MARKET MOVES: JOANNA O’CONNOR JOINS ATC

Digital marketing specialist Joanna O’connor has been lured home to Aotearoa after eight years of working in Australia to lead a new era of marketing strategy for one of New Zealand’s largest professional performing arts companies.

Christchurch-born, 32-year-old Joanna took up her position as Director of Marketing for the Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) in June. A graduate of Auckland and Victoria universities in marketing and commercial law, she worked locally in the digital media space before moving to Australia in 2013. In Melbourne, she joined the Australian Ballet as Head of Digital in January 2016.

After leaving the company with an impressive portfolio from her six years there, Joanna successfully launched a new website and ECRM, driving digital as the main sales channel generating more than $18 million in online sales. She was awarded Australian Social Media Marketer of the Year 2018.

“While back home over the summer, escaping yet another of Melbourne’s lockdowns, I saw the quality of New Zealand’s incredibly rich and culturally inclusive entertainment offerings, from sports to arts to festivals,” she says. “I’m excited to come back to New Zealand and get involved in our world-class entertainment scene. “We have the capacity, talent and innovative thinking to not only survive post-covid, but thrive. Kiwis are participating and taking part with record attendance rates at the moment. New Zealand is flourishing, while arts companies across the ditch and further afield have been plagued with poor attendance and cancellations. Here, Kiwis are out and absorbing culture – every ATC show this year has been a box office success.”

With Joanna’s marketing experience supporting the company’s growth and reach to include digitally native consumers, the Auckland Theatre Company aims to improve their overall customer experience, so more New Zealanders can engage with our country’s premiere theatre company.

“With her passion for the arts and leadership of a digital team that has excelled in selling tickets, building community and creating winning digital content, Joanna’s perfectly positioned to join ATC as we turbo-charge our company’s digitisation,” says Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Auckland Theatre Company Jonathan Bielski.