From Headlines to Head of Digital

Commical – Episode title: From Headlines to Head of Digital 

Published 10/09/2025 on Chasing Albert website, spotify and apple podcasts.

Guest: 

John Kerrison, Director of Digital Content & Creative, NSW Department of Customer Service.

Host: 

Marie El Daghl, Managing Director of Chasing Albert, Communication expert and trainer.

Marie El Daghl:
Hi everybody, and welcome to Commical. I’m very excited you’ve joined me for this one, because my guest is not only amazing in the world of marketing—he’s also a very old friend of mine. Please welcome John Kerrison.

John Kerrison:
Hooray! It’s great to be with you. I’m really grateful—really looking forward to it.

Marie El Daghl:
Me too. And who would’ve thought a podcast would bring us back together?

John Kerrison:
I know—after all these years. What was it, 2009? I should have written my dates down. I think it was…

Marie El Daghl:
I think it was 2008.

John Kerrison:
Oh wow.

Marie El Daghl:
Total throwback, my friend. I’ve followed your career ever since. For everyone listening: John is currently Director of Digital Content & Creative at the NSW Department of Customer Service.
But when I met you, you were Kero from Sky News.

John Kerrison:
That’s right—somewhere between Nine News and Sky News while we were doing our Masters, I moved roles. That sounds about right.

Marie El Daghl:
That’s right. We met while studying at Charles Sturt University, both of us doing a Master of Organisational Communication.

John Kerrison:
Yep—hitting the books. It seems like yesterday.

Marie El Daghl:
It does. I loved it. I really enjoyed studying as a mature-aged student at the tender age of 29. Not very mature, but definitely “mature-aged”.

John Kerrison:
I didn’t like study as a young person—going through high school I barely passed my HSC. I was one of those kids for whom study just didn’t click.
But when I found the thing—journalism, storytelling, public relations—it set my soul on fire. I’ve enjoyed studying ever since. How about you—did you study more later?

Marie El Daghl:
Same. I didn’t do well in my HSC; I just passed. I went to uni for a year—Bachelor of Arts—then thought, “this is not for me” and went headfirst into a diploma of journalism at Macleay College.

John Kerrison:
Surry Hills?

Marie El Daghl:
That’s it. I did an internship with Channel 7, then a little work… I was the games reviewer on Channel 10’s Cheez TV.

John Kerrison:
I didn’t know this!

Marie El Daghl:
Yep. I could’ve been somebody—the original influencer! Then I ended up in PR, and only after 10 or so years working did I go back to study. I loved it as an adult—well, a more mature, less-drunk adult. 

So tell me about your career. When I met you, you were in journalism—that’s where you started, right?

John Kerrison:
We’ve all got phases. After school I got a job in the mailroom at AMP General Insurance in Burwood through the old government employment service. It was work, but my heart wasn’t in it. I eventually got a junior role in PR, which gave me a taste for storytelling. Then I was made redundant for the first time. 

I also did 12 months helping co-manage a motion simulator—probably the dark spot on the CV, but I made lifelong friends. After that I asked, “What do I want to do?” As a mature-aged student I went to Bathurst to study journalism in the late 1990s. 

For someone who couldn’t pass an exam at school, I smashed it—HDs in my first semester. I was finally a round peg in a round hole.

Marie El Daghl:
You found your passion.

John Kerrison:
Exactly.

Marie El Daghl:
And after studying you started working in journalism—this is pre-social media (more or less). Email existed, but barely used?

John Kerrison:
My first journalism gig was regional TV. Actually, my very first was with the Seven Network in Sydney thanks to the late Ian Cook, a renowned Sydney news director connected to CSU. I got a spot on the producers’ desk at Seven and owe him a lot. 

After a short stint in Sydney, I wanted to be on camera, so I headed to Prime Television in Orange. Yes, we had email. I think I first saw the internet at AMP around 1992.

Marie El Daghl:
And now you lead a massive digital team for a government organisation—it’s crazy. What did you learn as a young journo that’s incredibly valuable in your role today?

John Kerrison:
Understanding story and narrative—not just what’s happening, but what’s motivating people. As a journo on a breaking story, you’ve got little time: you speak to authorities—police, fire brigade—and then those affected. You need emotional intelligence and the ability to grasp context quickly. 

That ability to read motivations under the surface applies across communications—stakeholder engagement, marketing, public affairs. Comms is a very human business, which I love.

Marie El Daghl:
Agreed. Beyond comms, did anything from those days shape how you approach digital marketing?

John Kerrison:
My journey’s quirky. I spent roughly 10 years in broadcast journalism. As a journo, you used very specific software; I didn’t see myself as a digital native. 

What fascinated me mid-2000s was social media enabling communal storytelling. Everyone suddenly had a platform. I still think that’s fundamentally good—even if it’s a complex beast now. 

Despite not being a digital native, I lead digital marketing/content today—and it’s still about people. Folks in digital comms should remember it’s always about engaging real audiences.

Marie El Daghl:
What were the steps that led you to where you are today? Any major moves—I know redundancy pops up.

John Kerrison:
I loved journalism and I’m an advocate for a free, fair, open press—it’s critical to democracy. But I’m not sure I was the best journo. At the end of my Sky News contract, I was ready to go—and they were probably ready for me to go too. A gentle nudge! 

Around then—while finishing the Masters with you—I was deeply interested in digital communications, diverse storytelling, marketing, and behaviour change. I didn’t pursue another journalism role and moved into government around 2011.

Marie El Daghl:
Do you remember the job?

John Kerrison:
Media Officer at Transport for NSW (the name had recently changed). Great learning ground for the complexity of government and the breadth of comms. As journos, we can think we are communications—but it’s just one part of a much more complex discipline. 

Social was taking off in 2011, especially Twitter. I got the green light to work with the transport agencies to amplify their presence and built social strategy—working closely with teams who operationalised it. 

The role grew, and then with the establishment of Service NSW I moved into a similar role there, heading social under Angela Kamper, who’s still my manager today—an inspiring, forward-thinking leader.

Marie El Daghl:
Review period is coming up, clearly!

John Kerrison:
(Laughs) It’s genuinely a great working relationship. One reason I’ve stayed in the public service—despite opportunities to leave—is values. The public service delivers the agenda of the government of the day to make people’s lives easier through good services and experiences. 

From social I’ve since expanded to digital content and creative—some new brand and creative responsibilities too. It’s exciting.

Marie El Daghl:
How did you support that evolution? Beyond on-the-job experience and talent—what education or development helped, especially on the digital side?

John Kerrison:
Old-fashioned curiosity goes a long way. I was fortunate to be selected for The Marketing Academy in 2022. The cohort’s been incredibly valuable—friendship, networking, advice. 

TMA (founded by Sherilyn Shackell in the UK) believes marketing, given its reach in society, can make the world better. The program is free for scholars thanks to sponsors—12 months of bootcamps, mentoring, coaching. I’m very grateful.
Also: take people for coffee, pick their brains. That’s been central to getting where I am.

Marie El Daghl:
I know you—there’s no “fake it till you make it” here. Like me, you’re relentlessly curious and will research like mad until you master it.

John Kerrison:
That’s how we studied together—challenging each other’s approach. Working with others and asking why that way is key to a long career in comms.

Marie El Daghl:
You were recently at Cannes—I told you we’d get back there.

John Kerrison:
(Laughs) Cannes! Yes—the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June. The Marketing Academy hosts events there too. I funded it myself—wouldn’t expect the public sector to cover that. It was fascinating. We should go together next year.

Marie El Daghl:
Done. I loved your LinkedIn coverage.

John Kerrison:
Thank you—I was nervous doing it.

Marie El Daghl:
You were great. Not everyone should do to-camera content—especially on LinkedIn—but when you know how to tell a story and deliver value, it works.
Now—you promised an update in your video and I don’t think you followed through! You went to a McKinsey breakfast?

John Kerrison:
Yes—Jessica Sibley, CEO of Time (the media brand), was there. AI dominated a lot of sessions and honestly risked swamping the conference, which is about creativity. But the breakfast asked: who will own sources of trust in an AI world? AI needs trustworthy sources. 

Organisations with primary data—like a magazine with deep archives—own copyright to back catalogues, sometimes not online. Jessica spoke about exploring deals with AI providers: if you want the historical dataset, what’s the financial arrangement? 

(Also: excellent pain au chocolat at that breakfast!)

Marie El Daghl:
Please translate for the bogans!

John Kerrison:
Chocolate croissant!

Marie El Daghl:
There we go.

John Kerrison:
Across the week, trust was the strongest theme—brand design anchored in trust, salience, repeatability. Many brands are revisiting classic campaigns from pre-rapid-tech times because people want emotional connection. Trust stayed with me.

Marie El Daghl:
No surprise. It loops back to journalism and trust in what we’re reading. I used to be a three-newspaper-a-morning person. Over time I lost trust as coverage diverged and more sources emerged at a click. 

How are you seeing this—will people move back to news orgs, or to other trusted sources like influencers and community leaders?

John Kerrison:
I think people will find trusted sources—plural. Influencers, businesses, community voices. It’s already changing how we all operate.

Marie El Daghl:
The landscape is splintered—no single source, just many smaller ones. That makes our work harder: more channels, more individual outlets, smaller reach per outlet. 

But authenticity is huge—audiences and brands need it. Be real. Show facts and credibility to be believable.

John Kerrison:
There’s more at stake now. Some brands claimed trust without living it—operations, marketing, relationships didn’t match. In a world of abundant (and not always reliable) information, the stakes are higher.

Marie El Daghl:
AI is making it easier to check credibility. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better every update. People are getting better at finding the truth. Brands will have to put proof front and centre. If you make a claim, show your cards.

John Kerrison:
Exactly. You can’t hide anything online.

Marie El Daghl:
Transparency will push brands into uncomfortable territory they didn’t expect.

John Kerrison:
We’re in for interesting years ahead—but let’s be optimistic. More transparency, more openness, better for communities.

Marie El Daghl:
I’m here for it. What’s next for you, Kero?

John Kerrison:
Some minor role shifts in NSW Government—my remit includes social channels, websites, and working with wonderful people across regulators. It’s important work. 

I’ll keep being curious. My professional life is full of plot twists—you’ll be the first to know the next one.

Marie El Daghl:
Before I let you go—the future of websites: what did you hear at Cannes?

John Kerrison:
In short: websites will need to be structured and written so AI scripts and bots can more easily glean information. Over time, some share of “visitation” may stay with AI tools. 

It’ll be interesting whether Google, Perplexity and others grow true AI browsers—not just a tool or app, but a whole browsing experience mediated by AI. 

Also: improve on-site search. If your site search can’t find content easily, AI crawlers will struggle too. There’s a lot of test-and-learn ahead, and while I’m not a technical expert, I’m along for the ride.

Marie El Daghl:
Deal—let’s sit down and swap notes; we’re doing a lot in that space. And let’s finally see each other face-to-face!

John Kerrison:
Bring it on.

Marie El Daghl:
It’s been far too long.

John Kerrison:
Far too long. Shall I bring the cushions for the seat this time?

Marie El Daghl:
Are you still tall? You haven’t shrunk with age?

John Kerrison:
(Laughs) Sadly no.

Marie El Daghl:
I’ll wear heels—though if we’re sitting down, they won’t help much.
Thank you so much for your time. I love chatting to you, as always.

John Kerrison:
A pleasure.

Marie El Daghl:
An absolute pleasure—let’s catch up soon.