Vinyl Group, Australia’s only ASX-listed music Company and owner of The Brag Media, has announced the promotion of Jessica Hunter (lead image) to Head of The Brag Media. Additionally, senior contributor Lars Brandle has been appointed Head of Content.
In addition to the leadership changes unveiled today, which also follow a thorough review of The Brag Media, Managing Director & Publisher Luke Girgis has departed the business. As a result of the review and today’s changes, $750K worth of savings over the next year are expected.
Prior to joining The Brag Media last year as General Manager of Partnerships, Hunter previously led the agency and brand partnerships team at Woolworths’ Cartology, headed up the national commercial team at Daily Mail, and spent time with Bauer Media, News Corp and Nine. Since arriving at The Brag Media, she has grown the partnerships team, executed multiple high-value partnership deals and renewals and recently launched the client-focussed event, The Brag Live On Stage. In her new leadership role, Hunter will lead the day-to-day operations and growth of the business as well as being responsible for higher-level strategy and business outcomes for the company.
Brandle, meanwhile, has reported at the frontline of the international music industry for over 20 years. A former musician, he joined the American music industry staple Billboard in 2000 and went on to serve as Global News Editor. He has recently been Billboard’s Australian correspondent in addition to senior contributor with The Brag Media. As Head of Content, Brandle will be responsible for The Brag Media’s content strategy and output across its suite of titles including Rolling Stone Australia and New Zealand, Variety Australia, The Music Network, Tone Deaf and more.
“Upon acquiring The Brag Media, the Board and I have taken the time to get to know all the incredible talent in the team. It became clear that Jessica’s leadership and commercial achievements since joining the business have made her an undeniable force. We believe in Jessica’s ability to steer The Brag Media, unlock its full potential and drive our ambitious growth plans forward. I look forward to working closely with Jess and Lars in their new roles. The Brag Media is synonymous with youth culture, and the best is yet to come,” said Vinyl group chief executive officer, Josh Simons.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve since I joined The Brag Media. Our business is home to some of the best people in media. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events through the next phase of growth. I’m grateful to Josh and the Board for their trust and remain motivated to ensure our portfolio of iconic brands and partnerships reach their full potential, and that our clients receive top-tier support and award-winning campaign solutions that sit at the centre of youth culture,” said Hunter.
In 2023 The Brag Media expanded its scale and reach through new partnerships with Playwire, Evolve Media, Byron Bay Bluesfest, Hypebeast and PMC. The Brag Media’s network of premium brands now surpasses 40 million monthly page views and reaches 9.1 million unique Australian users per month across its top 50 sites, plus more through the Playwire network, cementing its position as Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events.
