Chris Bland

Managing Director

Chris started Monkey Media in 2012 by accident when he was supposed to be taking a holiday. Prior to that he had launched six successful magazines, as well as couple of unsuccessful ones, and lived through the most tumultuous decade in the history of publishing by learning to adapt.

He has helped hundreds of business-to-business companies improve their marketing and reach further into niche markets, and won’t rest until he has helped hundreds more.

Chris has previously served on the board of Publishers Australia and has long campaigned for more publishers to adopt the industry’s voluntary standard of circulation audits.

In his spare-time, Chris tries to explain the evolving publishing industry to his school-aged children.

Laura Harvey

Managing Editor

Laura is a media junkee who’s been obsessed with all things media-related for as long as she can remember.

Laura started editing niche trade magazines more than fifteen years ago, with a focus on infrastructure, construction and utilities.

She left the industry for a while and spent a few years writing about the travel industry, but returned because she missed the glamour of writing about sewer pipes.

Laura excels at writing to a purpose and creating the right content for the right audience and the right context. She’s an unashamed, life-long lover of magazines; but she also loves the immediacy of more modern news formats like our websites, e-newsletters and social channels.

While there have been many changes in the media landscape during Laura’s career, one thing that has remained constant is her focus on connecting audiences with quality, engaging and thought-provoking content.
Away from the office, Laura loves to spend time hanging out with her husband and three kids, reading, exercising, and planning the family’s next interior design or renovation project.

Radhika Sud

Marketing Manager

Radhika is our ace Marketing Manager, in charge of crunching data, analysing metrics and innovating new ways to keep Monkey Media running ever more efficiently.

While she’s always a positive presence in the office, don’t be fooled by her serene disposition; Radhika is a person of wild and varied interests. Rad adores motorsports, especially Formula One, having previously worked in the classic and supercar industry. While her friends grew up on The O.C. and Gossip Girl, Rad devoured Top Gear. Now, the toss-up between Saturday night drinks and F1 qualifying is a no brainer.

Having studied a double degree in Science and Commerce, Radhika’s also a geology nerd. Her love of rocks is matched only by her love of rocking out – a die-hard metalhead, she loves moshing at gigs, especially when her favourite band Northlane are in town. Lucky for us, Rad brings this uncompromising passion to everything she does, and has quickly become an indispensable part of our Marketing Team.

Yilin Lee

Office Manager

Yilin (Lin), our superstar office manager brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as Media Manager at one of the largest media agencies in Australia. As well as tasked with the challenge of keeping our office under control, Lin is also balancing motherhood and teaching yoga and meditation.

Always happy to bust out a yoga move or two, Lin dreams about owning a yoga retreat/winery and is a closet Gilmore Girls fan, hoping to one day have similar witty repartee with her kids.

Katie Livingston

Editor

An experienced magazine editor, the only way Katie operates is with full enthusiasm. Although they’d never properly read a magazine prior to taking their first role as the editor of one, they quickly developed a passion for periodicals that saw them make their way to Monkey Media in 2023.

When Katie’s not reading everything they can get their hands on, they’re a keen martial artist who enjoys hitting their friends with swords after work. Unable to choose a side, Katie is both a dog and a cat person, and will never be convinced that they have enough pets.

Rebecca Todesco

Editor

Rebecca joined the Monkey Media team in 2022 in the hopes of putting her journalism degree to good use.

Despite being an avid bookworm, Rebecca spends most of her free time doing anything that involves not sitting still: snowboarding, running, dancing, yoga, cooking and gardening. 

When her nose isn’t buried in a book, Rebecca terrifies her loved ones with her thrill-seeking antics. An adrenaline junkee through and through, Rebecca has crossed skydiving, hiking Mount Fuji, bungee jumping (twice) and cage diving with Great Whites off her bucket list. 

Rebecca is obsessed with travel and has attended college in North Carolina, worked at Disney World in Florida and spent the last three years teaching English in rural Japan, blogging and writing as much as possible. 

Her experience teaching English rekindled her love of the English language and story-telling and she is thrilled to hone her skills at Monkey Media in what she hopes is the start of a long journalism career.

Rima Munafo

National Media and Event Executive

Rima is a part-time Business Development Manager and full-time mum of two. Years of experience as an account manager for a top agency means she brings the marketing know-how to the team. She is also resident DJ on the office Spotify, bringing the classic ‘Ibiza Chill Out 3’ and other playlists to her head-bopping colleagues.

In her spare time Rima enjoys shopping, globetrotting, and spending time with her kids.

Brett Thompson

National Media and Event Executive

Brett has been working in publishing, marketing and events for more than 10 years, having worked with a number of the major publications and events in the utility and energy space.

When he’s not gracing the aisles of a trade show he is building a hockey dynasty, having previously played a state level, Brett then married another state player and now and both their children also play at a state level,

When he’s tired of the challenge of trying to hit a moving ball, he plays golf instead.

Ryan Sheehan

National Media and Event Executive

Ryan grew up in small-town New Zealand and moved to Melbourne after completing a marketing degree at the University of Otago.

After nearly 5 years in the tech industry working with stints at Salesforce and Podium, he changed up from the big American tech giants to the fast paced world of the media business and is absolutely loving it.

Ryan is a big personality, he loves rubbing shoulders with everyone at Trade Shows around the country and crowing about how good his beloved Carlton Football Club is to anyone who will listen.

In his spare time, Ryan can usually be found on the golf course or at the pub watching all sorts of sporting events.

Rhys Dawes

Marketing Associate

After gigs in the Consulting and Insurance industries, Rhys decided to go bananas and swing into a Digital Marketing career with Monkey Media.

Rhys loves exploring the dynamic world of digital marketing and the feeling of activating an exciting campaign.

Rhys thinks great content should be shown to the world, and has generated a number of viral social media moments on platforms like Tik Tok. Outside of the monkey jungle, Rhys travels the world on Google Maps, reads niche Wikipedia articles and watches his precious St Kilda FC lose AFL matches.

Bella Predika

Marketing Associate

Introducing Bella, our Digital Marketing Assistant extraordinaire! Juggling her university studies and her work at Monkey Media, Bella is the ultimate go-getter. Her perfectionist tendencies mean she always puts 110 per cent into everything she does, making her an invaluable asset to our team.

When it comes to marketing, Bella is always up for a challenge and loves the variety that comes with the job. However, what really gets her gears turning is the logical structure of it all – she’s a master planner with a sharp eye for detail.

Beyond the office, Bella has some pretty impressive hobbies. Whether she’s scouring second-hand stores for hidden fashion gems or jet-setting around the world to catch her favourite bands in action, Bella knows how to live life to the fullest. And when she’s not doing that, she’s busy reorganising her extensive CD collection with precision and care.

With her unstoppable work ethic and passion for marketing, Bella is sure to make waves in the industry. We can’t wait to see where her drive and determination take her next!

Georgia Rogers

Marketing Associate

Georgia is our Sales and Marketing Assistant. With a passion for adventure and a competitive spirit on the netball court, Georgia brings a fresh perspective and enthusiasm to the team. Currently studying commerce majoring in marketing and management at the University of Melbourne, she’s always up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and strategies.

Georgia’s background in retail has given her a no-nonsense work ethic and the ability to handle tight deadlines with ease. In her role, she loves the fast-paced and ever-changing world of marketing, where she’s always kept on her toes.

When she’s not busy with work or studying, Georgia is always on the move – whether it’s jetting off to new destinations or planning her next trip. Her passion for exploring and trying new things is evident in her work, where she loves the variety of tasks and enjoys working closely with others.

Alejandro Molano

Design Manager

Alejandro (yes, …like that song) is the friendly guy wearing that funky t-shirt that gets called every time someone needs a website or wants to know what the latest Instagram filter is.

He has been crafting beautiful, functional and clever designs for print and digital for over 10 years.

Originally from Colombia, and having come to Melbourne via Brisbane and Cairns, Alejandro’s creative flair has helped to spice up many marketing campaigns.

Danielle Harris

Graphic Designer

Danielle is a highly versatile graphic designer, having worked in Auckland, Melbourne and Berlin both in-house and freelancing. Joining Monkey Media’s ace design team, she works across all four magazines, as well as designing for M2M clients and event branding.

We’re all convinced Danielle is secretly a spy or secret agent — she’s just that cool. Wearer of funky jackets, recommender of great books, Danielle keeps the office entertained with a stream of unexpected stories. (She once spent three years teaching English in the Japanese countryside, and has co-written the screenplay for a full-length film.)

She tells everyone she meets that she’s from New Zealand even though it’s… virry appirrunt.

In her off-time, Danielle freelances as a graphic designer and goes on adventures with her kelpie, The Captain.

 

Jacqueline Buckmaster

Graphic Designer

Jac started out as an IT Consultant but soon found she had too much personality for such a career and turned to her more creative side, starting her own graphic design business.

When she’s not wrangling her three kids under seven, she now puts both her design and web skills to use for our clients.

Stephanie Nestor

Assistant Editor

Stephanie is an all-rounder, writing content across magazines and for various clients. Currently, she assists with the production of Council and Infrastructure magazines. Before joining the Monkey Media team in 2022, Stephanie completed her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Screenwriting at the University of Melbourne.

While she spends her spare time coming up with imaginary worlds for one of her novels or screenplays, she has a keen interest in all things local government, utilities and infrastructure.

Steph Barker

Assistant Editor

Steph took the scenic route to a career in journalism, completing her Graduate Diploma in Journalism at RMIT in 2020 after previously completing a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Steph minored in Computer Science and has a passion for coding, preferably in the style of the 1995 film Hackers.

Steph became a mum in 2022 and while at times it’s been the hardest job she’s ever had, it is also the best and has revolutionised her approach to both life and time management. In the rare moments not working or mumming, Steph loves dancing, board games, activism and knitting.

Tess Macallan

Content Marketing Specialist

Tess joined the Monkey Media team as a Journalist in late 2022. Having studied Professional Communication at RMIT, she loves all things media related and consumes a tonne of content. However, writing and proofing are her wheelhouse.

She has experience writing across a variety of topics, having previously interned at Fashion Journal. As a journalist she works across all the magazines, writing news, features, as well as content for clients.

When she’s not at work you can find her planning her next overseas trip, hunting for the perfect vintage ensemble, or seeing the latest movie at the Nova.

Sarah MacNamara

Assistant Editor

Sarah has loved reading and writing since she was young, with her head buried in a book at all times, even multitasking as she walked to the bus stop. She wrote her first book at the ripe old age of ten – the Dad’s Book of Kids, a manual on how not to embarrass your children.

After the Dad’s Book of Kids failed to take off, Sarah escaped the shame by moving from Tasmania to “the big island” for university. Chronically indecisive, she studied psychology before switching to sociology and bioethics and then completing further studies in gender studies and social policy all the while working casually on a hospital switchboard.

After avoiding it for as long as possible, Sarah knew it was time to face the music and land a serious job doing something she’d love. After doing some freelance work for Monkey Media, she joined the team on an ongoing basis in 2024 as an Assistant Editor, where she can put her reading and writing skills to good use.

Outside of work, you’ll catch Sarah snipping up old National Geographic magazines to create a crazy collage or basking in the sun with her three cats (and yes, she knows three is too many).

Kody Cook

Journalist

Kody first discovered his love of words many many moons ago when he learned to read Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish Blue Fish, the first book he ever read cover to cover all on his own!

Although he hasn’t always known that he would want to pursue a career in writing – often being tugged in other directions by his varied interests, such as science, film and even game development – when he began a creative writing course at university he knew that working with the English language was the right fit. 

Kody brings freshly honed writing and editing skills, and a drive to improve to the Monkey Media team. Having completed his writing course, doing some freelance editing work for an aspiring author, and completing an internship at a micro-press – just around the corner from Monkey Media – Kody is excited to see where it takes him. 

Emily Gray

Digital Marketing Assistant

Emily is a Marketing Assistant here at Monkey Media.

Originating from country Victoria, she boasts a diverse skill set encompassing media, design, and business.

Emily thrives on the dynamic nature of marketing, where ever-evolving technologies, trends, and consumer behaviors keep her on her toes.

When she’s not at home showcasing her crocheting skills, she indulges in her favorite pastime: catching up on some well-deserved sleep (yes, she’s secretly a grandma in disguise).

Alkesh Gupta

Web Developer

Alkesh has run his own international web development business for more than 10 years, and has worked with Monkey Media since 2012 before becoming a permanent member of the team.

His unparalleled skills with WordPress and ability to find a solution to every problem has led to him being known as the Shah Rukh Khan of WordPress.

When he isn’t creating the world’s best websites he spends his time with his children aged 5 and 2 or watching the latest Bollywood movies.