The eight finalists were selected from 76 participants, representing 21 IMAA member agencies, that entered the inaugural competition, keen to develop their pitching skills and collaborate with their peers.

The industry-first program, which is proudly sponsored by Audience360 and supported by Meta, was developed by the IMAA to support and nurture emerging independent media agency talent. Participants with less than five years’ media agency experience were encouraged to participate. 

The inaugural Pitch-Chella finalists are: 

• Assembled Media/Hatched: Chelsea Schultz, Sophie Morris, Lauren Campagna and Bella Masters. 
• AFFINITY: Angus Gawdat, Annabelle Harrington, Lukass Strungs and Nathan Sullivan. 
• BCM/Wahoo: Avon Ang, Ellie Fraser, Max McDonald and Alexandra Smith. 
• Half Dome: Sophia Lin, Molly O’Sullivan and Hannah Drummond. 
• Enigma: Sarah O’Toole, Grace Haddow, Joshua Richardson and Amelia Sultana. 
• Enigma: Noah Smith, Tracy-Lea Meyer, Tom McLoughlin and Poppy Rhodes. 
• Slingshot/Waples: Alyssa Uzunovski, Florence Gleeson-Cook, Cobey Johnston and Elise Sinclair. 
• TMS: Daniel Paoli, Adriana Catanese and Emma Davis.

The successful teams were selected following written campaign pitches for two national charities.

Teams were asked to put together pitches for either Indigenous business advocacy service Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network’s (NTIBN) Buy Blak campaign, which is aimed at boosting the profile of NT Indigenous businesses, and the Waves of Wellness Foundation’s (WOW) annual Ducktober fundraising event, which raises funds for surf therapy to help improve mental health and well-being. 

The pitches were then reviewed by a panel of expert marketing professionals, including gold sponsor Audience360’s Managing Director, Jenny Parkes, Sparrow’s Nest Consulting’s Greg Graham, TrinityP3 Global Media Consultant, Stephen Wright, Kennards Hire General Manager Marketing and Customer Experience, Manelle Mehri, Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory Partner, Daniel Johns, and Orand Founder and Senior Media Consultant, Adam Hickey.

IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan, said the judging panel were thoroughly impressed with the calibre of the entries. 

“The competition for the first-ever Pitch-Chella event was incredibly close, with just a few points separating the entries. Each pitch demonstrated a high level of creativity and innovation, and a deep understanding of the brief, target audience and desired result. Our teams showed they had thoroughly considered and strategised how best to achieve ROI and engagement for their chosen charities, showcasing a breadth of knowledge, professionalism and understanding well beyond their years of experience in the industry,” he said. 

“We have been blown away by the talent, insight, and ideas put forward by all the teams involved – it’s a sign that the future of our industry is in very good hands. We look forward to seeing what the finalists come up with during this week’s presentations.” 

Virtual pitches will be presented to the judging panel on August 30. The official winner will be announced at a closing celebration at Sydney’s Beresford Hotel on September 18. 

The Pitch-Chella initiative was spearheaded by a steering committee of independent agency leaders including Mike Wilson (Hatched), Jessica Bray (Audience Precision), Jac Ely (Apparent), Lisa Blackshaw (Edge), Taylor Fielding (TFM Digital) and the IMAA team.

For more information on Pitch-Chella, visit: https://theimaa.com.au/pitch-chella/

 Ends 

For further information contact: 

Rochelle Burbury 
Third Avenue Consulting 
0408 774 577 
rochelle@thirdavenue.com.au 

About Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) 

The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) was established in February 2020 as a new, national industry body that represents Australia’s independent media agencies. The IMAA promotes the benefits of working with independent media agencies, builds awareness and respect for the sector, creates a knowledge sharing forum and helps build the Australian economy through supporting 100% Australian owned businesses. https://www.theimaa.com.au/