Influencing Insider

With Australian Fashion Week now firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to hear all the secrets of the trade. Ragtrader’s Editor-in-Chief Christopher Kelly joins Influencing Insider on Thursday May 28th at 2pm AEST to discuss: 

• What trends and topics Ragtrader is interested in reporting on

• What makes for a great fashion or retail industry story

• How Christopher likes to receive pitches from PRs 

About Christopher Kelly 

Christopher Kelly has been in the journalism industry for over a decade. His entry into journalism began with an internship at Star Observer while he was still a student. Since then, he’s had stints writing for Hunter & Bligh whilst also running his own blog, The Gay-Straight Talker. Kelly has been at RagTrader since July 2022, working his way up from journalist to editor and covering topics such as fashion, trade and retail. 

About Ragtrader 

Since launching in 1972, Ragtrader has been one of the leading voices covering the retail and fashion sectors, dissecting topics such as accessories, footwear, and materials. More recently, the publication has introduced the Australian Fashion Awards which will return in August of this year.

Hard to believe nextmedia’s techpartner.news has already surpassed its one-year anniversary. So if you want to find out all the details about the masthead, be sure to join Influencing Insider on Thursday, 14th May 2026 at 1 pm AEST when News Editor Jason Pollock joins to discuss:

• What topics are techpartner.news interested in?

• How PR practitioners can build a relationship with Jason and the team? 

• Jason’s big pitching do’s and don’ts

About Jason Pollock

Jason Pollock is techpartner.news’ News Editor, keeping up with all the latest movements in the Australian and global channel industry. Jason has been a finalist twice at the Australian IT Journalism Awards and has formerly worked for AdNews Australia, Symbio, and his own publication, Sport Review Weekly.

About techpartner.news

Techpartner.news is nextmedia’s B2B Channel publication, covering everything from tech industry news, partner programs and the latest M&As within the industry. The masthead has a dedicated editorial team that includes Pollock, Editor-In-Chief, William Maher and Freelancer Joshua Gliddon.  

After picking up the only New Zealand interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Freelance Science and Technology Journalist Peter Griffin joins Influencing Insider on Thursday, 14th May at 1 pm AEST/3 pm NZST to discuss:

• The topics he’s particularly interested in covering

• His experience interviewing Satya Nadella 

• How he likes to engage with PRs, including his pitching do’s and don’ts?

About Peter Griffin 

Peter Griffin has multiple roles that involve talking about technology and science topics. He’s a Technology Correspondent for Radio New Zealand and also a Technology Contributor and Podcast Host at NZME’s BusinessDesk NZ. A three-decade veteran of the IT journalism community, Griffin’s work has been published in a range of NZ publications. 

Have a question for Peter? 

Join the episode live, where you can submit your questions to be read out and answered on air.

The environment continues to be a hot topic, especially in regards to climate and sustainability. So, it’s only right that Influencing Insider welcomes The Guardian’s Petra Stock on Thursday, 7th May at 2 pm AEST to discuss: 

• What environment-related topics Petra believes will get traction over coming months

• How Petra combines churning out topical news stories with finding time for deep-dive investigations

• Petra pitching do’s and don’ts for PRs 

About Petra Stock

Petra Stock is The Guardian’s Climate and Environment Reporter – a role she’s held since mid-2024. Stock has previously written for Cosmos magazine and the University of Melbourne. She was also an environmental engineer before transitioning to journalism several years ago. 

About The Guardian 

The Guardian is one of Australia’s leading publications. The Australian version of the UK publication was founded in 2013 and covers politics, sport, science, technology and current affairs. The Guardian team also won Best Coverage at this year’s 2026 Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards.

Note: Influencing Subscriber Insider hosted 23/04/26. To book a demo with Influencing, reach out to [email protected].

Fresh off scooping up not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Lizzies at the recent Samsung IT Journalism Awards, including a Gold Lizzie win for Best Journalist, The Age and & Sydney Morning Herald’s David Swan joins Influencing Insider Thursday, April 23rd at 2 pm AEST to discuss:

What topics and angles are he and the SMH/The Age team particularly interested in?

How do you develop stories?

How do you interact with PR practitioners, and how to pitch to yourself?

About David Swan

David Swan is an award-winning technology journalist and editor who has been in the journalism industry for over two decades, writing for the technology title ITWire, before spending close to a decade at The Australian as a reporter first and then Editor. Swan is now helming the tech beat at The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, writing a range of articles on diverse technology topics.

About The Age & Sydney Morning Herald

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald are two of the leading metropolitan newspapers across Australia, covering current affairs, politics, sport, lifestyle, technology and much more. Both publications have been running since the 19th century and are owned by Nine Entertainment.

The media world as we know it is well and truly changing. The rise of streaming, as well as AI, is beginning to influence people's day-to-day lives. KBI.Media’s Karissa Breen is seeing all these trends, and she joins Influencing Insider at the special time of next Wednesday at 10 am AEST from the US to discuss:

- How AI is reshaping media power

- The White House is legitimising independent media

- The Oscars moving to YouTube signals a new paradigm

- Insight into the US media market

- The future of conferences

About Karissa Breen

Karissa Breen has recently moved to the US, living in Orlando and is the founder and CEO of KBI.Media - a CyberSecurity specialist publication producing different podcasts speaking to CyberSecurity executives on trends and topical stories.

About KBI Media

KBI.Media is an independent cyber publication covering CyberSecurity and technology trends via its various formations, including its KBKast and other podcasts, including Destination Cyber, whilst also offering Thought Leadership items.

This year’s Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards are inching closer and closer, and what better way to mark it than by having multiple Lizzie winner Edmond Tran of This Week in Video Games join Influencing Insider on Thursday, 19th March 2026 at 1 pm to discuss:

• What topics are you and This Week In Video Games interested in covering?
• How does This Week In Video Games' editorial model work?
• The best way to pitch to Edmond?
• Edmond's pitching do's and don'ts?

About Edmond Tran

Edmond Tran is an award-winning Gaming Journalist who’s previously helmed popular Australian gaming titles including ScreenHub, GamesHub and the Australian iteration of GameSpot. Currently, Edmond Tran is Managing Editor at This Week In Video Games.

 About This Week In Video Games

This Week In Video Games was founded in January 2024 as part of a collaboration between Tran and Skill Up Productions’ Ralph Panebianco. This Week In Video Games aims to be an independent gaming website free of commercial interests and funded by the readers.

Influencing Insider returns with a bang next Thursday, March 5, at 2 pm, when we welcome News Corp Metro’s NSW Business Reporter, Paul Wallbank to the show to discuss:

• What is the role of a NSW Business Reporter and how does he work with other metros?

• What topics is Paul interested in?

• What’s the best way to pitch to Paul directly?

• Paul’s pitching do’s and don’ts

About Paul Wallbank

Paul Wallbank’s been involved in the Australian media for close to 30 years, having been a freelance journalist prior, writing on business and technology matters. More recently, Wallbank worked with the Australian Computer Society as Media and Communications Manager, and joined The Daily Telegraph in October 2025. Previously, Wallbank has written for SmartCompany and contributed to the ABC.

About ripe in Town:

ripe is a newly-launched digital publication highlighting the "juiciest picks and freshest takes" on Australia's regional towns. 

ripe's mission is simple: to provide “ripe” ideas for travellers whilst supporting Australia’s small towns and regions by highlighting the diverse food, drink, culture, and experiences that make each community unique.

About Lauren:

Lauren Deighton is a marketer, entrepreneur and storyteller with over 15 years’ experience spanning brand strategy, paid media and digital marketing. Lauren has worked both publisher-side and agency-side in both Sydney & New York for companies such as News Corp, VICE media, Concrete Playground, The Urban List & Influenster. 

She is the Founder & Director of Brandscend Agency, where she helps entrepreneurs and small businesses grow through intentional digital strategy & implementation. She also offers 1:1 training and courses.

Lauren recently launched ripe in Town, a digital travel and lifestyle publication celebrating Australia’s regional towns. Through curated guides and thoughtful storytelling, the team champions local experiences, food and culture & encourages Australians to explore deeper connections to place and community.

ORIGINALLY AIRED: 06/09/25

Have you heard?! Weird Tech Media has officially been launched! 🚀

Tune in for a very special episode of Influencing Insider where we'll be looking at Weird Tech: the brand new offering from award winning duo Rae Johnston and Tegan Jones.

Co-founder and Co-CEO Tegan Jones joins us this Friday 6th September at 2pm - ⁠you can get ahead and download the brand new Weird Tech media kit attached here. ⁠

Can’t make it? No worries, register anyway to learn how to access the replay afterwards.

About Tegan Jones

Tegan is a Senior technology journalist with SmartCompany. Prior to her present role, she was the Editor of Gizmodo Australia and Global reviews editor at Finder. An award-winning journalist, she has been reporting on technology, telecommunications and gaming for the past 10 years, and regularly appears on mainstream media channels as an expert tech commentator. Her previous roles include Reporter and Editor across Business Insider, Lifehacker and Kotaku Australia.