Sarah Brighton and Sally Fiddes’ journey winning the Audio category at Cairns Hatchlings 2025 was filled with challenges but the hard work paid off. Here, we revisit what made Brighton and Fiddes’ work an award winner.
“We’re really proud of the risk we took. We entered a category we’re typically so far removed from in our day-to-day work. We were thrilled to bring the trophies home, but even just producing our first audio pieces was a win for us,” Fiddes said.
Their win was all the more remarkable given neither Brighton or Fiddes work primarily with audio in their day-to-day roles. They met at Ogilvy, where Brighton was a copywriter and Fiddes an art director, this month, though the pair have started new roles at VML, which they called a ‘team reunion’.
“It’s an important reminder of what matters; killer insights and ideas. Creatives who can nail their thinking aren’t confined by their medium”.
Cairns Hatchlings is open to all who want to challenge themselves, learn new skills, and make connections along the way! It’s not too late – entries close on 5 February!
This year’s Audio brief is in partnership with Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD), sponsored by CRA.
The brief focuses on designing an audio creative for the ‘LIVE LIKE MMAD’ campaign that challenges people to take on their dream challenge, something that helps them live their best life, while raising funds for kids doing it tough. Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD) transforms the lives of young people in need through creativity, music and mentoring. ‘LIVE LIKE MMAD’ is MMAD’s first-ever national fundraising initiative.
In their winning pitch, Brighton and Fiddes created unique sonic branding for the charity Women on a Mission (WOAM). By transforming mundane elevator music into an immersive experience, they encouraged listeners to consider new possibilities and ventures.
Their concept, ‘Elevating Women,’ used customised elevator soundscapes to turn a quiet moment in executive women’s morning commutes into an inspiring call to action—inviting them to imagine climbing mountains and deserts with WOAM.
By targeting C-suite women during elevator rides through branded takeovers, the campaign aimed to spark expedition interest, drive website visits and convert curiosity into corporate partnerships, all while delivering a memorable and PR-able audio experience.
“We really interrogated the best audio medium to show up in. We brainstormed all the unusual places and sounds that women in business might hear, and as soon as we said ‘elevator music,’ we knew we’d landed in an interesting territory,” Brighton said.
“The making of our ads was vaguely shambolic, but it involved lots of speech-to-speech audio converters, iPhone voice memos for voice overs, obscure elevator music samples, and more than one YouTube tutorial on how to create sound effects. The rough skills we learnt for round one were applied rapidly during round two,” Brighton added.
Hatchlings’ biggest pressure is staying calm under pressure—a skill that transfers well to pitching scenarios and deadlines.
“Other than the lack of sleep, the real challenge was not getting overwhelmed. As two audio-novices, we started to spiral when we saw the additional deliverables required for the 24-hour round. So, we tried to re-focus any moments of stress from ‘I don’t know if I can get this done’ to, ‘I really care about getting this done to a high standard’,” Fiddes said.
“Beyond talent and technical skills; the 24-hour round was a great test of teamwork. Communication is so important; constant updates with what we’re doing, what’s next, what’s getting stuck and how each other can help. One team, one dream,” Brighton said.
That mindset has seen the duo embark on new adventures together, beyond Cairns Hatchlings. The other major challenge is deciding when to stop brainstorming and start making. Craft too early and miss the idea, craft too late and miss the deadline. The pair’s solution to this was lots of mini deadlines throughout; from the blue-sky brainstorming to the final polishing and rehearsing.
To anyone considering, Brighton said: “We’d ask; why not?”
“Competitions like Hatchlings offer creatives an unparalleled opportunity to work on a brief without the hurdles that make our jobs so challenging. As a bonus, Hatchlings is the only competition where you can enjoy your prize just by making finalist.
“Beyond coming home with a lovely green trophy, we also came home with a fantastic network of peers… and a little extra confidence to tell clients that their T&C’s are too long for a 6-second voice over”.
For tips and tricks with crafting your entry, click here! Enter now – entries close soon!
