Thinkerbell‘s lead thinker/account director Hilary O’Sullivan and thinker/senior account manager Hughie Flannery aren’t creatives by trade. But at Cairns Hatchlings, presented by Yahoo, contestants stretch their skills and push themselves in ways they don’t get to every day.
“The worst that can happen is you learn a lot,” Flannery said.
For Flannery and O’Sullivan, the best case scenario became a reality, with the Thinkerbell duo flying home with a Marketing trophy at last year’s inaugural Cairns Hatchlings, presented by Yahoo, 2025.
The other best part of the experience for the pair was the people.
“Meeting so many brilliant minds across the industry and hearing how they got their start was inspiring. Everyone had advice, war stories, and encouragement that they were so open and eager to share with us Hatchlings. There was a sense of pride for us having worked so hard on our applications and in the live pitching – it really felt like they were celebrating us as the emerging talent of the industry,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan and Flannery developed a digitally-led campaign titled ‘Out of Office. On a Mission.’ to help Women on a Mission (WOAM), an all-female non-profit, attract long-term corporate sponsorships by targeting C-suite women.
The pair answered a creative brief from Women on a Mission (WOAM), a non-profit that combines extreme expeditions with powerful storytelling to raise funds and awareness for women who’ve survived violence, conflict, and abuse.
Their idea was to hijack LinkedIn’s experience section, encouraging expedition participants and corporate sponsors to list their involvement with WOAM as an official career milestone.
“Hilary and I had nailed the strategy but couldn’t quite crack how to make it feel LinkedIn. Then it clicked: people love updating LinkedIn with new jobs and promotions – it’s the ultimate humble brag. So we thought, why not give people a reason to flex that was also making a huge difference for Women on a Mission? That’s how ‘Out of Office. On a Mission’ was born – a little wink to your network that you’re away from the desk doing something good for yourself and the community,” Flannery said.
The deadline for Round 1 of the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 closes on Thursday, 5 February, while late entries close on Thursday, 12 February. Enter now!
This, they envisioned, would drive visibility, credibility, and curiosity across professional networks.
The strategy also included a retargeting campaign with emotive storytelling via LinkedIn and Meta, a ‘Why I Walked’ video series, and customised partnership packs, all aimed at turning social visibility into sponsorship conversion by aligning WOAM with purpose-driven leadership.
The biggest challenge? “The clock”.
“We had 24 hours to understand the client, unpack the brief, nail the outcome and become LinkedIn experts. The only way through was to keep bouncing ideas back and forth, not get too precious, and celebrate the tiny wins that kept us moving. It didn’t help that Hilary’s hotel room looked right onto the entrance of Giligan’s, so watching the Pinterest Afterparty buses turn up while we worked gave off slightly fomo vibes,” Flannery said.
The duo was the most proud of presenting to the panel of industry heavyweights.
“Ten very experienced, very awarded judges in a hot room with no aircon…it was a proper trial by fire. Walking out knowing we held our own (and even got great feedback) was a proud moment for the both of us, and to walk away with the win just made it all the better. We really weren’t expecting it,” O’Sullivan said.
The deadline for Round 1 of the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 closes on Thursday, 5 February, while late entries close on Thursday, 12 February. Enter now!
