“I never wanted to be on air. It never interested me,” Gemma O’Neill tells Mediaweek.
The co-host of the new hit podcast Her Best Life has taken a long journey to a role behind the microphone.
That journey includes working reception for 2Day FM when it was Sydney’s #1 FM station, producing breakfast radio shows for Wendy Harmer and Kyle and Jackie O and managing radio networks in Australia (SCA) and New Zealand (NZME). She also spent time producing radio in the UK (Global). Let’s not forget the years Gemma O’Neill spent working for Nicole Kidman in her production company (Blossom Films).
Gemma O’Neill and Jackie Henderson
Launching Besties Australia
After a recent two years running the management company Gemmie Agency, O’Neill recently wound it back. Her sole management client is now Jackie Henderson. O’Neill is also the CEO of the business she runs with Henderson, Besties Australia.
The company started life bringing Gwyneth Paltrow to Australia in 2023. The company has now diversified beyond events into travel packages and online courses. It is also home to the Her Best Life podcast hosted by Henderson and O’Neill.
During her career in the media, O’Neill has never been far from the microphone. But she never wanted to grab it! “Even when there were opportunities that would come up early in my career to go on air, like fill in for people or when someone was sick, it just had zero interest for me.”
Henderson has been floating the idea of a podcast for some time. O’Neill was reluctant. “I didn’t want to do the podcast. For a long time.”
Henderson and O’Neill with Gwyneth Paltrow
So how did Henderson get O’Neill across the line?
“We were in Europe on a holiday earlier this year – on a girl’s trip for a friend’s wedding. Jack just started filming content while we were there for her socials.
“She said to me at the end of the trip that content had been the highest rating social media posts that she’d ever done.”
It was then that Henderson pounced with another request for O’Neill to consider the podcast.
“She just got me at the right time. I was like, oh, maybe we could give it a go.”
The Besties soon secured a sponsor – dating app Bumble – and the feedback was good for the first episode.
Her Best Life has been a success because of Henderson’s persistence. “I have to give her full credit. It’s all been her idea,” said her best friend.
“It’s her baby. And she’s the one who had the creative vision. From the design assets to the photo shoot.”
Her Best Life and its commercial partner
Opening up on air
Gemma O’Neill explained: “I’ve had to apply a very different approach to the podcast than I did to my old life. Across 20 years in radio and audio, I would usually like to dissect everything. I was hungry for data and would look at the analytics and then assess everything. I’ve had to go completely the other way with the podcast.
“I think in my head that no one’s listening to it. That’s the only way I can get through it. I just think of it as Jack and I chatting, which is what we’re usually doing at her house a few times a week.
“The only reason I’m willing to be so vulnerable and honest is because I do get women coming up to me, which is very strange, but lovely. I get women coming up to me saying, ‘I just want you to know I’m really loving the podcast and it’s made me feel like I’m not so alone.’ That’s enough to keep me going for now.”
Other Bestie adventures
As yet there has been no repeat of the 2023 Gwyneth Paltrow celebrity event.
“We had two [celebrity events] lined up for the back end of this year but we’ve purposely pushed those back. We just felt like the climate right now doesn’t seem right with the cost of living challenges.
“We quickly evolved into other areas. There was the podcast and now we’re doing online courses. We did a dating and relationships course called the Red Flag Project which has gone gangbusters for us. Next is an online negotiation course for women.”
When asked about any other business that gave them inspiration, O’Neill notes how she and Henderson were impressed with what Paltrow achieved with her company Goop.
O’Neill: “Goop started as a newsletter with places to go in cities. Now it’s evolved into a fully-fledged lifestyle brand for women with a podcast, with products, and with so much content.”
The business partners liked the risks Paltrow took and her defiant attitude of not caring what other people thought about the venture.
The Jackie O brand
Henderson seems so busy it’s easy to think maybe she just says “yes” to most proposals that land on her and O’Neill’s desk. Not exactly.
“We’ve knocked back about 90% of things proposed to us,” admitted O’Neill.
“She really is very picky. She’s selective and I am very selective for her.”
What’s planned for Besties future?
Planning, not often. Although the day after we met, O’Neill was presenting Henderson a grand plan with a road map forward.
“You’re giving us a lot of credit there,” laughed O’Neill about their operation. O’Neill is a planner, but her business partner likes spontaneous moves.
“I’ve done a 24-month business strategy, but as soon as I say that to Jackie, her eyes glaze over. She looks at me like, what? Because she’s the opposite to me, that’s why it works.”
Manager to the star
As noted above, while running a business with Henderson, O’Neill also continues to manage Jackie O.
Last year, O’Neill worked on the biggest-ever employment contract in Australia, possibly in any sector. She secured her client a reported $10m a year deal as part of the Kyle and Jackie O $200m 10-year ARN contract to continue their breakfast show.
There’s ongoing maintenance of that relationship. O’Neill doesn’t get involved in the day-to-day radio strategy. That’s something she left behind after her time running the Hit Network for SCA.
O’Neill does speak regularly though to ARN. Depending on the issue, it might be meetings with CEO Ciaran Davis, chief content officer Duncan Campbell or head of KIIS network Derek Bargwanna.
It’s a strong relationship and O’Neill knows them all very well. “DB and I used to be flatmates when we were 20,” said O’Neill.
“There’s so much mutual respect there. I understand they have a job to do. They understand I have a job to do.”