Rachel Brown, Head of Client Service
When Rachel was doing the graduate interview rounds at uni, working in agency land wasn’t quite on her radar. She always assumed she’d work in-house, likely for a big brand, until a friend suggested applying for a role where she worked at Mediacom. The office was full of young people, big brand clients, and all the fun shiny things marketing students dream about.
It was just what 21-year-old Rachel wanted.
Starting out as a media assistant, Rachel began her agency career when digital was just a glint in a marketer’s eye. She remembers tagging up newspaper and magazine ads to create tear sheets for clients, and physically filing ads away. But as Rachel progressed quickly through agency land ranks, so did the evolution of digital.
Her career saw her work across buying and planning roles in different channels, before moving into team and client management. Rachel has worked in the Sydney and Melbourne offices for global media agency giants including Mediacom, Zenith Optimedia, and Mindshare. It gave her a great foundation, training, and exposure, but as she saw colleagues leave to work for independents, she wondered what agency life would be like without the structure of a global parent company.
Rachel’s decision to move back to Wollongong was her chance to find out. She discovered a digital media agency based in Thirroul and reached out to Connected founders Laura and Josh to find out more.
“When I heard Laura and Josh talk about the agency, it sounded dynamic and vibrant, and sort of unbelievable that there was something like that in the Illawarra,” she said. “Also, most of their clients had (and still do) come from recommendations. That’s a huge difference to the rotating pitch roster I faced with global agency clients. It leads to a whole new energy and approach when talking to potential new clients”.
As Head of Client Service at Connected, Rachel is now fully immersed in digital and is a key member of the leadership team. “What I love about digital is the instant validation of our strategy,” she says. “There’s a real speed and agility in our approach, and I love that we can get in every day to see the impact of our campaigns.”
“I’ve been part of leadership teams for a long time, but at Connected, they really play people to their strengths. I can see how my input, and the ideas of my colleagues, can directly change the shape and direction of the agency. There’s a feeling that you can approach Laura and Josh with your ideas, and they’ll genuinely consider it. It’s a really nice environment to be in”
5 fast facts about Rach
Growing up, Rachel had the world as her playground thanks to her diplomat father. She was born in Switzerland but moved around every few years with stints in England, France, South Africa, and the US.
Rachel also grew up loving sport and played varsity-level basketball in her senior school years in the US.
While Rachel can’t speak much French, she can pass off an authentic French accent thanks to her time at a picture-perfect school under the Eiffel Tower as a 13-year-old.
Despite growing up with five siblings, making new friends every few years, and a 15+ year career in media, Rachel remains an introvert at heart.
She’s a devourer of best-seller fiction books and podcasts. Her current podcast picks include Grounded with Louis Theroux Podcast, Just the Gist with Rosie Waterland and Jacob Stanley, and This American Life.
