Projects

Consultancy Work

Hilma af Klint: The Secret Paintings for the Art Gallery of NSW (2021)

This incredible exhibition opened at the Art Gallery of NSW in mid-July 2021, which meant it was closed from week two onwards, when NSW went into its second lockdown, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I attended the media preview of the exhibition in June 2021, which quite frankly blew me away.

Partner-wise, I secured IKEA and other partners that culturally aligned with af Klint’s Swedish heritage and her work, like funkis Swedish Forms and Fika Swedish Kitchen.

In addition I oversaw a collaboration between the Gallery and Maison Balzac: the creation of a one-off candle scent for the exhibition, inspired by Hilma’s interest in the otherworldly. The candle was launched on both sites, promoted to subscribers and social followers. The campaign primarily targeted F20-45 – a demo that overlaps several of the Gallery’s core visitor segments.

Japan Supernatural for the Art Gallery of NSW (2019)

Have you heard of Yokai? Neither had I until I worked on this super (and supernatural) art exhibition. Working with the Gallery’s Marketing, Digital and Curation teams, I secured several major partners, including Sushi Train, who supported the exhibition with an extensive on-premise, digital, paid social and radio campaign.

After successfully pitching a unique concept to MUJI, I worked with the organisation’s HQ teams in both Melbourne and Japan to deliver a national in-store campaign promoted across major shopping centres and social channels. The Art Gallery of NSW and its partners supplied licensed Yokai artwork, which was adapted into embroidery designs for select MUJI products.

This project was particularly complex as I played ‘piggy in the middle’ between the Gallery’s curation and licensing arms, and MUJI’s technical and operations teams. Together, we had to navigate complex IP clauses, and design restrictions so that promotional artwork could be replicated, license-free; be machine-embroidered in under 10 minutes; whilst reflecting the exhibition authentically and artistically. The final results were worth it, delivering a national campaign promoting the exhibition and offering a $5,000 MUJI shopping experience to one lucky exhibition visitor.

Here’s a link to some of my other freelance case studies, including work for luxury resort Elements of Byron, Tourism Thailand, and eOne Entertainment.

Editing

The Soubeiran and KOGU Magazine for Kambala School (2017-2021)

As on-site Editor and Senior Account Manager, I worked closely with school leadership, department heads, educators, psychologists, alumnae, students, and a remote creative team to publish The Soubeiran — a biannual publication focused on Kambala’s community past, present and future.

Each edition was shaped in collaboration with the Principal to ensure a clear thematic direction. I selected and briefed contributors, collated and edited draft content, and sourced supporting material, including photography, bios, and captions. Working with a remote design and editorial team, I managed the full approval process — from contributors to the Principal — before reviewing print proofs and liaising with printers.

Distribution was handled in partnership with IT, Enrolments and the Kambala Old Girls’ Union. This included regular data cleansing: removing unsubscribed or deceased alumnae, updating contact details, and adding the graduating Year 12 cohort annually. The magazine was also produced in digital format when required, to meet changing readership preferences.

Partnerships & Activations

Here’s a mix of creative partnerships, brand executions, successful partnerships, retail activations, media partnerships, exclusive events, PR generation and content creation.

Happy Feet

This was such a fun film to work on, with the effervescent, crazy-tie-wearing legend that is Mr George Miller. I pitched partnerships with ANZ Banking, creating the most adorable penguin credit cards (this was pre-Spriggy, folks, so it was pretty cutting-edge at the time) and worked closely with Nestle on bringing an exclusive Happy Feet product to life in Coles and Woolworths.

Hairspray

Zach Efron was BIG news in 2008 and so Hairspray was a dream to work on despite restrictive use of its talent. Still, the promotional creative assets for this remake of the well-loved musical allowed me to attract and on-board a range of hair and beauty partners like Redken and Sunbeam, and run a nationwide in-salon campaign across 1,500 hairdressers in partnership with Instant Rockstar.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Another remake of another classic film! I worked closely with the team at Nestle to bring the golden ticket concept to life. Five golden tickets were inserted into five Wonka Bars throughout Australia and New Zealand. Each one offering the lucky ticket holder an all-expenses-paid family trip to Warner Bros Movie World! This campaign was extensive and a lot of work went into operations, logistics and legalities of the promotion whilst working with Nestle and Warner Bros. US on the creative assets. These ranged from product packaging and POS, TV and radio spots, digital execution and OOH. (At the time, I did put on a bit of weight, eating what felt like a limitless supply of Wonka Bars. They were truly scrumdiddlyumptious.)

Whilst scoffing chocolate daily, I also worked with the team at Austereo to host a massive Charlie & the Chocolate Factory event at Luna Park. With 100 family passes up for grabs, the on-air campaign ran on the lead-up to the release date, and winners were treated to an exclusive screening of the film, merch packs and unlimited rides at Luna Park.

Get Smart

Before COVID launched the QR code to the world, I worked with Telstra and BigPond Movies on the release of Get Smart (dare I say ANOTHER remake of a classic?!). This was relatively innocuous technology in 2008 and, quite frankly, a disaster in terms of entry numbers and engagement. No one really tried to understand the QR code’s simple brilliance of taking a consumer from in-store direct to an online environment. It was, however, an example of trying something new.

Thankfully, the film was a huge success, and as we all know, the QR code really came into its own some twelve years later. Even The Rock couldn’t have made QR codes cool in 2008.

Retail Activation – Mass, Grocery and Specialist

Promoting multiple SKUs when it comes to film & TV content is challenging because the target demo is so broad and varied. In fact, highly targeted marketing becomes redundant. With a firm focus on a single offer for multiple retailers, I worked closely with Marketing, Sales, Trade Marketing and Ops to bring Give the Gift of Stars to life. Cash is king, and this promotion was super simple and easy to execute, despite its scale.

Factory Girl

This film was overlooked for a theatrical release which meant it had to make a significant impact (and margin) at home entertainment level. Despite its edgy storyline (which would ordinarily turn partners and sponsors off) this film pulled in some real ‘It Girl’ partners. MAC Cosmetics was the cherry on the top.

Makybe Diva

I remember attending Royal Ascot with work colleagues, back in 2004, and having a punt on a mare called Makybe Diva. She won, of course. So did I. So it was with pleasure a few years down the track (pun intended) that I worked on Makybe Diva. It was important to reach true punters who would appreciate the footage and insight of this documentary. It made sense to approach and work with TAB. With a VIP Melbourne Cup experience provided by Melbourne Racing Club, the promotion ran across 400 TAB outlets in the 4-weeks leading up to the Melbourne Cup. The release was as successful as its namesake with an incremental 8,000 units sold in via TAB, and thousands of race fans reached during the promotional period.

Simon Pegg was having a moment when this comedy was released. After the success of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and his role as Benji Dunn in the Mission: Impossible franchise, he was big news. So, despite the film’s title, Run Fat Boy Run was THE official sponsor of SMH’s City2Surf’s Charity Challenge! Working with the team at Fairfax we developed a tongue-in-cheek campaign on the lead up to both the film release and the City2Surf run, challenging runners to raise as much cash as possible for good causes. Other activations included lucky row giveaways at NRL matches, and with its sharp one-liners delivered in Pegg’s familiar voice, we had fantastic soundbites to prop up lots of radio promos and giveaways.

If you’ve never seen the OSCAR-winning film, The Artist, please do. Yes, it’s in black and white. Yes, it’s a silent movie. But it’s magical. I worked closely with the LA-based costume design team, headed by Mark Bridges (he won his first Academy Award for Best Costume Design for this film), to bring old school Hollywood style to Chatswood Chase, Sydney. The stunning costumes were in situ for a month, supported with retail eyelights, digital screens, dining court vinyls, and online. As a highly stylised film, Academy-Award winning piece of artistry, partners that embraced The Artist included Sydney Theatre Company, The Australian, Myer and Visit California.