The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA)as announced the finalists of its first PitchChella, with eight teams set to present virtual pitches this week to a panel of media industry specialists.
The eight finalists were selected from 76 participants, representing 21 IMAA member agencies, that entered the inaugural competition, keen to develop pitching skills and collaborate with peers.
The program, which is 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 marketing professionals, including Audience360’s managing director Jenny Parkes, Sparrow’s Nest Consulting’s Greg Graham, TrinityP3 global media consultant Stephen Wright, Kennards Hire GM marketing and customer experience Manelle Merhi, Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory partner Daniel Johns, and Orand founder and senior media consultant Adam Hickey.
“The competition for the first 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," IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan said.
"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."
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 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.
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