Luke Girgis Departs The Brag Media, Jessica Hunter & Lars Brandle Promoted

Vinyl Group have today (June 4) announced some major changes to the personnel at The Brag Media – the most notable being the departure of longstanding managing director and publisher Luke Girgis, as well as huge promotions for Jessica Hunter and Lars Brandle.

It comes after Vinyl Group conducted a “thorough review” of The Brag Media, which is expected to result in some $750,000 in savings on operational costs over the following year. With Girgis out of the picture, Hunter has been named the new Head of The Brag Media, while Brandle has been promoted to Head of Content (having previously served as a senior contributor, as well as the Australian correspondent for Billboard).

In his new role, Brandle will be responsible for managing The Brag Media’s wide-spanning content strategy and output, distributed between a suite of titles including the local offshoots of Rolling Stone and Variety, The Music Network and Tone Deaf.

Hunter, on the other hand, will lead The Brag Media’s day-to-day operations, steering its higher-level strategy and business outcomes. She initially joined the company last year as its General Manager of Partnerships; a press release notes that in the subsequent months, she’s had a direct hand in growing The Brag’s partnerships team and executed “multiple high-value partnership deals and renewals”. In addition, she recently launched the client-focussed event The Brag Live On Stage.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve since I joined The Brag Media,” Hunter said in a formal statement. “Our business is home to some of the best people in media. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events through the next phase of growth.

“I’m grateful to Josh [Simons, CEO of Vinyl Group] and the Board for their trust and remain motivated to ensure our portfolio of iconic brands and partnerships reach their full potential, and that our clients receive top-tier support and award-winning campaign solutions that sit at the centre of youth culture.”

Simons vouched for Hunter as the obvious choice to lead The Brag Media, saying in his own statement: “Upon acquiring The Brag Media, the Board and I have taken the time to get to know all the incredible talent in the team. It became clear that Jessica’s leadership and commercial achievements since joining the business have made her an undeniable force.

“We believe in Jessica’s ability to steer The Brag Media, unlock its full potential and drive our ambitious growth plans forward. I look forward to working closely with Jess and Lars in their new roles. The Brag Media is synonymous with youth culture, and the best is yet to come.”

The Brag Media was acquired by Vinyl Group last December. Girgis said at the time that he “couldn’t be happier” about the merger.