Hannah Ferguson
Cheek Media, an independent news commentary platform, has appointed Georgia Gemell as partnerships manager, Varsha Yajman as digital content producer, and Bernadette Clarke as digital journalist.
Hannah Ferguson, founder and CEO at Cheek Media, said the three appointments came at a time when the media and political landscape had grown increasingly chaotic.
"We've seen significant redundancies in recent months from multiple Australian mastheads, and it's been devastating to see that women have seemingly faced the brunt of many of these cuts," said Ferguson.
"In an increasingly concentrated landscape, taking an independent media team from two full-time staff to five in just two weeks is a clear signal that Cheek Media is ready to take a big commercial step and that young women are front and centre."
Gemell joins from Samsung Ads, where she spent the last year as agency lead.
She has held media sales roles across Nine Entertainment, Seven Network and WIN Television, and served as the 2024 co-chair of the Media Federation of Australia's NGEN Sydney programme.
"I am delighted to be joining the growing Cheek team in the first commercially-focused role," said Gemell.
“I'll be working to shape Cheek's strategic partnerships offering and ensure the editorial team can continue doing what they do best, whilst supporting revenue growth in the best way I know how!”
Joining Cheek as a digital content producer, Yajman formerly served as a campaigner and coordinator for youth and climate organisations.
She spent five years at Equity Generation Lawyers, and served in various roles with mental health charities such as The Butterfly Foundation.
"I'm so excited to join this incredible team, especially at a time when we need progressive independent media more than ever," said Yajman.
Clarke joins cheek with more than five years of journalism experience across SBS, ABC and Triple j.
"It's such a vital time to keep young people not just informed, but engaged with what's happening across the globe and our own backyard,” said Clarke.
“I really look forward to working towards that goal as a journo with a talented team of young women.”
Yajman and Clarke will report to editor Kalila Welch.
"Despite our small size, Cheek has already achieved so much over the past few years. It is hugely exciting to be a part of a growing team in such a challenging media environment, and I can't wait to see our content evolve as we enter this next phase," said Welch.
Cheek was founded in 2021 as an Australian independent social media platforms, and has since grown an audience of nearly 300,000 across Instagram and Substack.
It has covered two Australian federal elections and two federal budgets.
"I am so excited by the strong voices that we are bringing into our team, to help evolve our offering and ensure that Cheek Media continues to thrive in the increasingly divisive political times we find ourselves navigating," said Ferguson.
"I am extremely confident in the three women we have hired and their capacity to take Cheek Media to the next level. This is an exciting time for a business that started as a response to legacy media's failures; we are proving ourselves to be an even bigger challenge in the market."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.