The MESS was born the way all great ideas start: over a few beers, a lot of honesty, and a shared frustration with the status quo in the media industry.

It was 2025, somewhere between a round at Cairns Crocodiles and a rant about broken agency models, when we realised something big — we weren’t alone. Not in our challenges, and definitely not in our ambition to do media better. Smarter. Together.

Across the table were strategists, creators, media founders, freelancers, and startup operators — all building something, all figuring it out as they go. Same hurdles. Same questions. Same lonely hustle. And almost no spaces to swap stories, inspire ideas, creatively collaborate or find real support.

So we started a community that did.

The Media Entrepreneurs Social Society — or the MESS — is a community for the visionaries shaping what’s next in media. From fledgling freelancers to scaling founders, in-house guns to industry misfits with a bold idea but no roadmap — if you're building in media, you're one of us.

We’re not about name tags or LinkedIn flexes. We’re about real conversations, shared war stories, practical ideas, and a refreshing lack of bullshit. Monthly catch-ups. Quarterly events. Connections that actually go somewhere. And a platform to meet, chat, and collaborate — before, during, and after.

Why create the MESS?

Because media is moving fast. Too fast for silos. Too fast to do it alone.
And because disruption doesn’t come from the top — it comes from the people in the trenches, those with the freedom to think and the confidence to do.

So if you’ve ever wanted:

• More support and good, real people in your corner

• More brains to pick

• More energy and drive, or

• More momentum

You belong in the MESS.

Let’s build the future of media — together, boldly and brilliantly.