The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has revealed the line-up for its inaugural ‘Pitch-Chella’ initiative.
The program, sponsored by Audience360 and supported by Meta, was designed to support emerging agency talent, led 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.
Applications are now open for the industry body’s first-ever Pitch-Chella program, which features a judging panel of industry legends alongside up-and-coming indie agency professionals nationwide encouraged to participate.
The two-month virtual program is open to IMAA member single agency or inter-agency teams comprised of members with less than five years of media industry experience.
Teams will be provided with a brief and budget from two national charitable organisations – the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network and the Waves of Wellness Foundation – and will then be required to prepare a written response. The briefs will be reviewed, with shortlisted finalists set to be announced on August 26.
Finalists will then present a virtual pitch to a panel of judges, including gold sponsor Audience360’s managing director, Jenny Parkes, TrinityP3 global media consultant, Steven Wright, Kennards Hire general manager marketing and customer experience, Manelle Mehri, and Orand founder and senior media consultant, Adam Hickey.
Pitch-Chella will culminate with the official winner announcement at a closing party in Sydney on 18 September.
IMAA Leadership Team member and Hatched chairman, Mike Wilson, said Pitch-Chella was designed to unite the skills of the industry’s future talent with opportunity and creativity.
“This innovative initiative is part of the IMAA’s commitment to showcase and develop the depth of talent within the independent media sector. This program is specifically designed for agency professionals who have been in the industry for five years or less, so we can focus on cultivating the next generation of agency talent,” he said.
“Pitch-Chella is also dedicated to creating a spirit of collaboration among our members, while providing real-world experience – participants will be exposed to the nuances of the pitch process, receive feedback from seasoned professionals, help worthy charities, and build brand awareness for their individual agencies.”
Audience360’s Jenny Parkes, said: “Audience360 is proud to support Pitch-Chella, another brilliant IMAA initiative. Our involvement is driven by our shared ambition to support up-and-coming talent and future-proof the media industry.”
Pitch-Chella is open to all IMAA members, who are currently employed at an independent agency, with five years or less experience in the media industry. Applications close on July 12, with successful applicants to be announced on July 22.