Jessica Hunter Promoted to Head of The Brag Media, Lars Brandle Named Head of Content

Vinyl Group rings in the changes at The Brag Media.

Announced today (June 4), Jessica Hunter rises to head of The Brag Media, and, in a related move, senior contributor Lars Brandle is appointed head of content.

The promotions are immediately effective, and follow a thorough review of the business.

In her new leadership role, Hunter will lead the day-to-day operations and growth of the business, with responsibilities for higher-level strategy and business outcomes for the company.

Prior to joining The Brag Media in 2023 as general manager of partnerships, Hunter led the agency and brand partnerships team at Woolworths’ Cartology, headed up the national commercial team at Daily Mail, and served with Bauer Media, News Corp and Nine.

During her time with The Brag, Hunter has grown the partnerships team, executed multiple high-value partnership deals and renewals, and recently launched the client-focused event, The Brag Live On Stage.

Lars Brandle

At the same time, Brandle joins the company in a full-time capacity. As head of content, Brandle will be responsible for The Brag Media’s content strategy and output across its suite of titles including Rolling Stone Australia and New Zealand, Variety Australia, The Music Network, Tone Deaf and more.

A former musician, he joined the American music industry staple Billboard in 2000 and went on to serve as global news editor. Most recently, Brandle served as Billboard’s Australian correspondent and “overnight editor” for Billboard.com, in addition to senior contributor with The Brag Media.

As part of the leadership changes, The Brag Media’s managing director & publisher Luke Girgis exits the company.

“Upon acquiring The Brag Media, the Board and I have taken the time to get to know all the incredible talent in the team,” comments Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons.

“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.”

Josh Simons

Adds Hunter: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve since I joined The Brag Media. 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 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.”

As previously reported, Vinyl Group, the only music-focused enterprise on the ASX, completed the acquisition of The Brag Media on Jan. 31.

Operating alongside Vinyl Group businesses Jaxsta, Vampr and Vinyl.com, The Brag Media is recognised as Australia’s largest creator of premium youth content and events.

Its network of premium brands now surpass 40 million monthly page views and reach 9.1 million unique Australian users per month across its top 50 sites, plus more through the Playwire network.

In 2023, The Brag Media expanded its scale and reach through new partnerships with Playwire, Evolve Media, Byron Bay Bluesfest, Hypebeast and PMC.

The new changes are expected to add a further $750,000 to EBITDA over the next year.