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Hack EP Laura McAuliffe steps up as content boss of Triple J as Ollie Wards departs after ten years

Laura McAuliffe, the executive producer of Triple J’s Hack, will be stepping us as the acting content director for the radio station following the departure of Ollie Wards.

Wards has been with Triple J for ten years and will be finished up at the end of the week.

McAuliffe has led the team at Hack since 2018 and began her career as an intern at ABC Illawarra.

Wards has worn many hats during his time with the station, beginning as breakfast producer for Tom (Ballard) & Alex (Dyson) in 2010. He moved into programming roles from 2012 and is credited with talent scouting and developing many Triple J shows, including Matt (Okine) & Alex (Dyson), Ben (Harvey) & Liam (Stapleton), Sally (Coleman) & Erica (Mallett), Veronica (Milsom) & Lewis (Hobba) and Hobba & (Michael) Hing.

Wards has launched shows including Good Nights and The Hook Up, as well as overseeing Triple J Unearthed. He’s also been responsible for ideas including Requestival and Ausmusic TShirt Day as well as helping the station move its Hottest 100 event.

Wards will be exploring new opportunities, including a drama series inspired by ABC podcast Unravel True Crime: Snowball.

Reflecting on his time at Triple J, Wards said: “It’s been an absolute honour to work with the best in the biz at Triple J, as one of the caretakers of an institution that means so much to our audience and the music industry. I’ll still be listening, but from now on I’ll just have to text in feedback like everyone else!”

McAuliffe climbed the ranks at the ABC following her internship to become senior producer for Robbie Buck. She then worked across podcast titles including Ladies We Need to Talk, Fierce Girls and Mindfully as ABC Audio Studios supervising producer.

On taking up the role of Triple J Hack EP in 2018, McAuliffe oversaw the development of the team, including Tom Tilley and Walkley Award nominee Avani Dias. She’s largely responsible for the expansion of the team’s digital content, helping deliver stories like the falsely accused terror suspect Mohamed Kamer Nizadeen, and coordinating the upcoming Four Corners and Triple J Hack collaboration.

McAuliffe said: “We’re always standing on the shoulders of giants at Triple J. Ollie leaves behind an incredible legacy and big shoes to fill, but I couldn’t be more excited to step up and continue the good work.”

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