Mumbrellacast: Journalism’s darkest day, does the future of work need offices and M&C Saatchi’s Justin Graham

It’s been called the darkest day in Australian media – News Corp has closed 100 print titles, with 14 to close permanently and what is speculated to be near 1,000 job losses. The Mumbrellacast team breaks down the social, political and financial implications these closures will have on regional areas and wonders what the future is for the industry.

The Hallway CEO, Jules Hall, revealed on Mumbrella earlier this week that his agency will continue working from home indefinitely, sparking a conversation about the value of maintaining an office. With benefits including saving on costly real estate and creating more flexibility for staff, plus overcoming the impracticalities of socially distant commuting, the only question is – how do you create and continue company culture?

M&C Saatchi’s new CEO, Justin Graham, weighed in maintaining the agency’s culture while it continues to work from home when he joined the Mumbrellacast to discuss the ins and outs of taking over an agency in the midst of the pandemic (51:03). With clients like Commonwealth Bank, Woolworths and Tourism Australia, Graham describes what it’s like responding to very different business needs throughout the COVID-19 crisis.