After stints at Ogilvy, VML, and Publicis, senior creative team Katelyn Testa and Anais Read have joined independent creative agency HERO.
“We’ve had a busy few months of pitches and first brought on KT and Anais as freelancers in August to help out. They were so brilliant, we didn’t want to let them go! We just kept on extending their contracts week after week until we started to convert some of the pitches. We’re just so happy to bring them on permanently. Anais and KT are a true dream team,” commented HERO creative chairman, Ben Lilley, on the hires.
The duo first met at Publicis Worldwide in Brisbane before formally linking up as a creative team at Ogilvy Melbourne. Their creative resume includes a combined 20 plus years of experience at networks and indies across Australia and NZ, including Grand Prix wins from Cannes Lions to 30 Under 30 and a healthy appetite for humour in their work.
“The culture at HERO is unlike other agencies. You walk through the doors and are hit in the face with a blast of tangerine. By day two, it’s grown on you. And by week two, you’re completely under its spell. Ben, Shane and the HERO team have created an environment bursting with energy, momentum, creativity and empathy. We’re ready to rip in,” said Read on her appointment.
Hailing from Aotearoa, Read has won national and international awards, spoken on industry panels, and judged shows like the 30 Under 30 Awards, Women in Media Awards, and the Women Leading Tech Awards. She spends her time outside the 9-5 as a national creative lead for Assisterhood—Australia and Aotearoa’s leading industry mentorship program for underrepresented people in communications.
With more than 11 years of experience in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, Testa also brings strong award form and an innovative, digital-first approach to her work. Originally from regional Victoria where creativity and the arts lack representation, Testa’s passion sees her lecturing and mentoring students from disadvantaged backgrounds at a secondary school and university level across the state.
“As a gamer who was once told that girls don’t play video games, to seeing Maybelline’s Through Their Eyes campaign standing up for female gamers in the industry press, I knew HERO challenged stereotypes and took creativity seriously. I feel immediately at home among Anais and Kean, as well as some familiar faces from my Leo Burnett days,” added Testa,
Read, and Testa are passionate about giving back to the industry and mentoring young creatives, having tutored AWARD School, spent time on Youngbloods committees, and guest lectured at universities across several states.
Want to hit the big time like Read? Enter B&T’s 30 Under 30 Awards, presented by Vevo, now!
