The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA) has recruited 21 agencies to participate in its inaugural 'Pitch-Chella' program, which will see agencies pitch campaigns for two national charities: the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN) and the Waves of Wellness Foundation (WOW).

Sponsored by Audience360 and supported by Meta, the initiative is designed to nurture emerging independent media agency talent and encourage collaboration.

Participating agencies include Affinity, Apparent, Assembled Media, BCM, Enigma, Equality Media + Marketing, Half Dome, Hatched, Impetus Media, Murmur, Orange Line, Pearman, Sanctuary Media Group, Slingshot, Sweeney Advertising, TFM Digital, The Media Store, The Pistol, Wahoo, Waples and Yango.

Teams will prepare written pitches for either the NTIBN’s ‘Buy Blak’ campaign or WOW’s annual ‘Ducktober’ fundraising event. The written briefs will be reviewed by a panel of seasoned marketing professionals, including Audience360’s Managing Director, Jenny Parkes, TrinityP3 Business Director and Global Media Lead, Steven Wright, Kennards Hire General Manager Marketing and Customer Experience, Manelle Merhi, Tumbleturn Media Managing Partner Jen Davidson, Orand Founder, Adam Hickey, and Sparrow’s Nest Consulting’s Greg Graham. Shortlisted finalists will be announced on August 26, before they present a virtual pitch to the judging panel on August 30.

The program will culminate with the official winner announcement at a closing party at Sydney’s Beresford Hotel on September 18. The Pitch-Chella initiative was spearheaded by a steering committee of independent agency leaders including Mike Wilson (Hatched), Jessica Bray (Audience Precision), Jac Ely (Apparent), Lisa Blackshaw (Edge), Taylor Fielding (TFM Digital) and the IMAA team.

IMAA Leadership Team member and Hatched Chairman, Mike Wilson, said: “It’s wonderful to see so many budding indie media agency professionals keen to participate in this great event – it really demonstrates the passion, enthusiasm, and commitment to growth from our up-and-coming talent.

“We’re excited to see what our teams come up with for our two selected charities. Both organisations are incredibly worthy causes - the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network has been at the forefront of Aboriginal economic development, particularly in the Northern Territory, for many years, while the Waves of Wellness Foundation is leading the way with its innovative approach to mental health awareness and recovery. We’re excited to have our teams bring their creativity, innovation and deep understanding of consumer behaviour to their campaigns.”