A kid from the bush who grew up in tiny mining towns, Dave has an infectious passion for marketing, creativity, technology and people. After graduating with a degree in Business Marketing & Psychology, Dave spent 7 years working with hundreds of businesses via gigs in large marketing & advertising firms. One day, he woke up and decided to start a digital marketing consulting business from his bedroom, with a vision to do things a little differently, to help businesses grow and stay ahead of the curve.

Fast forward to 2019 and Dave’s role at Redback is to ensure we are well equipped to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients now and well into the future. Dave is also the co-founding CMO of star Aussie caravan sharing community Camplify. He sits on the board of Australia’s first SingularityU chapter and is also director of Interactive Minds Newcastle, a series of educational events for marketers and agencies.

What drives this creative + analytical + happy lump of a lad forward?

Well, in Dave’s simple words, it’s the “real weird, awesome buzz” he gets whenever we achieve tangible, meaningful growth results for a business.

With over eight years’ experience in web development and a keen eye for detail, Jess is a Senior Front End Developer at our sister company Redback Solutions and is definitely on Newcastle’s “one to watch” list.

Her strong desire for perfection, combined with her expert knowledge in HTML & CSS make her a unique and rare find in Newcastle. When taking on a new web build, Jess will meticulously plan her strategy and ensure that the end solution matches the design vision set by Redback’s Head Designer, Kyle. With sharp memory and eagerness to learn, Jess is an extremely valuable asset to the team – continuously delivering “pixel perfect” code.

Kyle is the Head Designer at our sister company Redback Solutions, responsible for all creative direction and final product delivery. With more than a decade of experience in interactive design and development focusing on UX, usability, mobile and emerging media, Kyle leads Redback’s front-end team in the creation of high-end web products for small to medium sized business.

Having worked on hundreds of website projects across a range of different industries (from ballet schools to funeral homes to law firms), Kyle has made a career of innovating and evolving his design style to ensure each project speaks directly to the customer’s unique audience with the ultimate goal of improving their digital presence.

Kyle’s days revolve around solving overtly complicated interface requirements with simple and innovative design decisions. Obsessed with technology, pixel perfection and subtle interaction, his designs strive to strike the perfect balance between aesthetics, user experience and performance.

When he’s not at work he can be found having tea parties with his two beautiful daughters, giving the local tennis Pro a run for his money at the Courts, or doing one of many handy man projects at home for his lovely wife Tara.

With 11 years experience as an on-site computer technician and 13 years under his belt as a web developer, Shane Welldon brings a vast variety of skills to the team. Our web team over at sister company Redback Solutions build a diverse range of WordPress sites – everything from single page start ups, to small business, to large eCommerce solutions – and it is Shane and Jess who we safely rely on as our go-to WordPress Specialists.

A seasoned business owner himself, Shane has been serving the local business community for over 12 years and has the calm disposition of a Zen-like master when it comes to problem solving even the mightiest of challenges.

Michelle is a talented business administration and project management specialist with a hawk-eye for detail and a knack for finding ways to get things done. A born problem-solver, Michelle started her career in Sydney with roles in Business Development & Account Management with international companies such as Digital, Unisys & Compaq.

After relocating back to Newcastle for a role with Prosperity Advisers and a newly found interest in all things financial, she then got together with husband Graham to purchase and run our sister company Redback Solutions for 10 years. Helping it grow into Newcastle’s leading WordPress web development and design agency, Michelle certainly runs a tight ship. These days, she plays the key role of looking after the finances and advising on our operations and project management across both Redback and Vicinity. Her favorite pastime usually involves a bottle of champagne!

Graham is one of our most experienced team members, with over 25 years experience in the IT and web industries. Having studied Information Science at the University of Newcastle back in the early ’90s, this bulky braniac then spent a decade working and excelling in systems administration and technical sales for Compaq and OAS Computers.

Together with wife Michelle, he then owned and run our sister company Redback Solutions for 10 years and helped grow it into Newcastle’s leading WordPress web development and design agency. Graham has a rare mix of technical ability and people skills and his role is centred around managing clients’ web hosting, domains and leading business development for Redback. He’s also involved with organising our Christmas parties… which is always dangerous!

Lachlan is our resident content editing gun, focussed on supporting our web team in delivering high-end websites on time and on budget. Lachlan’s growing skill set extends to SEO and AdWords, recently taking ownership of several client projects from start to finish with maturity beyond his years.

No project is too big or small for this young fella with a kick ass positive attitude.

In his spare time, you’ll likely find Lachlan at the Tattoo parlour getting yet another tattoo for the collection.

Jazz is a cat obsessed content creative with 6 years of experience as a freelance writer and media officer.

(He has several years of experience prior to that as a market researcher, landscape gardener, news radio presenter, sourdough baker, aspiring novelist and software developer — but not all at the same time.)

Jazz sharpened his skills working as a speech writer and media officer for a Member of NSW State Parliament. He then went on to work closely with researchers and academics at the University of Newcastle, as part of their media team. Recently, he’s helped tell compelling stories about start-ups and innovative entrepreneurs for commercialisation consultancy gemaker. He now keeps busy helping our clients develop remarkable content for their websites, digital media and content marketing strategies.

What drives this passionate communicator forward?

People. Every business has people and their stories at its core and every customer is a person. As a writer and a human being engaged with the world, it’s the people around Jazz and the endless complexity of their inner worlds that fascinates him and motivates him to be the best communicator he can be.