Here, Orsolya Toth-Pal, founder of Debate Club, reflects on its journey from a few people in a classroom to a phenomenon that has graced the stages of Blackbird Venture’s Sunrise, SXSW Sydney, and of course, Cairns Crocodiles.
“I want to build my brand in the industry, but I don’t want to be writing LinkedIn posts and comments, that’s just not me,” I said to Ilda Jamison, my IAB mentor, in May 2021.
Ironically, I now spend more time on LinkedIn than Facebook, Instagram and TikTok combined. Because now I actually have something to post about, not just scribbling to find something for the sake of it. That little something is called Debate Club.
I’ve always been ambitious and believed that the sky is the limit, but I’ll be honest, not in my wildest dreams did I think that what started with 15 of us in a WeWork classroom would end up taking the stage at some of the most prestigious and definitely coolest conferences, with hundreds of people in the room.
Like anything great, it wasn’t done by one person. Ilda helped me identify what I was good at, bringing people together and hosting events, and what the industry needed: a social event. People missed gatherings like Media Thursdays, with no agenda, no high ticket price, and a space where the industry at all levels could connect over a beverage or two.
This was just after the first lockdown, and everyone was craving in-person connection. The obvious choice was to organise a pub meetup, and while at the time I was still a great fan of piss-ups, I wanted to create an event that had something in addition to the connection over a beverage.
I loved debating at university. When I came to Sydney, I tried to find a debate club to join, but could only find a deserted Facebook group for a local university. Interestingly, not long before John McNerney volunteered me to do a planned debate with one of my teammates to help the team understand an industry topic during one of our all-hands. The dots connected, and I emailed Ilda: I have THE idea!
First, I roped in friends to debate alongside Andrew Gilbert, who was my boss at the time and probably, at this point, regretting his life choices around encouraging me to join the IAB mentorship program. Then, I turned to LinkedIn to continue the recruitment, Gai Le Roy commented on my post: “Love the idea! How can the IAB support this initiative?”
This photo from the very first Debate Club includes Lexie Deng, who was tragically lost far too soon. Lexie is woven into the history of Debate Club, she was the very first person to put her hand up to debate and participated in the first two events. She also thoughtfully reminded us to include an Acknowledgement of Country at the beginning of each debate. We honour her contribution, spirit, and legacy within our community.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please contact the Beyond Blue helpline on 1300 22 4636.
Those who know me know you don’t have to offer me support twice. I will say yes to help 100% of the time. I immediately DM’d Gai, who sourced the other half of the debaters and came along to the event, having no idea at the time that it had come from my IAB mentorship. Debate Club wouldn’t be the same without Gai, she has been our biggest supporter from day one and is the lead judge at our events.
With Gai’s support and the full circle moment of Debate Club being born from my IAB mentorship, it was a no-brainer to formalise the affiliation and brand Debate Club as an IAB-supported event, which really helped us gain credibility along the way.
“Watching Debate Club grow from a scrappy idea in a borrowed boardroom to an industry institution has been one of the great joys of my job. In an era where AI can generate content in seconds, human debate feels more essential than ever. We need curious people who can challenge assumptions, interrogate ideas and communicate with conviction. That’s what Debate Club unlocks. It brings people together, gives new voices a platform, and reminds us that the best industry conversations still happen person to person, with wit, passion and the occasional mic drop,” Gai commented.
Debate Club was originally intended as an advertising industry event, but that shifted very early. Ben Reid got behind our second event, where we debated whether the metaverse could help people build more meaningful connections, and all of my startup friends showed up to help. I remember feeling a little unsure at first, but it quickly became clear that bringing my worlds together was the right move. To this day, the heart of Debate Club is about mixing people from different industries and walks of life.
For the first two events, I slid into the DM’s of every person I knew on LinkedIn and asked them to: please come to my debate club. The third event was a lot easier because we had our first sponsor. Not only was there free booze and food, but I also had a driving force and close friend by my side to make sure everything runs smoothly.
This woman has been an integral part of Debate Club from day one. She was one of those 15 people in that classroom, our first sponsor, and one of the founding team members. This woman, of course, is Lela Richmond Johnson.
“Orsi is such a powerhouse, such a doer that there was no way that I was going to pass up an opportunity to be part of this. I was drawn to her vision for Debate Club to be something that could both develop people professionally as well as being entertaining and a little subversive. Learning the skill of public speaking is so critically important not just in media but in all professions, so I just thought the whole concept was something I wanted to contribute to,” said Lela.
People loved the format, the mixed crowds, the laughs. After each event, someone would come up and offer to sponsor. We ran debates in different offices until our sponsorship with Solve by Talent. After the event, Tom Mackintosh said to me, “You know, we could do this every month with you!” And as you know by now, I say yes to support 100% of the time. We didn’t just find a home, we found an incredible team at Solve who became a true extension of ours.
Tom Mackintosh commented, “We’ve loved the opportunity to host Debate Club – we offered as it reminded me of my old school debating society, except with more wine! Immediately I saw how much fun each event was, the energy, bravery and humour brought by the debaters was inspiring. It’s not just another industry night, I think it’s a space where people can challenge ideas, sharpen their public speaking, while having a good laugh too.”
Debate Club was growing in popularity, and people helped without being asked. They showed up consistently and offered support. It became clear that I needed help, and as you guessed, I say yes to support 100% of the time. In 2023 the Debate Club team was formed: Lela Richmond Johnson, Emily Do, Alicia Placer, Sophie Gallagher, Andrew Mo, Andy Mai and later joined by Sorcha.
Shortly after, we hit another milestone that changed everything. Gai helped us secure a spot at AdWeek. It was the biggest room we’d ever been in, and those who were there will never forget Arushi in the red power suit, witty and fearless, owning the stage.
Arushi shared, “That AdWeek stage was a defining moment for me, not because of the spotlight, but because it made a self-proclaimed introvert believe in her own voice. It shaped how I thought about my personal brand and inspired me to build a space where more diverse, confident voices could take on bigger stages. Thanks to Orsi, Debate Club began as an idea and became a movement when people made it theirs – showing up, supporting one another, and shaping something bigger than any one of us. It continues to inspire me and reminds me that leadership isn’t about holding the mic; it’s about passing it.”
In the meantime, my personal life took an unexpected turn. I fell in love with a global citizen and started travelling full-time. People thought that was the end of Debate Club. But they didn’t know what I knew: Debate Club was so much bigger than me. It wasn’t me, it was us. The team poured their hearts and souls into the events, and every member had ownership, which is one of our core values.
The AdWeek opportunity opened a new world for us. We gained support from another industry giant, [and B&T‘s own] Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham, and had the privilege to run debates at Cannes in Cairns/Cairns Crocodiles, Sunrise (both two years in a row), CONN3CT and SXSW for the first time this year.
We followed the opportunities. 2024 was a tough year for sponsorships, and as a result, we ran fewer of our own events. The Debate Club fans missed us, so we took a leap of faith and launched our first ticketed events.
For the first time in a long while, I had that same drenching feeling I used to get before the early events and even back in London before throwing house parties. Will people come? The industry is used to free food and drinks. Will they pay for tickets? And they did. Just like the London house parties, the new question became: can we fit all these people in?
By this stage, the team was a well-oiled machine, but it was clear we needed more help. We opened the door and invited incredible people who hit the ground running: Arushi Srivastava, Steph Darmanin, Claire O’Mahony, Sorcha Joyce and Shiv Bhardwaj, all diving straight into events, MC’ing, and bringing new energy and ideas.
When I say hit the ground running, I mean running a marathon. The SXSW opportunity was 100% led by Claire from start to finish. She wrote the submission, led the conversations, worked with the teams and judges, and MC’d the event. Honestly, I’m just happy I got to come along for the ride.
“The end-to-end process for SXSW Sydney 2025 was incredible, and of course, daunting. As soon as the submission was accepted, it was full steam ahead to curate a stellar panel for our topic – and I had the support of not just the entirety of the debate club team but also every external debate club supporter. It was a surreal experience from end to end and will be a career highlight for years to come!” Claire shared.
It’s been a remarkable journey from 15 people in a classroom four years ago to hundreds contributing to Debate Club through debating, judging, sponsoring, hosting, publishing, attending, and bringing friends.
Debate Club has helped so many people build confidence, speak on stages they once dreamed of, elevate their careers, and make true friends along the way. As you’ve learned, Debate Club is what it is today because of the people who offered support and the people who said yes to opportunity.
What’s next for Debate Club? Who knows. Maybe you, dear reader, will be the next person offering support or an opportunity that takes it to the next level.
