Free Folk agency appoints agency director, launches Steady Ground offering
Madison West is now an agency director at Free Folk Agency, coinciding with the launch of Steady Ground.
The announcement:
Madison West joins Free Folk Agency in the newly created role of agency director to strengthen local presence, bolster the senior leadership team and launch Steady Ground, the agency’s answer to PR and communication strategies for purpose-driven and corporate communications projects.
Madi joins co-founders Grace Newman and Teagan West at Free Folk Agency following big agency experience, including a stint at Thrive PR and Communications and six years at Porter Novelli in Melbourne as the Melbourne Lead. She brings specialist expertise in Aboriginal Affairs, having worked on several notable First Nations projects, including the Uluru Dialogue’s Yes Campaign during the 2023 Voice Referendum as architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, both Treaty and Truth initiatives in Victoria and the award-winning Deadly Questions and Deadly & Proud campaigns alongside the Victorian State Government.
Madi also brings a wealth of knowledge outside of Aboriginal Affairs to the role, having led large-scale communications campaigns with complex challenges across risk and crisis communications, health, government, FMCG, education and agribusiness portfolios.
Steady Ground’s offering will unite corporate and consumer communications under one roof for Free Folk Agency, complementing the agency’s existing strengths in consumer marketing & PR, influencer marketing, social-first strategy, content production and events and activations.
Madison West, Free Folk Agency and Steady Ground agency director, said Steady Ground was born out of demand in the market, not only in Queensland, but nationally, and is part of the agency’s growth strategy leading into the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
“Steady Ground’s mission is to be the reliable, steady hand that will guide you through the most complex of challenges – From driving purpose-driven missions and amplifying underrepresented voices to supporting initiatives that back social progress and giving our clients around-the-clock reputation management and crisis communications counsel, it’s all about steady progress, from the ground up.”
“Steady Ground will be a game-changing agency nationally, and I’m excited to hit the (steady) ground running,” she said.
Scientia Professor Megan Davis AC, co-chair of the Uluru Dialogue, Pro Vice-Chancellor Society (PVCS) at UNSW and founding Steady Ground client, said Madison West is the perfect candidate to bring Steady Ground to life, and to lead both agencies into this new, transformational era.
“Madi is a specialist through and through. She has and continues to handle extremely nuanced and complex subject matters with not only the care and passion it deserves, but she applies her unique communications experience and strategic mindset to achieve tangible outcomes for her clients.”
“As the architects of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Madi has tackled work head-on through some of our toughest communications landscapes in fighting for the constitutional recognition of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. We are lucky to have Madi as part of our journey and couldn’t recommend an agency partner more highly,” she said.
Grace Newman, Free Folk Agency co-founder and managing director, said bringing Madi into the business and launching Steady Ground marks a significant milestone for the agency.
“Free Folk Agency is an established leader in consumer PR and now with Steady Ground, we can bring big agency thinking into an independent agency environment to deliver critical and strategic corporate communications thinking to our clients.”
“It’s a strategic move to bolster our offering as South East Queensland enters the world stage and we are now uniquely placed to be one of the nation’s strongest independent agencies, headquartered in Brisbane, ready to support and drive on-the-ground activity.”
“It’s an opportunity to grow the business and do more important, purpose-driven work. This is a big move for us, and we are excited about what the future holds,” she said.
Steady Ground is already working with a number of First Nations organisations, including the Uluru Dialogue, Aboriginal Investment NT, and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
Source: Free Folk Agency
