PHD appoints content director Angela Rapley to lead branded content
Media agency PHD has hired its first director of content in a move designed to grow its ability to create branded content for clients.
The agency has appointed Angela Rapley who previously spent two years in Singapore as head of content for MediaCom Asia Pacific and before that led video production house Savvi Media.
During her Mediacom role, she was head of content across 14 markets with a portfolio of clients including Procter & Gamble, Shell, Dell, Audi and Coca Cola.
After arriving in Australia, Rapley spent four months in a contract role at OMD’s branded content arm Fuse.
Rapley was offered the director of content role after working with PHD in a consultancy role.
Rapley told Encore: “They’re not as big as some of the other agencies but I love their spirit, their vibe. I love the plucky underdog nature of them. They’re not as big as the likes of Mediacom or OMD but they certainly punch above their weight with regard to the kind of work they deliver and the relationship they have with their clients and that’s what attracted me to the role.”
Rapley’s appointment at PHD comes as media agencies and media owners race to gear up their capabilities in the branded content and branded entertainment space. “It’s exciting to be working with a young, vibrant, enthusiastic, creative team looking into the great opportunities that exist in this market,” said Rapley.
Since launching in Australia, PHD has sought to differentiate itself from other agencies by emphasising its strategic credentials.
Chris Stephenson, PHD’s national head of strategy, told Encore: “It’ll be part of the expanded strategy offering of PHD. Angela’s appointment has allowed us to invest in, and ramp, up that specialist skill set internally and for our clients.”
During her time in Asia, Rapley brokered and worked on a pan-regional advertiser-funded program for Shell Global on Fox Sports, a P&G brand-funded prime-time reality show in Thailand, and Vietnam’s Got Talent for P&G. Prior to her role in Singapore, Angela worked for 16 years in television in both the UK and her native Ireland. She worked initially in music programming as a presenter/reporter, then as a producer on topical/entertainment shows for UK channels including BBC, ITV, Sky One and Five, and on current affairs programs for Sky News.
“It was really important for me that we got someone in who is from a production place not an agency place and someone who’s come in without any of the preconceived notions of how things should be done in agency land. It’s really important we invest in people with very different skill sets in order to challenge how we and our clients think,” said Stephenson.
Miranda Ward
This news story first appeared in Encore. Download it now on iPad, iPhone and Android tablet devices.
Congrats Angela – you deserve it! All the best.
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