Former Nova group sales manager Jack Byrne shares story behind media agency

Former NOVA Melbourne Group Sales Manager Jack Byrne (pictured) has shared his story of launching Hatched Media on the podcast Managing Marketing.

Speaking with host TrinityP3 Senior Consultant David Angell, Jack talks about starting and running a media agency without having any experience of working in one.

“…I originally came from the media sales side of things and before that, the marketing space … and I worked at NOVA when Vega launched, and that’s how I got to meet the people in the industry, and the agencies and the ways of working and whatnot.

“And I also wanted to run my own business. That was kind of a lifelong dream that I wanted to do that. So, I couldn’t set up a radio station. I don’t have a spare 150 million to do that. So, a media agency was the next viable option.

“… I worked in the big media agencies. And what I saw was they had a lot of clients that didn’t necessarily have a whole lot of time to work on the client’s problems.

“I saw great people that were probably overworked. And you’ve been in that world, so you can attest to that probably. But moreover, the client wasn’t at the centre of the universe. So, it was predominant media deals and a bit of skulduggery and whatnot. And ultimately, I think the one thing that was forgotten is that it’s a service-based business in a service-based industry.

“… the premise of the name Hatched is all about fresh thinking. And rather than a cookie-cutter approach going, here’s a schedule that was the same as last quarter or whatever might be; that’s kind of the concept of the name and that’s why we came about it. And what we’ve come to know nine years later is it’s all about the craft of media.

“So, we say Hatched is where media is crafted. And we’re now, a team with over 60 staff predominantly around Melbourne, kitchen tables and whatnot.”

Listen to the full interview on Managing Marketing.

Each episode of Managing Marketing is a conversation with a thought-leader, professional, or practitioner of marketing and communications on the issues, insights, and opportunities in the marketing management category.