Vinyl Group completed the fire sale acquisition of Mediaweek for just $1m after owner Trent Thomas was forced to sell the title following allegations of harassment towards staff. The timing and price of the deal was, Simons says, “almost too good to be true”. The integration is being overseen by Vinyl Group's chief operating officer Joel King.Simons hints there are more media acquisitions in the entertainment space to come, including overseas. Asked about the fact that Vinyl Group's tech platforms are global while the media companies are local, he notes: “Rome wasn't built in a day. We've got broad, ambitious plans for global. Rest assured that we're looking around the world to find teams that might add value in any of those areas inside the media part of Vinyl.”As we were publishing this morning, Vinyl Group announced to the ASX that it has agreed to buy event and brand activation agency Funkified from founder Gus Stephenson for $2.5m. Funkified has been Brag Media's in-house events supplier since 2021. It had a turnover of $4m and EBITDA profit of $430,000 in the last financial year. In the interview, Simons also fleshes out his strategy for Vinyl Group, which as well as Vampr includes music credits database Jaxsta and online retail platform Vinyl. The job of the media arm is to fund investment in the company's (so far) loss-making tech. “Our media company now is really the engine that allows us to invest in technology. In the past, we've seen media companies try and buy tech companies, and it hasn't worked out so well. And so what we're trying here is buying media companies to fuel tech.”Despite being an ASX-listed company, Vinyl Group's shareholder register is dominated by a handful of wealthy investors including WiseTech Global founder Richard White and Songrtradr boss Paul Wiltshire.Says Simons: “I'm quite calm and optimistic about where everything's at.” Asked whether Vinyl Group still belongs on the ASX, he adds, intriguingly: “Yeah. Especially if you knew what I know.”* Declaration of interest: Via his super fund, Tim Burrowes owns shares in most of Australia's listed media companies, including Vinyl Group.Inflation relief lifts Unmade IndexThe Unmade Index bounced yesterday as the market absorbed improving inflation numbers. The index - which tracks Australia's listed media and marketing companies - grew by 1.5% to 449.3 points - outperforming the wider ASX All Ordinaries which grew by 0.15% yesterday.Among the larger stocks, Nine saw the biggest lift, up by 2.44%.In the audio space, ARN Media and Southern Cross Austereo grew by 1.6% and 1.1%, while radio company Sports Entertainment Group lost 5.5%.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.As we count down to next week's REmade conference, we'll be back with a retail media-led edition of Unmade tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to a Tuesday update from Unmade. In the interests of topicality we're reworking our publishing rhythm this week. We've brought forward to today our usual Thursday audio-led interview to focus on the Paramount Upfronts which kicked off in Sydney yesterday. And our member-only post which usually happens on a Tuesday, will be later in the week. Further down, we've also got better news on the Unmade Index which finally broke its eight day losing streak.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* A complimentary ticket to all of Unmade's events, including HumAIn (2025), REmade (1 October), Unlock (31 October), and Compass (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. How Paramount is making one plus one add up to moreParamount yesterday become the first of Australia's TV companies to show its hand during 2025 Upfronts season.One of the challenges of covering Upfronts presentations is that they tend to be a grab bag of announcements, without there necessarily being a unifying theme.That was certainly the case with Paramount, with announcements covering free to air commissions for Network 10, local commissions for streaming service Paramount+, the company's global content pipeline, converged trading technology upgrades with Paramount Connect, and a rebrand that will see 10 Play disappear so it will be Ten across both linear and streaming.And that in itself was the unifying theme. Albeit by accident rather than plan, the global ownership structure of the company leaves Paramount as the best placed media company to argue that the sum of its parts adds up to more than the whole.While Paramount Plus isn't the biggest subscription streaming platform with an advertising tier, it gets to be the only one that is part of a local Upfront.While a distant third behind Seven and Nine in broadcast TV, Ten gets a pipeline of global formats and content from its parent company.While 10 Play isn't as big as Seven's FAST (free ad supported TV) channels, advertisers and agencies can buy across both Paramount+ and 10 Play.To lean in to the acronyms, Paramount is the only company locally that can offer advertisers audiences across SVOD, BVOD, FAST and FTA. The sum of the parts has the potential to equal more than the wholeUnder Hugh Marks, Nine's portfolio felt like a company where its assets across TV, streaming, publishing and radio added up to more than the whole. More recently one plus one has equalled two at best.Seven West Media's TV and publishing assets feel similarly disconnected, even more so since being split into seperate divisions ready for some sort of M&A activity.ARN Media's (so far failed) takeover plan for SCA was about being stronger in the single medium of audio. Southern Cross Austereo's valuation will go up as soon as it finally offloads its fading regional TV licences (presumably mostly to Paramount) and becomes a pure play audio company.So what to make of Paramount's announcements?There's a further investment in live reality TV alongside I'm A Celebrity. Big Brother returns to its original home where it ran for its first eight seasons, before three seasons on Nine where it relaunched well out of the 2012 Olympics before fading, and five seasons on Seven which took much of the life out of the format by moving to a cheaper pre-recorded format.Big Brother will be live on Ten and streamed 24 hours a day live which is almost exactly the sort of content FAST was invented for.There were no other major format surprises. Have You Been Paying Attention, MasterChef, Taskmaster, Survivor, and Thank God You're Here all return. The Project stays on air.Talking ‘Bout Your Generation (or Talkin' ‘Bout Your Gen as it will be this time) has been revived minus Shaun Micallef as host. Sam Pang will get his own show.During the podcast conversation with sales boss Rod Prosser and programming lead Daniel Monaghan, I didn't detect much of an appetite to go after a big (and expensive) sporting code. The kite flown at the weekend by NRL boss Peter V'landys feels more like an attempt to scare Nine into thinking it could face an auction.There was also some paranormal activity from Paramount.An Australian version of sitcom Ghosts, which started life in the BBC in the UK will be cast shortly (I have my suspicions we won't see it on screen until 2026). I'm intrigued how the caveman character of Robin from the original will translate into a local character without controversy around First Nations people. Monaghan tackles that in the interview.And a spooky six part scripted drama Playing Gracie Darling will land on Paramount+As well as talking about the content announcements, the interview addressed the question of how the TV industry can stop sounding defensive about its fading linear numbers and start getting aggressive about streaming.Prosser acknowledges: “We don't see ourselves as a free-to-air business anymore. We see ourselves … as a premium video business. Obviously, the free-to-air asset is incredibly important.It's important to recognize a couple of things. The first thing is that the free-to-air linear still drives the biggest reach.“The second fact is linear audiences are declining. I think none of us can have our heads in the sand about that.“We were artificially propped up through Covid. I think everyone recognises that.“And that decline that we knew was coming has come. And I think we'll see stabilisation in those audiences now.”“The reality is television is still a mass-reaching vehicle. And I think there's no reason to be defensive around that. We own it.“But I do think the linear audiences have found their place.”* Declaration of interest: My travel and accommodation for the event was covered by ParamountUnmade Index finally breaks losing streakThe Unmade Index finally broke an eight day streak of declines to record a move upwards yesterday, growing by 1.36% to 443.3 points.The best performer was Domain, majority owned by Nine, which rose by 4.3%. That in turn helped lift Nine by 2.1%.Rival TV network Seven rose by 2.9%.Among the larger stocks, Southern Cross Austereo had the worst of it, slipping by 3.8%. SCA's market capitalisation of $122m is the lowest it has ever been. The smaller audio stock of Sports Entertainment Group, owner of SEN radio, lost 7.6%.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.We'll be back with another newsletter tomorrow.We also have a clarification. In Saturday's Best of the Week, I reported that VOZ streaming would launch on November 25, as a means for advertisers to frequency cap their campaigns across differing media plartforms. I mentioned that this had previously been announced as December 29. In fact, that date is the full launch of VOZ as a trading currency and remains the same.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we recap one of the most talked-about sessions at Unmade's HumAIn conference. And further down, the Unmade Index surges on new data suggesting inflation may be back under control.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade. How AI is already changing life for news breakersWhile the audience at HumAIn voted down the debate motion that AI is an extinction level event for media, its impact on the business of journalism is nonetheless undeniable.In a conversation moderated by Unmade's Tim Burrowes, we brought together a panel of news practitioners to discuss how generative AI is already changing practices in journalism and the publishing business model. Our panellists:* Melanie Withnall, Head of News and Information, Southern Cross Austereo* Michael Davis, Research Fellow, Centre for Media Transition* Shaun Davies, Responsible AI Consultant* Ricky Sutton, Author, Future MediaThe topics tackled included how news organisations are already using AI, combating AI as a source of disinformation, using AI as a storytelling tool; the place for news media if generative search wipes out direct traffic, the challenges of algorithmic biases and the ethics of accountability.Melanie Withnall has since announced she would be moving back to the ABC as head of continuous news, audio and video. She is due to finish at SCA tomorrow.Unmade Index back above 500It was an afternoon of optimism on the Unmade Index after new inflation numbers quelled fears that interest rates might go up again.Our tracker of locally listed media and marketing stocks jumped by 2.77% on Wednesday to 500.7 points. This outperformed the wider ASX All Ordinaries which rose by 1.76%.The index has been stuck below 500 points - signifying a halving of value of Australia's media and marketing stocks since we started tracking them in 2022 - for the last two months.It was a particularly good day for TV stocks, with Nine growing 4%, and Seven West Media growing 5.9%. Southern Cross Austereo, which is in both radio and TV, improved by 0.8%.The two outdoor advertising stocks, Ooh Media and Motio, both bounced too, up by 3.6% and 5.3% respectively.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio.I'm speaking at a couple of private industry events in Hobart today and tomorrow, and not planning a newsletter tomorrow unless something urgent breaks. If you're in Hobart and want to say hello late on Friday afternoon, possibly over a beer, then please do drop me a note.If you're interested in retail media, don't forget that earlybird tickets are now on sale for the next edition of REmade on October 1. And our call for entries for the REmade Awards is now live.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we talk to Christian O'Connell, host of Melbourne's top FM breakfast show. And further down, a slight recovery on the Unmade Index.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives; * Your own copy of Media Unmade.‘Radio needs to change. It has to build a different model' Why Christian O'Connell is ready to be networkedIn today's podcast we talk to Christian O'Connell, who arrived from the UK six years ago and took his show on Gold 104.3 to Melbourne's number one breakfast show.The conversation was based around the launch of O'Connell's mentoring service, Finding Fire, but it was also a well timed opportunity to subtly remind a market distracted by the arrival of the Kyle and Jackie O Show into Melbourne that he's the biggest voice in the FM market.Gold's owner ARN Media has been trying to mastermind a takeover and breakup of rival Southern Cross Austereo. Most likely that would have seen O'Connell move across to a national metro breakfast show on Triple M.If a deal doesn't happen - and there's nothing currently on the table although it's likely to return - O'Connell might instead see his show networked into Sydney on ARN's WSFM, with Jonesy & Amanda - Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller - potentially making way by switching into a national drive slot.In the conversation, O'Connell makes clear that he has been talking to ARN's management, including CEO Ciaran Davis and chief content officer Duncan Campbell, about taking his live show into other markets.“I want the show to be more widely available,” he tells Unmade's Tim Burrowes. “That's my drive for the next couple of years. I did a national show in the UK for 12 years and I loved it. So here, I want the show to be more available. I do something different and I think that's of value.”And O'Connell is talking about more than a “best bits” package. “The magic of radio for me is live. I always has been. There's nothing better than when you hear a radio show and in the moment something opens up.”The conversation also focuses on how O'Connell has developed as a leader of his team, including lifting them up when The Fox's Fifi, Fev & Nick show briefly overtook them in the ratings.But O'Connell insists that being number one is not what matters to him. “If I was to design a show to be number one, it would be really bland. It would be like The Fox. It would be made of blandishments. I have to make a radio show that is about my values.”He also says that he deliberately resisted listening to the much talked about boundary-pushing first hour of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson's Kiis show into Melbourne, warning that rival shows are letting themselves be distracted by the arrival“You've got to be really careful that you don't let other shows and their mindsets bleed into your own. I'm hearing other shows that are doing that now. They're changing in the wrong way.”O'Connell also reveals that he still hankers after a return to talking about sport on the radio. In the UK he hosted the long running BBC sport-comedy show Fighting Talk. “One of the things I'd love to do is a version like that. That show was the most fun I've ever had in radio. It was a whole hour of opinions, arguments. Sports is entertainment and it should be treated like that.”Meanwhile, O'Connell sees the networking of big shows like his and the Kyle & Jackie O Show as the direction the radio industry is taking. “It's very clear what Ciaran's direction is, what he wants to do. It's very clear what I want to do. Radio here is ready for the next evolution.“Kyle coming into Melbourne is the start of it. Radio needs to change. It has to build a different model.”Unmade Index improvesThe Unmade Index improved from Tuesday's all time low, bouncing back by 1.28% to 466.5 points yesterday.Nine recovered by 1.52% to a market cap of $2.1bn while IVE Group was up 2.57%.The only stocks to fall were ooh Mediua, down by 0.74%, and Sports Entertainment group, off 7.14%This week's episode was edited by Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday.We'll be back with more tomorrowHave a great day.ToodlepipTim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today, we talk to one of adland's most experienced media executives Michael Anderson as he takes on the new challenge of chairing the ASX-listed research house Pureprofile.Also in this post, the decapitation of most of Seven West Media's leadership team spooks the Unmade Index.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the best three days to do it. Save 40% forever, with Unmade's EOFY sale. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media UnmadePureprofile chair Michael Anderson prepares for the AI gold rush: ‘This is going to be the most disruptive technology the planet's ever seen'In today's interview we talk to former Austereo boss Michael Anderson as he returns to the fray as chair of Pureprofile.Anderson is one of Australian media's most storied executives, having run Austereo when it was at the height of its powers before being taken over by Southern Cross Media. Anderson went on to be a board member of Fairfax Media and Ooh Media before taking on the thankless job of CEO of New Zealand's Mediaworks.The conversation - recorded the same day Anderson chaired his first Pureprofile board meeting - ranges across what generative AI-driven synthetic data means for the company (he argues it could be an opportunity); what his board needs to do to persuade the stock market to value the company more highly; and whether a company as small as Pureprofile still belongs on the ASX.Anderson also reflects on the tough media landscape and the lessons that the decline of Mediaworks and its axing of Newshub has for Australian networks. “The value of having news as you lead into prime time became so expensive that the value equation collapsed. I could easily see that trajectory occurring at some point in the future in Australia.”He also discusses how advertisers have abruptly turned their backs on Australia's broadcasters: “This has been coming for a long time and seems to have taken forever to get here. And then all of a sudden is really happening quickly."“Given that we're as close to an economic recession as we're going to get, if not tip over, there doesn't seem to be any let up to what media is experiencing in advertising in the short to medium term, which means it could actually be quite a sustained structural shift.”Anderson also discussed what happened to the merged Southern Cross Austereo after he left, including the defection of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson to ARN when SCA boss Rhys Holleran decided not to offer them a long term contract. Having paid $740m for Austereo, the whole company has now declined to less than a $150m valuation. Says Anderson: “They've done a lot of things that that have contributed to that - so some of that has been management failure, board failure. Losing Kyle and Jackie O would be one of those things you'd put into the basket of going ‘that was unnecessary'.”Red day on the Unmade IndexThe Unmade Index saw a hefty decline yesterday as the share market reacted to Seven West Media's moves to remove most of its top management tier. The index fell by 2.88% to 473.1 points, almost at its all time low. Seven's nearest rival Nine declined 4.18% to a market capitalisation below $2.2bn for the first time since the Covid crisis. Outdoor company Ooh Media fell 4.51%. ARN Media lost another 0.77%.Today's podcast was edited by the excellent people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

“There's no faster way to learn than to do. And the beauty of VR is that it allows you to learn through experience without the physical or emotional risk.” This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode. This Mini Chief episode features Angus Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Start Beyond. His full episode is titled Taking learning by experience to new frontiers, putting guardrails on innovation, and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems. You can find the full audio and show notes here:

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. In today's audio-led edition: Which door will the SCA management choose? And, to very few people's surprise, the AI companies do not appear to be playing fair when crawling publishing content.Have you considered becoming a paying member of Unmade to get the full picture? Only our paying members receive our members-only Tuesday analysis; get access to our archive where all our content is paywalled after two months; get their own copy of Media Unmade; and receive discounts on all our events. Become a member today.Will it be The Cat's week?If The Australian is correct, this may be the week where the board of Southern Cross Austereo makes up its mind about whether it wants to get into bed with Antony Catalano's Australian Community Media.As we discuss in the podcast, the choice boils down to two alternative paths - the pureplay audio future visualised by SCA's management where the company's Listnr investment begins to pay for itself; or an attempt to become a multi-platform regional powerhouse.Also today, there's growing evidence that AI companies are scraping news sites without permission. Meanwhile, local publishers with traffic built around SEO are becoming increasingly alarmed by Google's AI Overviews product which threatens to cost them clicks by giving a full answer on the page.Further reading:* The Australian: Southern Cross ‘heavily engaged' on ACM merger bid* Australian Financial Review: Publishers fear this new Google AI feature will kill their traffic* Reuters: Exclusive: Multiple AI companies bypassing web standard to scrape publisher sites, licensing firm says* Unmade: Is it blackmail?* Unmade: Domain becomes biggest part of Nine's worthToday's episode features Tim Burrowes and Abe UdyEditing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Time to leave you to start your week. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today, we talk to the creator of Australian media's most enduring youth media brand, Pedestrian TV cofounder Chris Wirasinha, as he begins to scale up his new venture Linkby. And also in this post, the Unmade Index wipeout has stretched into another week, particularly for audio stocks.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade‘It felt like everybody was getting paid but us' Linkby's Chris Wirasinha on helping publishers monetise their linksIn today's episode of The Unmakers we talk to Chris Wirasinha about his latest venture in the publishing world, Linkby.Like several entrepreneurs who came out of the media and marketing world, Wirasinha has spotted a more scalable tech opportunity as a supplier to his old ecosystem. Just as Matt Farrugia and Henry Innis broke out of WPP to start media mix modelling system Mutinex, and Ben Gunn and Nathan Powell left Nine to start influencer platform Fabulate, Wirasinha is doing the same thing in the space between affiliate marketing and PR.This week, Linkby announced its third round of venture capital funding - a $4m Series A round, to grow its teams in the US, UK and Australia.Linkby provides a new way for publishers to be paid by brands for links in editorial content.During the conversation with Unmade's Tim Burrowes, Wirasinha reveals that Linkby is seeing $30m of marketing spend pass through its pipes, meaning that based on its 30% commission, the company is hitting annualised revenue approaching $10m.As well as discussing the Linkby model, why he came together with his Linkby cofounders and the factors behind choosing a VC-funded path, Wirasinha reflects on how he and Oscar Martin achieved a big number exit from Pedestrian, and the current state of the media market. Hear more about how the founders of Pedestrian TV exited to Nine:Nine lifts the Unmade IndexA better performance by Nine helped lift the whole Unmade Index on Wednesday, despite another tough day for several stocks.Nine lifted by 1.8%, taking its market capitalisation back above $2.2bn. The Unmade Index followed, rising by 0.76% to 476.2 points.It was a bad day for the major audio stocks, with Southern Cross Austereo falling below a $150m market cap for the first time in its history after losing another 3.85%. ARN Media lost nearly 1.5%. Both stocks have lost more than 20% of their valuation over the last month alone.Meanwhile, Seven West Media lost 2.9% to return to its lowest point since 2020.Today's podcast was edited by the excellent people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today, we talk digital advertising fraud with a man who knows where the bodies are buried. And further down in this post, the Unmade Index wipeout continues with Seven West Media's growing debt load yesterday overtaking its shrinking market capitalisation.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives; * Your own copy of Media Unmade‘It's not easy to pick a worse time': DoubleVerify's Jack Smith on fraud in the advertising chainToday's conversation features the man who's been labelled the “godfather of digital advertising”, DoubleVerify's global chief innovation officer Jack Smith.Before joining brand safety service DoubleVerify four years ago, Smith was global chief product officer for the investment arm of WPP's GroupM. In 2007, he founded Media Innovation Group - now part of WPP's Xaxis which can claim to have been the first large scale agency trading desk.The conversation with Unmade's Tim Burrowes kicks off focusing on a new scheme - “FM Scam” discovered by the DoubleVerify Fraud Lab, in which scammers were using software to imitate smart speakers, or hijacking those out in the world. As a result, advertisers were being charged for audio ads without human listeners.As well as outlining the new audio scam, Smith discusses the other places where brands are seeing their budgets targeted by fraudsters.He points to connected TV as the scammers' current big target because it attracts high CPMs. “It's definitely CTV,” he says. “The amount you can charge on connected TV is much higher. Pound-for-pound that's the place where fraudsters are moving to.”The wide ranging conversation also covers Made For Advertising sites; the Forbes scandal; principal media - where agencies resell media to their own clients; Smith's scepticism about whether the finding from the Association of National Advertisers in the US that 64% of ad dollars are leaking out of the chain is as bad as that; and whether advertisers should simply focus their dollars on the walled gardens of social media.Is it a losing battle to stop digital advertising fraud? “The scale of programatic advertising is so much bigger today. It's not easy to pick a worse time.”Further reading:Unmade Index fall accelerates as Seven's debt load outweighs its market capitalisationThe market wipeout of Australia's ASX-listed media and marketing stocks accelerated on. Wednesday, with the Unmade Index, which was already at a record low, losing another 1.54%.The Unmade Index landed on 472.2 points, representing a loss of nearly 53% of its value since the index started at 1000 points at the beginning of 2022.The fall was worse than the wider ASX All Ordinaries which lost 0.5%.Seven West Media passed the threshold where its net debt - $257m when it last updated the market in February - is now larger than its market capitalisation which dropped by 2.9% to $254m yesterday.Meanwhile, Southern Cross Austereo stocks (down 0.7%) dropped to a new all-time low as the company's market capitalisation fell below $170m for the first time.Ooh Media (down 1.1%) hit its lowest point since November last year. IVE Group (down 1.8%) was its lowest since last October.Enero (down 2.8%) fell to its lowest point since last June.Pureprofile, which hit a low point since 2020 on Tuesday, recovered by 11.1% yesterday.How we covered the wipeout yesterday:Today's podcast was edited by the excellent people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

“There's no faster way to learn than to do. And the beauty of VR is that it allows you to learn through experience without the physical or emotional risk.” In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Angus Stevens, Co-Founder and CEO of Start Beyond on taking learning by experience to new frontiers, putting guardrails on innovation, and creating useful technology for tangible real-world problems.

Welcome to an audio led edition of Unmade. Today, we share the closing session of last week's HumAIn conference, where we invited six people from within the media and marketing industry to debate whether generative AI will be an extinction level event for media. And further down, yet more decline on the Unmade Index as Antony Catalo buys a bigger SCA stake.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's six-state Compass event in November;* Weekly member-only content;* Access to our paywalled archives - everything gets locked down after two months;* Your own copy of Media UnmadeFrom dinosaurs to chickens - is news media evolving to obsolescence in the face of generative AI?Today audio-led edition of Unmade shares a highlight from last week's HumAIn conference where we invited six pAnelists to debate the proposition: “Generative AI will be news media's extinction level event”.As is traditional for such debates, the participants were invited to impress our audience with the rhetoric and the quality of their arguments on the understanding that these might not be their sincerely held views. They had just four minutes each.The six panelists were:For: Karen Powell, founder & CEO, of B2B marketing agency Omnipresence. Karen argued that the news media industry should face the fact that, like town criers, news media is about to become obsolete;Against: Scott Purcell, cofounder, men's lifestyle site Man of Many argued that AI is an opportunity for publishers;For: Anita Ayres, a fractional CMO, with Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory. Anita suggested that the cycle of disruption will be as disruptive to media as the arrival of the internetAgainst: Tom Robinson, CEO of Edelman Australia. Tom argued that AI is at its peak in the hype cycle, and that people will prevail;For: John Cucka, Head of Kantar Analytics. John pointed out that dinosaurs once ruled the earth, and are now transformed to chickens;Against: Ross Dawson, futurist, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, podcaster, and author. Ross argued that there was a reason why the mammals out-evolved the dinosaurs.At the end of the event, the pro-humanity team, arguing against the proposition, romped to victory based on the votes of an optimistic audience.The panel was moderated by Tim Burrowes while the conference was curated by Cat McGinn.Unmade Index slips as the broadcasters take a spanking and the Cat tightens his grasp on SCAThe Unmade Index slipped another 0.25% yesterday, to 489.9 points, as most stocks dipped.Last night, the ASX was informed that the Antony Catalano-led investment vehicle 19 Cashews, has upped its stake in Southern Cross Austereo to 14.4%. Catalano wants to fold most of his Australian Community Media mastheads into SCA in exchange for a larger slice of the company. Prior to the announcement, SCA slipped by 0.67%Meanwhile ARN Media, which still hopes to land its own takeover of SCA slipped by 5%.Seven West Media shed 2.63% to return to its low point of 18.5c per share. Nine lost 0.35%Vinyl Group - which on Wednesday made the surprise announcement that Luke Girgis, co-founder of its Brag Media acquisition - was unexpectedly departing, lost 8.3%.Today's podcast was edited by the excellent people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow. Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio led edition of Unmade. Today, we talk to the newly arrived regional CEO of media mix modelling firm Mutinex, Mat Baxter, along with one of its cofounders, Henry Innis.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's six-state Compass event in November;* Weekly member-only content;* Access to our paywalled archives - everything gets locked down after two months;* Your own copy of Media Unmade‘I wouldn't call it ego; I'd call it highly opinionated': Mutinex founder Henry Innis on working with Mat Baxter In the nearly two decades I've been covering the Australian media and marketing beat, perhaps the biggest trouble magnet has been Mat Baxter. For a journalist writing about an industry where people complain that executives lack the personality and substance they used to, trouble magnet is a positive, by the way.Baxter was one of a trio who irritated the establishment by blowing up the orthodoxy around media planning with the creation of Naked Communications.He then raced up within the big agency world as chief strategy officer at Mediacom. It was a time when the agency won lots of business as Baxter worked alongside the giant collared (and giant egoed) Toby Jenner, who these days is global CEO of Wavemaker.The pairing of the two big personalities only lasted 18 months before Baxter moved over to UM where he repeated the trick of turning the agency into a business-winning machine, working for IPG Mediabrands boss Henry Tajer.When Tajer was promoted to global boss, Baxter joined the entourage. He moved to a global role in New York, and when Tajer's time running IPG quickly blew up, Baxter moved upwards, as global CEO of Initiative.He then went on to take charge of IPG's agency Huge, where his efforts to reengineer it became one of the foci of Michael farmer's book Madison Avenue makeover.Since Baxter announced his return to Australia, the industry has been keen to know what he would do next, with the possibility of him joining Mutinex in the frame for many weeks before it became official.Unmade first featured Mutinex in an episode of The Unmakers two years ago. At that point cofounders Henry Innis and Matt Farrugia had not long evolved to talking about themselves as a software-as-a-service platform, rather than a consultancy or agency. And they were still called Mutiny before a name change forced by a collision of global ambitions and trademark considerations.Since then, the company has grown to a six figure valuation, and you wouldn't bet against it becoming a billion dollar unicorn if it stays on track. They are mostly describing themselves as Mutinex Growth OS, as they position themselves as the operating system, or dashboard, of media mix modelling.Notably in today's podcast conversation, featuring Baxter and Innis, Baxter uses the Growth OS brand far more than he does the name Mutinex. (Another rebrand in prospect?)After this month's announcement of Baxter as CEO for APAC, the single question that came up most in industry gossip was whether there is room for the egos of Baxter and Innis in the same organisation. They tackled that question during the podcast conversation.Innis argues that in a high growth organisation, it's possible to channel that dynamic outwards. Baxter says his role is to act as a “whisperer” to Innis and Farrugia.Since Baxter's appointment, the duo have been accused of hubris. In an interview with Media Week, Innis declared “There will be no other tech company shipping product as quickly as us within six months,” adding: “Good luck to anybody else.”In their B&T chat Innis compared his relationship with Baxter to that of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with the executive who commercialised the platform, Sheryl Sandberg.For those covering the industry, the unfiltered, opinionated nature of Innis and Baxter's personalities is no bad thing - not least when the digital supply chain is so murky. Asked whether Baxter is ready to be a cop on the beat, the first part of his answer: “Of course.”Take a listen.When Unmade first talked to Mutinex:Index drops further below 500Having dropped below 500 points for the first time on Tuesday - meaning a halving of the value of Australia's media and marketing businesses over the last two-and-a-bit years - the Unmade Index lost some more ground yesterday, dropping another 0.65% to 495.1 points.Southern Cross Austereo had the worst of it, losing nearly 5% as the market contemplates a slow radio advertising market, the flatering ARN Media takeover bid and an alternative propsal from Australian Community Media looking to bring it into the local newspaper market. The only stock to rise yesterday was Domain, up 1.4% Today's podcast was edited by the excellent people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow. With Nine's CEO on the precipice, News Corp restructuring and ACM proprietor Antony Catalano in the hunt for Southern Cross Austereo, there's a lot happening in media this week.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today, as Mamamia's new CEO Natalie Harvey steps up, she joins co-founder Jason Lavigne to discuss where the independent publisher goes from here. And further down in the post, the Unmade Index falls to a record low.Producing independent analysis of the media and marketing industry that goes beyond press releases takes time and resources. If you like what we do, you can support us by becoming a paying member. Upgrade today.Mamamia hits scale as Harvey takes the helmFor the best part of a decade, Natalie Harvey was one the best known faces of the business of TV advertising, rising to national sales director of Seven West Media. Earlier this year, she moved away from television to join Australia's largest (depending how you measure it) independent publishing house, Mamamia.This month Harvey stepped up from chief revenue officer to CEO. Jason Lavigne, who co-founded the business with his partner Mia Freedman more than 15 years ago, moves in to the new role of executive chairman.In today's podcast interview, Lavigne and Harvey discuss how the business has developed from a single blog to a 150-staff organisation with a powerful publishing platform, Australia's eighth biggest podcast publisher (ahead of the likes of Nine and Nova) and a thriving agency, Squad, which includes clients beyond its advertising roster. Along with growing subscriber revenue, short form video is Mamamia's latest development area.During the conversation, Lavigne signals a route to the “highly profitable” company hitting revenues of $50m (it's not there yet), and addresses the obvious question of whether his change of role is a prelude to an exit (he claims only 15% of his work is done).Meanwhile, Harvey makes the point that her move to Mamamia was about her own development and not a vote against TV in which she remains “a staunch believer”They also discuss how Mamamia has becoming increasingly purpose-driven, around its mission of making the world a better place for women and girls.The company is also leaning into AI, including “Sam” its new artificial voice available to create and articulate scripts for brands featuring in its podcasts. The podcast features Sam in action.Mamamia may be slightly less vulnerable than some publishers to the likely loss of traffic if Facebook is designated under the News Media Bargaining Code and removes news links from its platform. However, Lavigne concedes it will have an effect. During the conversation, he argues that the potential solution is for more effective taxation of platform revenue before the profits end up offshore.How we assessed Mamamia three years ago:It isn't too late to get a ticket to next week's HumAIn - our half-day deep dive into how AI is changing the media and marketing world. Check out the program here.Index slips by another 3%The Unmade Index slipped to another record low on Wednesday, losing 2.77% to land on 506.2 points.The fall in share prices was specific to the media and marketing sector, with the wider ASX All Ordinaries finishing almost flat yesterday.Much of the weight on the index came from the biggest locally listed stock (excluding News Corp which is dual listed in the US and Australia) Nine, which slumped by nearly 4%.Fellow TV company Seven West Media lost 2.4%, and Southern Cross Austereo lost more than 3%.Today's podcast was edited by our favourite people at Abe's Audio.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow. I'll be keeping an eye on the ASX today. It's tipped to open down. There's a very real possibility that todayis the day where we hit the milsetone of The Unmade Index falling below 500 points, a loss of 50% sine it began. If so, I'll be reflecting on that threshold.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. Today: ARN refuses to let its Southern Cross Austereo takeover bid die; and ChatGPT starts talking back - why that matters to the marketing world.It's a great day to become a paying member of Unmade. You get:* Member-only pricing for next week's HumAIn conference * A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media UnmadeUpgrade todayThe all-seeing, all-talking AIIn the space of two days, the pace of change in AI accelerated again. OpenAI unveiled its upgraded ChatGPT4o - complete with “multi modal” abilities to listen and look. And Google launched a whole series of updates to its Gemini AI system. In today's edition of Start the Week, Cat McGinn, curator of Unmade's HumAIn conferece explains what it all means for the marketing world. We then bring ChatGPT in on the conference call.Also today, ARN Media refuses to give up on its battle to take control of Southern Cross Austereo.Further reading:* Unmade: A baller move from OpenAI, but who will end up paying for all this ‘free' technology?;* Guardian: CEO of world's biggest ad firm targeted by deepfake scam* Bloomberg: Apple Set to Unveil AI Strategy at June 10 Developers Conference* HumAIn: Full program* The Australian: ARN Media forges ahead with potential takeover plans of Southern Cross Austereo* Australian Financial Review: ARN Media's M&A record holds out for elusive winToday's episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinn (plus a cameo from ChatGPT-4o).Time to leave you to start your week.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Toodlepip…Tim Burrowestim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade, in which we talk to the industry veteran in charge of delivering News Corp's advertising revenues, Louise Barrett. Further down, a good day on the Unmade index for Australia's TV players.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn (May 28) and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media Unmade.Is it time for the news industry to revive the ida of a local premium content exchange? Louise Barrett thinks soThis week saw News Corp run it's D_Coded sessions, the news company's version of Upfronts, with a digital focus.Among the new offerings shared with marketers and media agency executives were ways of making more of News Corp's large logged in audience. Google's long-delayed, but now imminent, deprecation of third party cookies on Chrome may work to the benefit of publishers and media companies with big opted-in audiences.For News Corp that includes adding to the capabilities of its Intent Connect data offering, and the introduction of its ecommerce play Shoppable ScrollX.Barrett's conversation with Unmade's Tim Burrowes also uncovered the information that the idea of a cross industry premium content exchange is back on the agenda. News Corp's MD of client product Pippa Leary previously worked on setting up the APEX Advertising exchange which was a joint venture of Nine and Fairfax Media before those companies merged.With increasing client concerns about programatic fraud and low quality Made For Advertising (MFA) sites, a premium content exchange potentially offers marketers the ability to reach a higher quality audience programatically.In the UK, the Ozone Project, owned by news publishers including News UK, Reach, Guardian News & Media and Telegraph Media Group is well established. Barrett reveals that she and her colleague Leary held talks with Ozone during a UK visit. “I'm a big supporter of pulling something like this together. There are discussions happening. It's a very strong ambition,” she says.Also under consideration is the idea of setting up an academy aimed at educating new media agency staff about the strengths of print publications.Good day on the index for TV and outdoor, as SCA tries to slam to the door on ARN.A solid trading day for Seven West Media, Nine and Ooh Media helped lift the Unmade Index by 0.62% to 536.8 points on WednesdayNine rose by nearly 1% to return close to a market capitalisation of $2.5bn; SWM surged by more than 2.5% and Ooh lifted by 1.85%Yesterday afternoon also saw Southern Cross Austereo attempt to slam the door on ARN Media's takeover bid. The SCA board issued a statement saying the updated bid was unattractive for shareholders and would be costly to execute.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, editing and production.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our audio-led Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.Today: ARN Media fights to save its Southern Cross Austereo takeover as Anchorage Capital Partners gets cold feet; a crucial week in Parliament for TV sports rights; and is Open AI about to launch its Google challenger? Producing independent analysis of the media and marketing industry that goes beyond press releases takes time and resources. If you like what we do, you can support us by becoming a paying member. Upgrade todayCan ARN Media save its collapsing Southern Cross Austereo takeover bid?In a series of dramatic developments over the last 24 hours, ARN Media's takeover bid for Southern Cross Austereo appears close to collapse.ARN's bid partner Anchorage has been spooked by declining revenues and has pulled the plug. Instead, ARN this morning told the ASX it has come up with a new, even more complicated, plan to go it alone before relisting a new version of SCA on the stock exchange.In today's podcast, Unmade's Tim Burrowes explains what happened over the weekend, why Anchorage got cold feet, and how ARN is proposing to save the deal.We also discuss what may be another huge move by OpenAI, with reports that it will launch a competitor to Google's search, later today.And we preview a key week for the TV industry in Parliament, with sports rights and due prominence legislation on the agenda tomorrow.Further reading:* Unmade: Is the SCA takeover about to die of old age?* ASX - ARN Media: Update on Non-Binding Indicative Proposal to Acquire SCA* ASX - SCA: Withdrawal of Consortium's Proposal* Reuters: OpenAI plans to announce Google search competitor on Monday, sources say* Australian Financial Review: Showtime! Media CEOs' last stand with Foxtel over future of TV* Australian Financial Review: Greg Hywood - New laws risk the end of free sports on tv* Unmade: TV gets a win* Unmade: Maybe for the last time, the free TV machine wins on anti-siphoningToday's episode features Tim Burrowes and Abe UdyEditing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Time to leave you to start your week. We'll be back with more tomorrow with a special post for our paying members explaining all the issues around today's developments in the SCA takeover battle.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today we've an episode of our series focusing on industry startups, The Unmakers. We talk to the co-founders of fast growing influencer platform Fabulate. And further down, mixed fortunes on the Unmade Index.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn (May 28) and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event (November);* Member-only content and our paywalled archives; * Your own copy of Media UnmadeBen Gunn and Nathan Powell on Fabulate's five year push into the technology of influencer marketingA noticeable trend in adland is that nobody is making it big by starting another media company or advertising agency.However, those working inside the legacy players have been perfectly placed to understand the problems of brands and publishers, and work out how to solve them. The technology based solutions have the ability to scale globally in a way that media offerings and agencies do not.Recent examples include media mix modelling platform Mutinex, started by WPP staffers Henry Innis and Matt Farrugia; micro influencer platform Tribe started by then 2Day FM presenter Jules Lund, and retail media platform Zitcha, which span out of media agency Hatched.A further example which deserves a higher profile is Fabulate, whose founders include former Nine staffers Ben Gunn and Nathan Powell, along with Toby Kennett. Today's podcast focuses on the Fabulate story.Five years on, Fabulate barely counts as a start up any more. It employs more than 50 staff and manages campaigns to the value of millions of dollars. In the conversation, chief revenue officer Gunn and content and strategy boss Powell are cagier about revealing the platform's own direct revenue, but they drop some hints.In March, Fabulate was named best influencer marketing technology service by AiMCO (the Australian Influencer Marketing Council).With its roots in text-based branded content, Fabulate is now deeply in the short form video influencer space, including TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube. The platform connects influencers to brands and manages workflow for marketing campaigns. It is also planning to gear up around LinkedIn influencers.Along with being integrated into IPG Mediabrands's Kinesso social offering, Fabulate is working with almost all Australia's influencer agencies, as well as major PR agencies including Edelman.The wide ranging conversation - which is part of Unmade's ongoing The Unmakers series - covers Fabulate's first five years, an overview of the fast changing influencer sector, and insights into where the company goes next.Previous episodes of The Unmakers:Unmade Index flat as TV networks look upThe Unmade Index battled itself into equilibrium on Wednesday, with broad falls across most of the list counterbalanced by improvements from Nine and Seven West Media.With the index moving up by just 0.2 points to 546.1, Nine did much of the heavy lifting, rising by 1.3%, while Seven was up 2.5%.Meanwhile Ooh Media, IVE Group, ARN Media and Southern Cross Austereo all slumped.Today's podcast was edited by Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, editing and production.Time to leave you to your Thursday.We'll be taking a one-day publishing break tomorrow.I'm in Sydney today at the Australian Associational of National Advertisers Reset conference (one question I'm considering: is the “growth” theme of the event in keeping with the mood music around sustainability? Your thoughts please.)And tomorrow afternoon I'm jumping on QF1 to London for Advertising Week Europe. It looks as though the upgrade gods have not smiled upon me. Saturday's Best of the Week will be brought to you from deep in the bowels of the cheap seats.Have a great day.Toodlepip…Tim BurrowesPublisher - Unmadetim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Fran from Good Talk got the call from Jamie & Leigh to let her know that Good Talk had won $2,000 to spend on advertising with Southern Cross Austereo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's edition features Sam Buchanan, boss of Independent Media Agencies Australia, the fastest growing of the new generation of industry associations.Also today, Seven West Media takes a 5% hit on its already challenged share price.Producing independent analysis of the media and marketing industry that goes beyond press releases takes time and resources. If you like what we do, you can support us by becoming a paying member. Upgrade today‘We haven't been allowed into the nightclub, let alone the dance floor': How IMAA is speaking up for indie agenciesAt a time when the global holding companies have been going backwards, the independent media agency sector has been growing its share of advertising spend.One factor in the rising profile of the indie sector is new industry body Independent Media Agencies Australia, helmed by Sam Buchanan.In today's conversation with Unmade's Tim Burrowes, Buchanan discusses fighting to get a voice for indies in pitches and with governments, building a community, getting better deals for his members and the role of the industry in diversity and sustainability. He also talks about the lessons learned from the association's original launch which saw it face a backlash after kicking off with an all male leadership. Less than five years old, the IMAA is in robust health thanks to the dual revenue streams of payments by media owners keen to get closer to agencies and membership fees. The IMAA's published accounts show income of $933,000 for the last financial year and a surplus of $152,000.The discussion also covers where Buchanan plans to take the IMAA next, including an eye to overseas.Seven slumps on Unmade IndexThe Unmade Index rose slightly yesterday despite a dismal day for Seven West Media.Shares in SWM lost another 5%, as the TV-led company saw its market capitalisation fall to the lowest level in three-and-a-half years.After dropping below a market capitalisation of $300m earlier this week, SWM's valuation sagged to $285m on Wednesday.Having fallen behind IVE Group last month to become the ASX's sixth largest stock, the resurgence of Southern Cross Austereo and ARN Media means Seven is teetering on becoming merely Australia's eighth largest listed media company.ARN and SCA both also fell slightly, by 1.81% and 0.51%, yesterday.However, the index - which tracks Australia's listed media and marketing stocks - was buoyed by improvements for Nine and Ooh Media. The index closed on 571.3 points, up by 0.31%Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Editing of today's audio contentwas courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.mediaTim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead. Today: The ACCC sets put how it plans to examine the search ecosystem; and the vote against the chair of Southern Cross Austereo approaches 40%Today: Search in the spotlight; SCA agitators close on 40% for anti-chair voteIn today's conversation:* The ACCC begins its inquiry into the search market;* Google starts ‘nuking' AI-created content from search results;* When the main Meta news deals end;* The push against Southern Cross Austereo's chair intensifiesFurther reading:ACCC: ACCC to examine internet searchSearch Engine Journal: Google's March 2024 Core Update Impact: Hundreds Of Websites DeindexedUnmade: ARN closes in on SCAAustralian Financial Review: More Southern Cross shareholders back removing chair Rob MurrayAustralian Financial Review: Media Observed - Meta maelstromUnmade: Tanking the ratings as Melbourne waits for K+JLinkedIn: Byron Cooke - My Kiis 1011 era will come to a closeToday's episode features Tim Burrowes and Abe UdyTime to leave you to start your week.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.mediaToodlepip…Tim Burrowestim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today's edition features The Saturday Paper's editor-in-chief Erik Jensen, the only person in Australia at the helm of a national newspaper they founded. Also in today's post, the Unmade Index rally continues for a strong second day.Have you considered becoming a paying member of Unmade to get the full picture? Only our paying members receive our members-only Tuesday analysis; get access to our archive where all our content is paywalled after two months; get their own copy of Media Unmade; and receive discounts on all our events. Upgrade todayA newsroom unlike any other: How Erik Jensen created a unique news culture at The Saturday PaperBack in 2014, the then communications minister Malcolm Turnbull cracked a joke at the launch of The Saturday Paper. He told proprietor Morry Schwartz: “You are not some demented plutocrat pouring more and more money into a loss making venture that is just going to peddle your opinions.”Although Turnbull later denied it, the unnamed subject of the gag was widely assumed to be News Corp proprietor Rupert Murdoch whose newspaper The Australian was at the time loss-making.Ten years on, The Saturday Paper has indeed run at a profit for every year of its existence, and been a rare print success story, albeit one underpinned by digital publishing.According to founding editor Erik Jensen, now editor-in-chief across the Schwartz Media group of The Saturday Paper, The Monthly and the 7AM Podcast, Schwartz has indeed been a proprietor who has respected his editorial independence.In a podcast conversation with Unmade's Tim Burrowes, Jensen, who worked at the Sydney Morning Herald early in his career, discusses how Schwartz backed his idea for a newspaper that rejected newsroom orthodoxies.Jensen says he has tried to avoid being a stereotypical editor. He describes a newsroom that most journalists would not recognise. “I've never yelled in a newsroom. I've never done anything that I saw happen in other newsrooms when I was working for bigger newspapers. I've never done that with my own staff because I've tried to do the opposite.“It's actually a very quiet and polite staff working on the paper. They work silently and diligently. It's so unlike other newsroom I've been in. Our subs bench is almost entirely staffed by women. There's a very gentle culture about how we treat the work we're doing.”Not that Jensen allows himself a stress-free working life. He discusses how his perfectionism got the better of him for his first few editions. “For the first probably 20 editions I still believed there was a perfect newspaper that could be made.“I went quite mad trying to make that newspaper. I was working on the paper obsessively. I was rewriting every story. I was convinced that if I pushed hard enough, I could make something perfect.“There was substantial liberation in realising that actually the news is imperfect, that the idea of a perfect newspaper is illusory, and maybe that's good, maybe that keeps us making newspapers, but I actually think when you can accept that a newspaper is always going to be flawed because the news itself is flawed, then you get a lot closer to doing interesting things with it.”During the conversation, Jensen also tackle how The 7am Podcast and The Monthly fit into the picture and how new CEO Ben Shepherd has arrived with “a transformative plan” for the business.Unmade Index up as attempt to unseat SCA chair landsThe Unmade Index saw a second strong day in a row on Wednesday, rising by another 1.67% to 579.1 points.At the top end of town, Nine was the best performer, rising by 3.35%. Seven West Media also came off its low point, gaining 2.5%.Yesterday morning's news that Spheria Asset Management has formalised its attempt to unseat Southern Cross Austereo chair Rob Murray didn't cause a ripple to the share price, which stayed flat.Spheria, which owns 9.9% of the company, wants the SCA board to move faster on accepting the takeover bid being led by ARN Media. Next week, it will be five months since ARN launched the bid; after waiting on information back from ARN, it took until last Thursday for SCA's board to say that it did not believe the bid was high enough.Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with more tomorrow.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.mediaTim BurrowesPublisher - Unmade This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.Today: OpenAI's Sam Altman predicts 95% reduction in agency jobs; Melbourne radio gets ready for a huge week; and Nine talks to Antony Catalano about buying back his papers.Producing independent analysis of the media and marketing industry that goes beyond press releases takes time and resources. If you like what we do, you can support us by becoming a paying member. Become a member today!PerthboundUnmade publisher Tim Burrowes will be in Perth next week - from Monday March 18 to Wednesday March 20. He'd love to catch up with anyone in the industry who wants to do so. Please email tim@unmade.media‘Images, videos, campaign ideas? No problem'Today:* Melbourne radio's big week;* Southern Cross Austereo rejects ARN Media's first offer;* Antony Catalano buys into SCA… and tries to sell papers to Nine;* Open AI's Sam Altman says AI will do 95% of marketing jobs;* Elon Musk sues openAIFurther reading:* Unmade: K&J prepare to descend upon Melbourne from the heavens* Australian Financial Review: Antony Catalano wants to sell three of his biggest newspapers* Mumbrella (from 2014): Radio's revolution: Why today is the day that everything changes* The Marketing Institute: Sam Altman Says AI Will Handle “95%” of Marketing Work Done by Agencies and Creatives* OpenAI blog: OpenAI and Elon MuskToday's episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinnTime to leave you to start your week.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Toodlepip…Tim Burrowestim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Toowoomba Chamber presents Toowoomba Decides with The Chronicle and 864 Triple M. Recorded live on Thursday March 7th at The Atrium at Clifford Park. Council candidates are asked questions from the community. Gathered from reader surveys from The Chronicle, Toowoomba Chamber and on-air on 864 Triple M. The council candidates are given 2 minutes to answer each question. Moderated by journalists Dan McCray from Southern Cross Austereo and Tom Gillespie from The Chronicle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Unmade membership, this is the perfect time. Your membership includes:* Member-only pricing for our HumAIn (May 28) and REmade (October 1) conferences;* A complimentary invitation to Unmade's Compass event;* Member-only content and our paywalled archives;* Your own copy of Media UnmadeUpgrade todayFrom Bard to worse during media's cold snapToday:* Is media's deep freeze finally hitting bottom?* Countdown to the end of the Meta money* Digital growth plateaus* What to look out for in the Southern Cross Austereo financial update* Google's image generator Gemini's rogue woke embarrassmentFurther reading:* Brisbane Times: Former digital darling Vice Media to slash jobs, shutter website* Unmade: ‘Very close to the bottom': As bad as it gets (or as good as it gets?) for Nine and ARN Media* Australian Financial Review: Australian media's $70m lifeline ends in months. Meta isn't picking up* Brisbane Times: $1b for journalism at risk in new warning over Google, Facebook* The Australian: Online advertising market spend was $14.7bn in 2023, slowest annual growth since 2020* Sweathead: How brands are using AI* The Verge: How AI copyright lawsuits could make the whole industry go extinct* Unmade: Why Australia's marketers need to worry about the lack of local artificial intelligence lawsToday's episode features Tim Burrowes, Abe Udy and Cat McGinnTime to leave you to start your week.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.mediaToodlepip…Tim Burrowestim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.Today's edition features the Melbourne panel from our 2024 industry predictions event, Compass.Further down, the Unmade Index's gains stretch into a fourth day, but Seven West Media sees a big fall.Compass will return later this year. Unmade's paying members get a complimentary invitation. They also get discounts to all our events including our AI-led focus on the cutting edge of media and marketing, humAIn on May 28, and our retail media conference REmade on October 1. Upgrade today.Where's the creativity? Why Russel Howcroft would start an old fashioned DM company: Melbourne's media minds on what 2024 holdsUnmade's Compass roadshow rolled into Melbourne late last year to hear thoughts and predictions of the year to come for the industry.Today we bring you a recording of the conversation had between our panel, moderated by Unmade's Tim Burrowes.It featured:* Adman, broadcaster and 3AW co-host, Russel Howcroft;* Ben Shepherd, chief investment officer at Dentsu; since the recording, Ben has been announced as new boss of Schwartz Media;* Melody Townsend, GM of retail marketing at Bank of Queensland Group;* Jason Tonelli, CEO of media agency Zenith;* Hannah Nickels, head thinker of creative media at ThinkerbellThe panel discussed issues with industry measurement metrics, the disappointing output from creative agencies over the year, the factors that led to the ‘no' vote winning the Voice referendum, the failure of brands to service consumers in the face of crisis, the consequences of dominance of the two big tech platforms, how advertising influences (or doesn't influence) culture and much more.They also ask the question of why conversations at industry conferences have lost their edge.The Compass series was sponsored by Circuit from Cashrewards. Those interested in supporting the 2024 cycle of Compass should email doug@wethinkmedia.com.auUnmade Index growth tails off as Seven West Media slumpsThe Unmade Index carried its growth into a fourth day, but only grew a further 0.28%, to 616.5 points.Seven West Media saw the biggest movement of the day, losing 5.36%. Southern Cross Austereo gained 2.53%Time to leave you to your Thursday. We'll be back with Best of the Week on Saturday.Editing was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to Start the Week, our Monday scene-setter for the week ahead.Today:* We discuss the first outing of SXSW Sydney;* What we learned at the Seven Upfronts;* Radio wars as Southern Cross Austereo courts investors;Further reading:* The Australian Financial Review: Southern Cross courts wider interest as board reviews ARN deal* Unmade: Value adds and valuing ads* Unmade: Seven's spotlight* Unmade: What good is doing good? Leo Burnett's Catherine King on what the public expects from brandsToday's episode feature Tim Burrowes, Seja Al Zaidi and Abe Udy.Time to leave you to start your week.Production was by Seja Al Zaidi with editing courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.mediaWe'll be back tomorrow with Tuesdata.Toodlepip…Tim Burrowestim@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade.Today's edition of The Unmakers features Tony Simmons, founder of audio technology startup Sonnant. Anyone interested in understanding how spoken audio content will be monetised in the future will find it a fascinating listen.In today's edition of the Unmakers, Unmade's Tim Burrowes talks to Tony Simmons, CEO and founder of Sonnant, an Australia-founded AI platform for broadcast and podcast audio that is set to become a major player in the monetisation of digital audio.Sonnant uses AI to automate many of the manual processes taking place behind the scenes in audio businesses including Southern Cross Austereo, ARN, Nova and Nine. In the future it offers the prospect of real time insertion of advertising that fits within the context of the conversation.Simmons doesn't come from the traditional radio world. He hails from a tech and data background and started his career as a commercial lawyer before founding and selling several software businesses over the last 15 years.“We were doing AI before it was sexy,: says Simmons. “Maybe we weren't doing podcasts before they were sexy, but we were right ahead of the curve in terms of blending the two together.”Sonnant converts content into data for a variety of functions - including indexing content to make recalling clips of words or phrases from the archive instant, AI-powered content summaries, asset creation including clips and audiograms, permanent clip housing and automated speaker identification.“Behind every word, there's energy, there's sentiment, there's how long you pause for, there's volume, there's gap between previous word, gap between the next word. If you look at human communication and try to turn that into data, that is a massive exercise. In order to automate things effectively and replicate human endeavour, data is the building blocks to be able to do that from a technology point of view,” Simmons explains.“So the starting point for us was understand what data points are there and then what data points are going to be relevant to automate manual work and increase the lifeblood of this industry, impressions and advertising dollars.”The software is also developed to identify how advertising can help be contextualised for optimal relevance.The product is also adept at creating social media-ready content like audiograms that are contextually relevant without needing zero human input or editing. “Everyone's seen how ChatGPT can create web pages and summarize content. So being able to turn one long-form piece of content into all your tweets and all your YouTube shorts and Instagram posts is a no-brainer as far as producing long-form content. Pulling out the relevant hashtags, putting your headline in this can all be done through incredible automation at scale.”Audio production was courtesy of Abe's Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.Message us: letters@unmade.media This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unmade.media/subscribe

For Rebecca Ackland, People & Culture Officer at Southern Cross Austereo, defining the core purpose of the business has been a game changer for the Australian media giant. It's altered how staff communicate, the onboarding process, and how to motivate for high performance. Within five years at SCA, Rebecca has created a seat at the Executive table, ensuring that People and Culture answer directly to the CEO. Leading Teams Facilitator, Daniel Healy, has been on the journey with Bec, and they're discussing not only her meteoric rise within the organisation but how they've consolidated around purpose and shifted the team dynamic for measurably stronger results.    Leading Conversations is produced for Leading Teams by: SoundCartel+61 3 9882 8333See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we are joined by best friends Lise and Sarah - a powerful and funny duo with infectious personalities. After meeting in their thirties, their extraordinary chemistry and genuine friendship landed the pair local and national radio shows with Australia's largest media network, Southern Cross Austereo, as ‘Those Two Girls'. In 2020, Lise & Sarah launched FORTY – a podcast for the middle years, which was downloaded more than 2.5 million times, and in 2022, their first book Forty Favours the Brave was published. Both mothers, Lise and Sarah speak openly and honestly as they discuss forming bravery and self-confidence, setting boundaries and learning how to say no - especially when you have a family, and what they do to protect their mental health. Connect with Lise and Sarah: IG: @liseandsarah Website: https://www.liseandsarah.com.au/ Podcast: https://www.liseandsarah.com.au/podcasts/ Connect with Chelsea: www.eqminds.com IG: @eqminds & @chelseapottengerofficial For our American Listeners, buy the Mindful High Performer here: https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-High-Performer-powerful-recharge/dp/1922351946 For our Australian Listeners, buy the Mindful High Performer here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-mindful-high-performer-chelsea-pottenger/book/9781922351944.html For our UK Listeners, buy The Mindful High Performer here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1922351946/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tu00_p1_i0 The Mindful High Performer is available on Audible globally: https://www.audible.com.au/pd/The-Mindful-High-Performer-Audiobook/B0B5F4VGM8

Craig Bruce is a legend in the Australian radio industry. He worked with Southern Cross Austereo for nearly 30 years, and there's a good chance he's mentored or helped to develop some of your favourite radio talent. Today we go back to 2016 when Craig first came on the show. We discuss the magic of radio, the ruthlessness of radio and what he looks for in young and emerging radio presenters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remember those classic lines that have come out of election debates? Recall 2013 when Tony Abbott asked the audience, “Does this guy [Kevin Rudd] ever shut up?” Or Bill Shorten in 2019 describing Scott Morrison as a “classic space invader?” Or back in 1993 when Paul Keating told John Hewson his costing of the proposed GST was like “a magic pudding?” In our fourth episode of the Below the Line podcast, host Jon Faine asks if election debates still matter. Audience numbers have dropped significantly since 1993, when 71% of Australians surveyed said they tuned in. By 2016, viewership was down to 21%. This sharp decline in the proportion of Australians who watch an election debate is confirmed by Australian Election Study data. The first debate for the 2022 federal election campaign is scheduled for April 19 on Sky News, hosted in partnership with the Courier Mail. 100 undecided voters will pose questions to both major party leaders. Simon Jackman and Anika Gauja remind us that while not many people tune in, debates can be dangerous for leaders if they stumble or fail to recall policy details. These “fails” then trend on social media. For example, there might be some tricky questions on climate change given Brisbane, where the debate is being held, was recently hit by devasting floods. While audience numbers might be small, they capture some voting demographics which both major parties are targetting. Andrea Carson points out that Sky News is broadcast on the free-to-air WIN TV Network and Southern Cross Austereo across regional New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. Television ratings data tells us that these audiences are older, and polling data tells us they are more likely to be supporting the Coalition than Labor. Our expert panel also discuss Anthony Albanese's polarising appearance at the BluesFest musical festival in Byron Bay, and the surfacing of controversial comments about transgender people made by the Liberal candidate for the Sydney-based seat of Warringah. Below the Line is an election podcast brought to you by The Conversation and La Trobe University up until the vote is counted. Image: Lukas Coch/AAP

TikTok has committed to removing damaging political misinformation in lead up to the Australian federal election.   Several parties are said to be interesting in buying the regional TV assets of Southern Cross Austereo, the owner of Hit, Triple M and LiSTNR.   Uber has struck a landmark deal with yellow taxis in New York, as the company strives to integrate itself with every taxi in the world.   ---   Daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/fluxnewsletter Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download the free app (Google Play Store): http://bit.ly/FluxappGooglePlay Save money and win cash prizes up to $250k weekly: https://www.flux.finance/win-the-week Get your credit score for free: https://bit.ly/fluxcreditscore Instagram: http://bit.ly/fluxinsta TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flux.finance   ---   The content in this podcast reflects the views and opinions of the hosts, and is intended for personal and not commercial use. We do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, statement or other information provided or distributed in these episodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians could be getting Covid booster shots earlier, Ghislaine Maxwell set to face trial in New York later today, Russian man claiming to be cannibal has been arrested, Cricket legend Shane Warne in motorbike accident, Triple M, Lawrence Mooney, Southern Cross Austereo, Prince Harry, BBC, Meghan Markle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick speaks with Simone Heng, named Yahoo! 2020 Top 10 public speaking coach in the world. She is one of the most in-demand presentation skills coaches in Asia Pacific, working with Forbes 30 Under 30 winners, C-suite executives and people looking to transition into careers as professional speakers. Simone is also a professional speaker on the topic of human connection. She's spoken globally for organisations such as SAP, VMWare, HP, UBS, DBS, Google, Ted X, Great Eastern, AIA, Manulife, The United Nations, Salesforce and many more. Simone has a Communications and Cultural Studies degree from Curtin University of Technology and has studied speechwriting in London under Tony Blair's former speechwriter, Phillip Collins. Most recently she acquired a certificate in Higher Education Teaching from the Harvard University Derek Bok Centre for Teaching & Learning. As a broadcaster for one and a half decades, Simone was frontline for CNBC, CNN, Virgin Radio Dubai, HBO Asia, Southern Cross Austereo and many more. Simone has a social media community of over 200,000 which she uses to spread the message of connection and communication. Find out more about Simone Heng: https://www.instagram.com/simoneheng https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-heng-speaker/ https://www.courageousspeaking.com Follow Patrick Tsang: WEBSITE: http://anythingispossible.global LINKEDIN: http://linkedin.com/in/patrickpltsang FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/anythingispo... TWITTER: http://twitter.com/patpltsang NEWSLETTER: https://anythingispossible.global/con...

Civil Engineer, serial Entrepreneur, Fashion Editor, TV Presenter, and Reality TV Star, Amber Renae is a celebrated style icon who draws on her vast life experience to motivate, enlighten, and entertain her audiences. A qualified Civil Engineer, Amber transitioned from constructing roads to constructing dresses when she started her own fashion label in 2002. The label earned industry acclaim and achieved retail success in high-end boutiques across Australia, Japan, France, New Zealand, and the United States. Closer to home, Amber's collections were snapped up by Australian retail heavyweight Myer and its appeal among celebrities including Paris Hilton ensured the label's editorial success in Madison, Shop till you Drop, and Cosmopolitan magazines. A celebrated style icon, Amber has appeared on Project Runway Australia. Her success on the show led her to appointments as Fashion Editor for Australian Women's Health and Fitness Magazine, the resident stylist for Australia's largest media network, Southern Cross Austereo, and her role as the resident fashion presenter on Foxtel's Fashion TV where she has interviewed leading international celebrities including Andie MacDowell, Melissa George, Mel B, Rose Byrne and Ruby Rose. Amber now stars on the hottest new reality show on the FYI network, called Dream Life Los Angeles. In the show, Amber takes on Hollywood while building her revolutionary online business: The Love Academy. Follow Bizz Banter on Instagram: @bizzbanter Bizz Banter website: bizzbanter.com Follow Amber on Instagram: @theamberrenae Music by Marc Wavy https://www.youtube.com/c/MarcWavy/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bizz-banter/support