TEAM

Vivian Bryant – Director & MD

A Graphic Designer by trade, Vivian established Brand Spanking in the spare room of a Ponsonby flat in 2002. She has been the constant force in the agency’s evolution and has garnered widespread respect from both clients and industry peers over the last 15 years, playing a key role in the evolution of the Comms Council’s PRESCOM (PR, Experiential and Social Committee) and regularly judging at the EFFIES, Beacons and Marketing Awards. Today she retains a major shareholding and heads up key client accounts including Dyson, Asahi, T&G Global, Hutchinson’s and Tesla.

Outside of work, Vivian raises two children with her husband Nathan and now lives back in Ponsonby, where it all started. Her past life includes a six-year stint in Japan and stunt work in films and television shows such as King Kong and Xena.

Jeremy Hunt – Director & CFO

Jeremy merged his campus marketing operation into Brand Spanking in 2004 and continues to hold a major stake in the agency. As well as being Brand Spanking’s CFO he oversees major accounts including Nespresso, Cottonsoft, and MARS, and takes a particular interest in sponsorship work for clients like Gatorade. At an industry level, he was the Treasurer of EMANZ (the Experiential Marketing Association of NZ) for many years and has judged awards such as the EFFIES and the NZ Radio Awards.

Jeremy moved to Havelock North in 2010 and is visiting us less and less these days, though still finds time to gloat about the sunshine and lack of traffic in “the Bay”. Dig deep into his past and you’ll find everything from a degree in Swedish to time spent lecturing corporate strategy at the University of Auckland Business School.

Charlotte Brodie – Operations Manager

Charlotte brings an eclectic background to the team with her BA in Psychology and Criminology, five years experience working in a butchery, and extensive hunting stories striking fear in the heart of any brand ambassador that tries their luck with her. Charlotte also spent several years in the Air Cadets, has travelled through Europe, and has expensive taste when it comes to makeup, so has a pretty wide repertoire of conversation should you find yourself sitting next to her at a bar indulging in a cheeky cocktail.

Charlotte is kept busy overseeing all the operational aspects of the campaigns we deliver in various channels around the country, from assets to logistics and managing the talent team. She is also responsible for making sure the NZ Sports Teams have their Gatorade wherever they may be in the world, no pressure!

 

Chelsea Martin – Account Manager

Chelsea joined the team as Talent Booker in early 2021, after graduating with a conjoint Law and Business degree from AUT. While studying Chelsea was one of our star brand ambassadors, so hit the ground running with the ACTION team booking, field managing and training the Auckland talent. She now plays a key role on the Dyson, Tesla and Nespresso accounts. Outside of the office Chelsea is a garlic bread connoisseur and gin enthusiast, which she balances out with a love of the gym, skiing and snorkelling.

Rachael Knight – Lower North Island Coordinator

Now with us for over five years, Rachael originally trained in Hotel Management and managed major functions and conferences for large corporates. She then worked for Unilever for 14 years as a Territory Manager, with her own team of 8 merchandisers, and later on, became an Account Manager for Foodstuffs for the Lower North Island. She also has seven years of industry experience in California, working for major outdoor festivals and traveling the US whilst doing so. 

With a passion for animal welfare, Rachael is a dog fosterer, who has provided a temporary home for over 80 dogs. In 2018 she won the SPCA NZ Fosterer of the year. If you see her around Wellington you’re likely to spot her in her 1966 Mustang convertible with her crazy pooch, Sprocket. 

 

Paris Vlaanderen – Operations Coordinator

Half Dutch, half Scottish Paris joined us in 2023 having graduated with a Covid-style BCom in Marketing and International Business. She now gets her hands dirty, literally at times, supporting Charlotte and making sure the nuts and bolts of our campaigns are well and truly in place. 

A cocktail connoisseur and self-professed coffee snob, Paris grew up in Hawke’s Bay before becoming a city girl when she moved to Auckland for uni. She hates the cold but loves skiing. Travel and fashion also rock her boat and she has been known to indulge in a little online shopping.

Rhiannon May – South Island Coordinator

Rhiannon stepped up to manage our South Island talent team in early 2021 after many years in the Christchurch talent team. Prior to this she studied at the University of Canterbury, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Classics. When she’s not recruiting talent, field managing shifts and completing admin, you’ll find Rhiannon walking her pooch, hitting one of the many trails around Christchurch, nose deep in a book or maybe at the tattoo parlour – she has nine tattoos so far!

Nicole Kelly – Channels and Assets Coordinator

Nicole joined the team at the same time as fellow Otago Commerce grad Bayleigh. She grew up on “the Shore” and went to school down the road from Jeremy, albeit about 30 years later. With her marketing and management degree, experience working in both Foodstuffs and Woolworths supermarkets, and time child wrangling/nannying, she’s got the perfect background to succeed in our industry.

Nicole’s core role is to ensure campaigns are planned and booked in the appropriate channels and that all the necessary reminder calls and other administration are completed to ensure a smooth activation. When she’s not sorting all that out, she enjoys the beach, football, gym and doesn’t mind a drink or two on the weekend.

Bayleigh Colbert – Talent Booker

Gisborne’ite Bayleigh completed her Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Management at Otago at the same time as Nicole and joined the team at the start of 2024. Her focus is making sure we have the right talent on the right jobs in the Auckland region to deliver outstanding results for our clients. 

Bayleigh loves to escape the office and hit the beach and other outdoor locations for walks and runs. She likes going away and we’re told is also pretty good at going out after those years in Dunedin.

Libby Catchpole – Talent Coordinator

Libby joined a long list of outstanding brand ambassadors who have “graduated” into office roles when she took up the Talent Coordinator role. Having excelled in the field she is perfectly qualified to work with our brand ambassadors to ensure they are set-up for success and delivering great results for our clients. 

Libby grew up in Hamilton and moved to Auckland in 2019. She studied Communication design and Photography at AUT before joining us full-time. In her free time she enjoys making art and taking photos at gigs. Libby is also a bit of a wine connoisseur after being trained by Auckland famous Wine bar Cazador so fits into our team very well!

Katrina Lousi – Hamilton and Tauranga Coordinator

Katrina started her second stint with Brand Spanking in 2023 after being part of the team from 2014-2016. She now juggles raising her four wonderful sons while utilising her expertise as a talent coordinator to ensure our activations run smoothly in Hamilton, Tauranga and adjacent regions. 

From a childhood in the spotlight of the entertainment industry, to studying performing arts in Sydney, and then embarking on a journey as a professional dancer, she’s always been drawn to the world of creativity and expression. With experiences on cruise ships across Australia and the South Pacific, and a stint in the fashion industry, her passion for captivating audiences has taken many forms. She is also extremely organised and detailed focused, making her the perfect person to run this key region for us.