Junkee Media bolsters team with new hires and internal promotions
One of Australia’s youth publishers, Junkee Media, has made several internal promotions and new hires as it embarks on an expansion of its editorial and production offerings under new owner, The RACAT Group.
Junkee Media was acquired from Ooh Media by RACAT Group – the publisher of Australian Geographic and owner of television production company Northern Pictures – in December 2021, as part of RACAT’s mission to create media inspired by good nature.
Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new phase for Junkee Media, the publisher of digital brands Junkee, Punkee and AWOL. The new and expanded roles are a clear illustration of RACAT’s intention to invest in Australian journalism and content production.
Among the changes announced today are head of video & multimedia Nick Arnold, promoted to head of production, and he will oversee Junkee Media’s audio, video and events products across editorial and commercial. Already this year, Punkee has launched the ‘Reality Tea’ podcast, where hosts Tahlia Pritchard and Tara Watson dissect the week that was in reality TV.
Benni Kanthak joins the new production team as podcast lead. Kanthak brings with him years of radio and podcasting experience in Australia and Europe. Benni has been tasked with significantly expanding Junkee Media’s podcast studio across 2022.
Also joining Junkee Media’s production team is graphic designer Matt Lauricella, an experienced graphic designer and celebrated illustrator, who recently returned to Australia from honing his skills in Canada.
Working closely alongside the new production team is Junkee Media’s editorial team, headed by editorial director Rob Stott and Gyan Yankovich, who takes on the new title of editor-in-chief.
Changes to Junkee Media’s editorial team includes, Gyan Yankovich, who will now take responsibility for Junkee’s daily video news show, The Junkee Takeaway, which is published daily on Facebook Watch. Yankovich will also take responsibility for Junkee Media’s social team and will oversee the implementation of Junkee’s Google Showcase and Google Web Stories products.
Reena Gupta joins as Junkee’s senior writer, with a focus on culture. Gupta previously worked for MTV Australia and has written for the Sydney Morning Herald, SBS Voices, and Kill Your Darlings.
Charles Rushforth joins as Junkee’s new staff writer, focusing on news, politics, and music. Previously, Rushforth was a presenter and associate producer on FBi Radio’s Backchat.
Junkee’s previous news and politics reporter, Lavendar Baj, has been promoted to senior reporter, with a focus on financial literacy and the ways the economy impacts on young Australians as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Junkee Media’s editorial director, Rob Stott, said: “I’m thrilled by these new hires and promotions. These announcements are a clear sign of RACAT’s intention to invest in Junkee and build our brands to reach new audiences across multiple platforms. I’m so excited about the future of Junkee Media under RACAT.”
New head of production, Nick Arnold, added: “I think a lot of us have already lost count of the number of ‘pinch me’ moments that we’ve had since Junkee Media found its new home at RACAT. I’m flattered to have been asked to head up our new production team, and I’m thrilled to be a part of building what I think is going to be an incredibly exciting future for us, our brands and, most importantly, our audiences.”
Ooh Media bought 85% of Junkee back in 2016 for $11.05m. Junkee Media appointed Gyan Yankovich as its managing editor in late 2020 following the appointment of Robb Stott to editorial director, in a move that saw Tim Duggan step back from the business to become its editor-at-large.
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topics
Gyan Yankovich
junkee
Junkee Media
Matt Lauricella
Nick Arnold
Ooh Media
Racat Group
Reena Gupta
Rob Stott
Tahlia Pritchard
Tara Watson
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