Kellie Holt joins Atomic 212° Sydney from Havas Media, New York in the role of head of content

In keeping with the agency’s agile creative media model, Atomic 212° has hired content and brand entertainment expert Kellie Holt as head of content.

Sydney-based Holt joins the agency after six years’ in New York City working with some of the leaders in the media and entertainment industries. She will work closely with the agency’s creative and media specialists, highlighting Atomic’s staunch defiance of departmental silos in a truly integrated model.

Since starting at the agency, Holt has already made it her mission to implement genuine transformation industry-wide.

Says Holt: “I want to change the marketing mindset which is so prevalent across our industry. So many of us, whether we are agencies or clients, wear a ‘marketing hat’. This can be quite limiting because we have a preconceived notion of what is and isn’t marketing. Instead, we should be thinking like creators, journalists, filmmakers, educators and entertainers, developers and, of course, like marketers as well. We need to engage people who are not just numbers on a screen. We are humans talking to humans. Sometimes this can become lost when we put our ‘marketing hat’ on.”

Holt sits within Atomic 212°’s senior management ranks, and will apply her proven integrated content, production and creative nous to the agency’s long list of working iconic blue-chip Australian brands, including Lendlease, Atlassian, BHP, Origin Energy, AMP, Nespresso Australia and Tabcorp.

Holt has considerable pedigree within the industry. Before returning to Australia in recent times, Holt most recently worked as director of branded entertainment at Havas Media, New York. During her time in NYC, she worked with the likes of Moet Hennessy, Volvo, the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 1800 Tequila, American Airlines, Dell and Citi.

Says Jason Dooris, chief executive, Atomic 212°: “There has been a buzz in the office since Kellie started. She has a unique way of solving client problems, and her approach to content is one of the most innovative I’ve ever seen. Not only that, she is highly energetic and incredibly intelligent. She is the embodiment of everything we stand for at Atomic.”

Holt started her career as a journalist, which sowed the seeds of her current plans to shift the industry away from ‘marketing’ and into ‘creation’.

Says Holt: “Journalism as a profession has evolved considerably, in part because the business model that underpinned the major media operators has been disrupted by the digital revolution. At the same time, the world’s most successful brands are acting more like media operators than ever before.

“Content is about research, finding the right angle, storytelling, creation, distribution, having an opinion, understanding your audience and delivering something of high value. If more people in agencies could think like that, our industry would be in a much stronger position. Less about driving-down costs and automation, and more about high-value creative and strategic propositions.

“In today’s landscape, we are dealing with people who are savvier, more opinionated, more motivated and more connected than ever. We need to discover, and speak to, fundamental truths we can leverage to engage people and inspire action.

“Imagine a world where every piece of marketing or advertising put in front of you by a brand is not only something of value to you, but something you would actively seek out. We are in the most exciting time in our industry – with the convergence of media, entertainment, technology and data. It’s starting to look like this world isn’t so imaginary anymore. As we shift the value exchange between brand and consumer, content is the critical factor in not only engaging with people, but increasing relevance and forging deeper connections and relationships. Value, timing and context are all critical.”