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Joel’s Resume

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Joel’s intro to the team

Don’t drift to the middle. Zero alcohol, full strength application. Solve business problems with creative solutions. Show, don’t tell. Question normal. 15 years in brand and marketing. Sydney based

The pitch

I back the idea that isn’t the safe one. Fifteen years building brands that earn their place in culture instead of buying into it.

3 of my favs that I led

  • CONS Skate

  • Converse Made By You

  • Klarna: US brand launch

Founder, Afternoon Social Club

I moved back to Australia and wanted to take on the competitive sports category: grow pickleball with a unique positioning and build a social-first sports culture.

  • 19

    products, concept to fulfilment

  • 4

    markets: AU, NZ, US, Malaysia

  • Week 1

    apparel sold out

  • 3x

    grassroots partnerships

  • Featured

    in Sitchu

Afternoon Social Club post: the most super chill pickleball brandA player in an Afternoon Social Club tee mid-shot on a blue courtAfternoon Social Club campaign: casually competitive pickleball for allCourtside in Afternoon Social Club apparel with paddles, a tote and a deck chairThe Golden Hour paddle, pink with a yellow sun, on a blue courtA player in an Afternoon Social Club hoodie holding a paddle
Visit Afternoon Social Club

The short version

  1. Awareness

    2% to 50%+

    Took Klarna from unknown to a household name in the US.

    Consideration 3% to 41%, trust 2% to 33%.

  2. 2

    Super Bowl campaigns: one for Klarna and one for NBC Sports.

    Klarna: 6B impressions, awareness tripled. NBC Sports: 33% lift in brand awareness.

  3. +38% share of checkout

    Developed partnerships with the Chicago Bulls and Angel City FC, where Klarna was founding partner.

  4. Worked on Converse Rubber Tracks, giving back to artists.

    See Rubber Tracks

  5. Launched a give-back program at Afternoon Social Club, supporting Big Brother Big Sister, North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club and The Brain Cancer Group.

    See the give-back

Where (short version)

  1. 2025 to now

    Afternoon Social Club

    Founder & CEO, Sydney

    • Built a pickleball brand solo across four markets
    • 19 products, apparel sold out in week one

  2. 2019 to 2024

    Klarna

    Head of Global Brand & Creative, New York

    • Co-authored the US marketing strategy with the Head of US Marketing
    • Managed a multimillion-dollar brand budget
    • 2021 Super Bowl: 6B impressions, awareness tripled
    • One brand across 19 markets

  3. 2011 to 2018

    Anomaly

    Senior Business Director, New York

    • Global lead for Converse: Made By You, CONS skate
    • YouTube Music global launch
    • NBC Sports Network rebrand, +14% viewership
    • Also Nike NY, Google, Manchester City, Diageo, Unilever

  4. 2009 to 2011

    Clemenger BBDO

    Account Manager, Sydney

    • Ran the $50M Bupa account
    • Worked on Wrigley’s 5 Gum, Sydney Theatre Company

  5. 2005 to 2009

    5iveSenses

    Brand Supervisor, Sydney

    • Experiential for Diageo, Coca-Cola, Armani and Vodafone

AWARD School, Creative Strategy & Advertising (2010). Bachelor of Arts, Australian Catholic University (2004 to 2007).

Joel’s Resume

Calls I’ve made

You asked for a call that upset someone, and one that was wrong. Here’s both.

The one that upset people

Holding the launch.

Klarna’s US brand launch was ready to go, but the date fell in the middle of the Black Lives Matter movement, a defining moment in US history and not one where a brand had anything to add. I pushed to hold it. Not everyone liked that.

The Global CMO listened. It cost us nothing, and the entire launch was kept for a moment when a brand could speak, which led to an incredibly successful brand launch.

The one I got wrong

Buyer protection.

Research said it was customers’ number two priority, so we built a campaign around it. It underperformed. It was table stakes, not a reason to choose us.

What I did next: we pulled the creative and updated the messaging to what consumers cared about.

Take creative risks on purpose and own the misses. I’ve done both.

My normal

“Everyone has their own normal.” This is mine.

A wedding day outside The Odeon restaurant in New York

Wedding day, NYC.

New York

  • 13 years in New York.
  • Started a family.
  • Worked on my dream brands.
  • Immersed myself in culture.
A parent and two kids in wetsuits holding surfboards on the beach at sunset

Family

  • Born on the streets of Manhattan, raised on the beaches of Sydney.
  • We moved back to Sydney in 2023.
  • Obsessed with my family, almost as much as my son is obsessed with Pokémon.
A family in front of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona

Things I do

  • Run a pickleball lifestyle company.
  • Consult for brands and agencies in the US and Australia.
  • Age Manager and official for the North Bondi Nippers under 10s.
  • Travelled to over 55 countries.
  • Take Fantasy Premier League far too seriously.