Interviewing for One News in New Zealand
What can Jesse do?
Give a quick overview of your work experience (jobs, internships, volunteering)?
More than five years in media and marketing roles in Government across Australia and New Zealand. Currently full time as a media events adviser for the Victorian Department of Health.
Volunteering as a Content Creator and Strategy Lead for a local football club (Middle Park FC in Melbourne).
Volunteered at two major events this year - the Hahn Australia Cup Final and Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival to grow my sporting experience
Do you have a track record of delivering measurable outcomes or KPIs?
Grew our social media following by 10% in my first two years at the council
Delivered a national media strategy which gained the council front page coverage of our new bendy busses
Edited a monthly newsletter for a council chair and grew its audience to over 2,000 using a targeted campaign.
Written over 200+ media releases for council and government announcements and milestones
Drafted opinion pieces and speeches for elected members and Ministers
What technical or industry-specific skills do you bring?
Media relations and training
Copywriting and social media
Adept at writing media materials, speeches and briefings
Event operations and project management
Storytelling
Campaign management (using a PR agency)
What tools/platforms/software are they proficient in?
Microsoft Office Suite
Canva
Asana (workflow)
iSentia (media monitoring)
Adobe Acrobat
Mailchimp (EDMs)
What qualifications, certifications, or degrees do you hold?
Bachelor of Communications Studies, majoring in Marketing from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand.
This included a full year at the School of Business and Economics in Maastricht, The Netherlands where I studied International Business and Communication
My drive and my creativity.
I’m always looking for new ways of doing things whether that’s trying to share stories in a creative way or finding cheaper solutions to problems, I don’t like to just accept things as “just the way they are” if there’s a better way.
What steps has Jesse taken to break into the sports industry?
Networking coffees,
SportsGrad classes and Meetups.
Volunteering opportunities at Cricket and Football Australia, as well as the Melbourne Marathon.
Currently volunteering as a content creator and strategy lead at Middle Park FC.
Jesse’s interest in sport all started when he watched the All Whites qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2009
My journey into sport began when I was nine years old, watching the All Whites qualify for the World Cup. I still remember the penalty save, the winning goal, and the sheer elation that swept through the crowd. I was with people I didn’t know, jumping, hugging, shouting with joy. In that moment, I wanted everyone to know what had just happened, and I realised I wanted to be part of telling those stories. That desire to connect people through shared experiences led me to a career in communications, where I’ve loved talking to people, hearing their stories, and sharing how new projects and initiatives make a difference in their lives. Working in government has shown me how powerful storytelling can be in improving communities but now, I’m eager to apply my skills to the world of sport, capturing its emotion, energy, and human stories to help organisations grow their audience, strengthen their brand, and give back to their communities.
Since then, Jesse has gone on to work in Government, achieving things like
Social media growth in government | Earned national media coverage | Honing his media craft |
|---|---|---|
Grew our social media following by 10% in my first two years at the council | Delivered a national media strategy which gained the council front page coverage of our new bendy busses | Writing over 200+ media releases, statements, speeches for elected members and Ministers. |
Where does Jesse want to go?
Next six months | Next 12 months | Next 5-10 years |
|---|---|---|
I’d love to be working either in the operations or media and communications division of a sporting organisation | In that same organization in a media and communications role, with the ability to travel overseas to grow the international awareness of that club. | Travelling the world for either massive global events (World Cup, Grand Slams etc) to support their communications. Or media and communications manager at an international football club |
What sporting problem keeps Jesse up at night?
The media experience for athletes - balancing their welfare with the media’s access needs, but also training the players so they can give a more rich and compelling story in their interview.
What is Jesse like?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
Fast paced, no two days the same and with a great team around me
When have you had to show resilience in your life or career?
Delivering media events for the Minister is always a great challenge - time changes, communicating with the journalists, chasing last minute information and organising stakeholders is always a test of resilience and working under pressure
What about Jesse’s interests outside of work?
What are your interests outside of work?
Social sports (pickleball, futsal),
Running,
Coffee,
Languages,
Travel and trivia
What is your favourite sporting moment?
This is so hard! Either that All Whites goal to qualify for the World Cup in 2009 or the NZ vs England test in Wellington where we won by one run on the very last ball by getting a wicket - crowd was electric!!!
What’s your ideal holiday?
To my home country of the Netherlands - seeing friends, and family
If you had 30 minutes to pick the brain of anyone, who would it be and why?
Darren Pearce - Chief Communications Officer at Tennis Australia. Having been to the AO last year, and being blown away by the scale of the operation, and having attended the team assessment for the media operations team, I’d love to speak to him about what it takes to run, promote and communicate about an event that has the worlds eyes on it.
What’s book or podcast that’s helped your career you recommend?
“44 Ideas for Better Conversations Every Day” by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler
Additional details
Where in the world are you located, and where are you open to work?
Melbourne, but open to work anywhere in Australia
What is the most important consideration for you in your next role?
Opportunities for growth in new areas (operations, event management etc) and team culture
What others say about Jesse.
“Jesse is a true polymath, he puts his head down and just has a go and is always taking on new learning and using them” - Matthew O’Driscoll - former boss at Greater Wellington
“You’ve really picked up and excelled in the VPS (Victorian Public Service) and it’s been a pleasure to watch you grow and develop in the team”. - Sam Bolitho, Current Boss at Department of Health
What questions does Jesse have for employers?
What’s been one of the most memorable stories your organisation has shared, and why?
How do you collaborate with athletes or players to bring their stories to life?
What upcoming challenges or opportunities in the industry are you most excited about?
Got an open role? Share it with us and we’ll line up the right players for you - Submit a Job