Pedestrian Group, Australia’s largest youth-focused publisher, has today announced the promotion of James McManus to Executive Creative Director.

Matt Rowley, CEO of Pedestrian Group said, “James has been a foundational member of Pedestrian Group leadership and spearheaded the growth of our creative capability, which has included bringing the VICE, Refinery29 and Openair Cinemas brands into our creative arsenal, as well as preparing for the launch of our latest publication, The Chainsaw. He has a unique set of talents across all forms of media and activation, and this role will enable him to share even more of his expertise with our clients and partners.”

In addition to continuing to build the company’s creative capabilities, McManus will now be responsible for managing the group’s creative representation with clients and agency partners, overseeing the continued promotion and growth of the Australian VICE and Refinery29 brands within their global networks, and identifying opportunities for further creative integration with Nine.

Under McManus’ leadership, in the last two Mumbrella Publish Awards, Pedestrian Group won Best Publisher-Led Advertising Campaign, Branded Content Studio of the Year, and Event of the Year. This year the group has also received nominations for Brand of the Year, Launch/Re-launch of the Year, and two nominations for Best Publisher-Led Advertising Campaign.

James McManus said “Pedestrian Group leads the charge for big, creative ideas and commercial solutions. I’m excited in this new role to continue elevating our productions, partnerships and people as our incredible portfolio grows.”

McManus will commence the role of Executive Creative Director effective immediately, and a newly-created position of Head of Studio Operations will be created within his leadership team to facilitate its continued growth.

About Pedestrian Group
Pedestrian Group is Australia’s leading youth-centred publisher, reaching a unique audience of more than 4.16 million** Aussies per month, and more 18 to 39-year-olds than any other publisher. It’s home to PEDESTRIAN.TV, VICE Australia, Refinery29 Australia, Lifehacker Australia, Gizmodo Australia and Kotaku Australia, as well as Openair Cinemas. It’s wholly owned by Nine, Australia’s largest and most diverse media company.

Source: Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, Monthly Tagged, December 2020, All Brands, Text, People 2+, Census

Media Contact:
Caitlin Lynch, Senior Communications Manager, Nine
clynch@nine.com.au

Thursday, July 28, 2022