Young Gun profiles takes a look at the young talent across the Australian advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector. Aiming to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Michelle Melky: creative director at Amplify
Time in current role/time at the company:
Three years.
How long have you been in the industry?
I've been working as a producer for five years, but Amplify was my first foray into the creator economy.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
In a way, I guess it was the plan. My passion has always been teen content, and I grew up as a huge online nerd. I had a Tumblr fanfiction blog, that sort of thing. I wanted to work in the film industry and studied screenwriting at university. I knew I wanted to be a producer, but it's not exactly the sort of job someone can just give you. You have to show up and make something out of nothing, which is how my career started in web series.
I made a few web series with friends, which led to producing Love Songs in 2019. Ever since the viral success of Love Songs, my career took off. Towards the end of 2020, I knew I wanted a challenge and Amplify seemed like a company that held the same values as me. I remember my first phone call with Tom Maynard (director). I thought wow, this guy gets it. He's talking about internet culture and online audiences in the same way I do. Maybe this is where I need to go next.
So I joined Amplify. It was like a full life reset - I got a big girl job, and moved from Melbourne to Sydney. I've lived in Sydney ever since, and worked my way from being a creative producer to the creative director. It's maybe not the typical career path for someone who essentially works in marketing, but I see what we do at Amplify as being a lot bigger than just selling stuff. We make quality entertainment for young people in collaboration with brands and platforms.
Who is your right-hand person/who guides you day to day?
My right-hand person is definitely Hayley Adams, my producing partner. Hayley and I met in the web series community. Once we discovered we had a shared past (and present) of huge fangirl culture, we hit it off. She's the person who approached me to help with Love Songs. Since then we've produced Scattered and The Single Squad together. She actually hired me to work at a production company when we met, and in typical fashion for us, I hired her back in 2022 and she's been with Amplify ever since. We have the exact opposite skill sets but the exact same areas of interest. It's made us a really balanced pair. I can't wait to share the exciting work we have in the pipeline.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
The creativity. On a typical day my team can be; coming up with TikTok ideas for Tinder's account, pitching podcast segments for the AFL, helping talent write funny Instagram captions, participating in writer's rooms, or even coming up with pie in the sky, world-first social media show formats for Samsung. I love getting to flex that creative muscle and throw all the silly ideas out there.
And the biggest challenge?
When it comes to the scripted/film side of our goals - it's patience. Those projects take so long to bring to life, and I am extremely impatient. In the creator economy/brand led work, ironically it's probably the opposite problem - speed. We have to be so quick to keep pace with how fast TikTok has made things. A creative idea that is really sharp can be totally irrelevant a week later. It really keeps you on your toes.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
The big dream would be to be a commissioner at a streaming platform. It would be incredible to be one of the people that gets a say in what ends up on Australian screens.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I just love the internet. Obviously TikTok is a big influence on me at the moment. I love to see how fandoms behave - what do they care about? What motivates them? Essentially everything that Amplify does comes back to fandom culture. Have I ever watched Riverdale? No, but I watched every TikTok I saw talking about the recent finale. I watch Glee video essays. I re-listen to The West Wing Weekly, a West Wing recap podcast, at least once a year. When we took our podcast Basically Besties on tour, I got to see those fans in person just absolutely losing their minds. I spent a lot of time talking to the fans as they lined up for their meet and greet, asking them why they loved the show. The passion that fans have, that's what we're trying to tap into and turn into results for our clients.
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I'm embarrassingly transparent with everyone at work. Maybe one thing they don't know is that I used to be a semi-professional embroiderer. I taught classes and had an Etsy shop. My shop name was simonandcraftfunkle. Still proud of that one.
In five years' time I'll be…
At a BTS concert, seeing all seven members live. If you know, you know. And hopefully I'll still be making teenagers cry and lose their minds at a concert, or over a web series, or whatever else fun project comes my way.
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