Filmmaker

Amber (she/they) is a queer n' camp filmmaker with aesthetics built on a combination of 90s pop culture with feminist and gay post-modern imagery; Hype Williams meets Cindy Sherman meets Muriel's Wedding. She's currently working across short form narrative and aiming to bridge the gap between the commercial film industry and the video art world.

@tainted_amber
amberjmealing.com

On why you should hire more queers: We need the stories and ideas that come direct from minority voices and minds. Writers, producers and creatives within advertising agencies need to be just as diverse as the faces we're seeing on screen. Not just to sell more products, but to provide authenticity and reflect a reality that exists far beyond our white and straight bubbles.

Poet, Comedian, Copywriter

Shy is a poet, comedian and copywriter from Dubai who’s writing a screenplay and a novel in 2025. Sleep Whomst?

On what to take from queer creativity: That it’s more creative than anything within the industry because where there is pain and rebellion and community, there is art and creativity not just driven by a 1 page brief. Look outside your homophobic overhead lighting offices.

Tattoo Artist

David (he/him) is a queer tattoo artist working at Anderson St Tattoo in Melbourne. His work draws inspiration from traditional Japanese and Asian forms with a contemporary point of view.

The work David is exhibiting today shows how powerful forces emerge as an epic struggle between dragon, snake and hawk take place - a battle royale. A classic theme in tattooing, reimagined and explored through the lens of a queer artist.

@davidlegoon
davidlegoon.com

On queer media representation: Although I’m enjoying seeing more representation, I think more work needs to be done in highlighting queer POC in these sectors.

Photographer

Mia (she/her) is known for her ability to create campaigns that put personality front and centre and is represented by agency Photoplay. From Melbourne’s punk scene to global magazines, she’s photographed icons, told LGBTQIA+ stories, and won major awards along the way.

miamalamcdonald.com

On why you should hire more queers: Because the industry is often using queer narratives in their stories, because representation matters — not just in front of the camera but behind it. Queer creatives bring lived experience, fresh perspectives, and stories that challenge stereotypes, making campaigns more authentic, inclusive, and resonant with diverse audiences.

Illustrator

Savi (they/them) is an African American, Torres Strait Islander illustrator based in Narrm Melbourne. Their illustrations often feature intimate scenes, playful colour, and, most importantly, people of colour loving themselves and each other.

On why you should hire more queers: Queer artists can offer so much - so many different perspectives, ideas, deep feelings, silly jokes, continuing histories. Projects are made even more meaningful and important when more queer creatives are involved.

Dancing (she/her/they/them) along the axis mundi, where underworld and sky converge, in honour of the Great Mother and the timeless patterns of impermanence and return.

@sarah_isobel_smith

On what to take from queer creativity: The expansive depth and beauty of perspectives that dissolve otherness and invite everyone in.

Writer, director, actor, comedian

Haley (she/her) is an award-winning writer, director, actor and comedian.

Her award winning film CALL ME MOMMY is a Vimeo Staff Pick, won Best Comedy at Academy Award qualifying HollyShorts, Best Comedy at Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, the “NoBudge” Audience award at Nitehawk Film Festival and was nominated for jury awards at SXSW, deadCenter and Palm Springs ShortFest. The film was also selected for the Director’s Choice tour of St Kilda Film Festival.

@haleyalea
hehehe.online

On why you should hire more queers: We have beautiful, unique, and delightful minds who see the world through a lens that is a product of our lived experience. We might have a new way of looking at or thinking about your product. It might be exactly the fresh take you are hoping for! It's also just like... obviously the right thing to do, you know?

Multidisciplinary artist

Andrew (he/him/they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist best known for his work in knitting and fashion. Andrew uses fibre to create wearable pieces with a focus on narrative and conversation – often expressing and weaving together the intersectional stories of Queer people and people of colour.

@thecatwhoknits

On queer media representation: Current media representation tends to be quite stereotypical and often chases whatever is considered 'hot' in the queer community at the moment. The queer community encompasses a huge range of people with diverse experiences, so it's challenging to ensure all of our stories are told authentically. There's still a tendency to rely on surface-level trends rather than exploring the depth and complexity of queer identities and experiences.

Experimental artist

Huei (she/her) is an experimental artist. Her concept-led, medium-agnostic practice draws on her advertising background to uncover hidden systems that shape human behaviour, creating work that invites broader audiences into art and its ideas.

@heyhuei
heyhuei.com

On queer media representation: We’ve come a long way but there’s still a tendency for advertising to stereotype queerness.  Maybe it’s just what I’ve seen, but there can sometimes feel like there’s a checkbox for how on-screen queerness is presented.  I’d love to see a day where queer people are just as introverted, flawed, and boring as the rest of the population.

Mixed media artist

Codee (he/him) is a mixed media artist who's kinda annoying.

Note from Friends of Rhonda - this bio was submitted by Codee. We do not share these sentiments. Although by forcing us to add this disclaimer, he is being… kind of annoying ◡̈

On why you should hire more queers: As advertisers we have the power to change culture and minds through storytelling, and to get authentic stories, we need authentic storytellers.

Filmmaker

Jemma (she/her) is a creative filmmaker passionate about representations of queer sexuality, subversive female characters, and visual surrealism. She has directed short films, short form series’, branded content and commercials, which have screened widely.

On what to take from queer creativity: Be open to something new :-)

Multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, drag queen

Robbie (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker and drag queen. He is better known for his stage persona, Lazy Susan. As Lazy Susan he won Drag Race Down Under season four and will return as a guest judge for Drag Race Down Under VS The World.  

This work was created to accompany Lazy Susan's time on TV. Each costume is given its own 'tv spot' on the fictional Lazy Vision TV network.

IG & TikTok: @mslazysusan

On why you should hire more queers: Understanding the wants and needs of the broader community is a skill that is honed in any queer person who has spent time in the closet. We know what people want to hear to feel comfortable.

Filmmaker

Ramon (he/him) is a freelance senior editor with over a decade of experience in commercials and documentary, known for his speed, versatility, and narrative instincts honed via a parallel screenwriting career. His hobbies include playing the piano and lecturing people about Whitney Houston until they will no longer look him in the eye.

@ramon_filmmaker

On why you should hire more queers: Queers cultivate the freshest ideas and are at the forefront of cultural shifts (see: history).

Visual artist, art director, photographer

Laura (she/her) is a visual artist, art director and photographer working at the intersection of fine art, fashion, film and performance. Her practice centres the politics of the body. Exploring queerness, intimacy, and fat liberation through a lens shaped by lived experience. Her commissioned and self-directed work has been featured across a range of platforms and institutions, including Refinery29, ABC, Lush Cosmetics, Pedestrian.TV, and Mattel.

Headshot credit: @jarradshotme

@ldvphoto @femmeplastic

On what to take from queer creativity: Recognise that the queer experience isn’t a monolith, there are many subcultures and experiences within the culture. I strongly believe in lifting others up on your journey to where you're going. If we can uplift one queer creative in a corporate space it allows others to follow.

Multimedia artist

ENOKi (they/them) is a proud Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta Blak Fulla based on Wurundjeri Country. They’re a multimedia artist with a focus on digital media.

solidlines.agency/artists/enoki
@grumpyenoki

On why you should hire more queers: Because queer people, especially queer people of colour, aren't afforded the same opportunities and they can offer fresher perspectives through their art.

Rhys (he/they) is a Narrm based photographer and multidisciplinary creative. His work explores the everyday and the extra, with a noticing camp eye and sensitivity to the environment. He creates work that melds time, emotion, and identity.

Rhys has a background in journalism and community radio, and is currently a social media coordinator in the not-for-profit sector.

rhyspope.com

On queer media representation: While we're seeing an increase in representation from some clients others are shying away. Those who stick with our community will form loyal customer bases.

On what to take from queer creativity: That you don't have to fully understand something for it to be good.

Photographer

Heather (she/her) is a photographer whose personal projects have garnered widespread acclaim, finding homes in esteemed collections both in Australia and abroad. She has exhibited as a finalist in the National Portrait Prize, the Josephine Ulrick Win Schubert Photography Award and the international Biennale of the Photo Museum of Thessaloniki Greece.

heatherdinas.com
@heatherdinas

On why you should hire more queers: Because without us it’s like making a mixtape that full of the obvious one hit wonders, predictable with no slow burn. Technically fine but missing the special something that, brings depth that spark that makes it unforgettable.

Performance poet, writer

Parth (they/them) is a performance poet and writer from Pune. Their practice is focused on conjuring vivid, pluralistic evocations and imagery that extend beyond systems of violence, trauma and identity. They believe poetry isn’t just art, but a magical sustenance of sorts. That words mobilise, energise and interrogate.

On queer media representation: Plenty of queer people, not enough queer people of colour. The courage is lacking!

On what to take from queer creativity: Trust us, let us live.

Creative director, model, media storyteller

Maria Bravo Echevarria (she/her/they/them) is a Peruvian-Australian creative director, model, and media storyteller whose practice spans photography, writing, and production. Guided by the nostalgia of migration, she returns to Lima via her work, often reimagining Peru through a romantic, cinematic lens.

Filmmaker, writer, programmer

Jasper (he/they) is a filmmaker, writer and programmer with a particular interest in character-led documentary and social realism. His previous directing work has screened at MIFF and produced two short films selected for the coveted Iris Prize competition in 2025.

On queer media representation: Corporate pink-washing and performative rainbow flagging are enough to turn me into a bigot too. Normalising queerness is about dismantling the 'othering' of identity politics and representing an authentic cross-section of a consumer market.

Sarah (she/her) is an emerging Documentary Director with over a decade of experience as a producer in advertising, working across Los Angeles, Austin, and Melbourne. Earlier this year she decided to turn her passion for documentary into purpose. With this film, Sarah opens a new creative chapter, dedicated to telling powerful, underrepresented stories.

IG & YouTube: @filmsbysbee

On queer media representation: I have enjoyed seeing the increase in queer representation over the years, however there's been a lot of instances that have felt cringy and stereotypical, which makes it feel forced rather than an authentic and genuine representation of the community.

Archer Magazine is an award-winning print publication about sexuality, gender and identity. It is published twice-yearly in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on lesser-heard voices and the uniqueness of our experiences.

Produced by Archer Studio, a queer creative agency by LGBTQIA+ community.

@archermagazine
archermagazine.com.au/

Friends of Rhonda Founder

Friends of Rhonda founder, Jules Stretch (she/her) is a Copywriter/Social Media Addict/Content Producer/Idea Machine/Singer/Drag Queen.

https://julesstretch.com/

@hello_itsmum

On Friends of Rhonda: Friends of Rhonda is a social group for queers in ads with an aim to make connections and foster support within the industry. As a queer person working in this industry, I was sick of feeling like a lone queer voice in the room, so I thought i’d try to create a new room. One filled with other queer people who may be feeling a bit like me, so we could create that feeling of community i craved. In my other career as a drag queen I see every day the power that community and creativity has, so I’m immensely proud to now be able to introduce the queer creative powerhouses within and beyond the Friends of Rhonda network to the wider industry.