PR Profile | Louise Pascale, Founder and Director of Pascale Media

Meet Louise Pascale, the heart and mind behind Pascale Media, where storytelling meets social impact. With over 30 years of experience in media and journalism, Louise has transitioned from television production to spearheading her own company, crafting narratives that foster significant societal change. Dive into her journey and discover how her innovative approach to media is making headlines and driving national conversations. Join us as we uncover the impactful world of Louise Pascale.

Could you tell me about yourself and your role at Pascale Media?

I am the founder and director of a boutique communications and marketing agency based in Adelaide. I focus on social issues and ethical products with clients who work in family and domestic violence, mental health, child protection and addiction. I bring over 30 years of experience in media and journalism to this work and I just love using my storytelling skills to craft stories that create meaning and impact.  While I work from Adelaide my clients are both local and national.

What is your career background, and how did you get started?

Well once upon a time in my gap year, I took a job as a Researcher on a children’s science show. When I walked onto that studio floor for the first time I realised I had found my vocation. So I went on to study film and television production – dumping the Economics degree I was going to do. I also worked in Advertising as my day job to pay the bills. After University I worked in the UK where the industry was shifting from analogue to digital. There I started a career in factual TV which eventually brought me home. I built a great portfolio of award-winning work and my own production company. However the desire for journalism, which I had always loved since I was young, just became so strong I could not ignore it any more.

So when I was pregnant with my son I decided to go back to University and study journalism – and that’s how I spent my maternity leave. From there I have built a career in media consultancy and marketing. My diverse experience now sees me delivering a range of media and communications services including planning, strategy, copywriting, video and audio production event management, and online services.

What are some of the highlights of your career so far?

It is hard to choose between being at the AACTA’s with my films winning awards or sitting in a cinema with an audience watching that film for the first time. Then there are the times you see your client’s stories making headlines or being featured on talkback. 

I love the visibility of this work but what gets me out of bed in the morning is knowing that somewhere someone, who you will never see or hear from, has felt heard and we made a difference to their life. 

What advice would you give someone trying to develop their career in Media & Communications?

You can never predict what will make headlines. You can plan a campaign down to the finest degree but if something major or news breaking happens you will just have to go with the flow.

So many times my client’s amazing stories have been bumped for some political scandal or a world event. When I am in the planning phase I manage expectations. Then I go away and work on a Plan B, C and D.

What are you most proud of in the work that you do?

I spend a lot of time working with people with lived experience of mental ill-health or domestic abuse to tell their stories in the media or in campaigns. Every time I see them share their story with confidence – whether in a news story or on camera as part of a campaign, it creates real pride in our work. There is a real appetite in the media for real-life stories, and it is important we hear them because that is how we create change in the world.

However asking someone to share their story of lived experience takes time. It relies on trust and making sure the right support systems are in place for that person. Because once it is out there, there is no going back. I love spending time with people, helping them get ready for what will come both in the storytelling and then after. No matter how intense the story is, we all have a responsibility to be trauma informed every step of the way. 

What's the most valuable lesson/advice you've learned about work in the Media & Communications industry?

While telling complex stories is important to create meaningful change, you really need to protect those whose lived experience is being shared. You cannot always shield them from the trolls or negative press but you can prepare them as best as you can. Share what you know about the process, and help them understand that they can only control so much of their narrative. The more they understand the better prepared they are for what comes next. Also remind them, that while we get to know journalists and build relationships, stories go through a chain of command and in that they get reshaped.

That may give them little comfort so make sure they have self-care plans in place, a support network and check in on them. Just because you got what you needed and moved on, does not mean they have.

Could you tell me about a recent campaign or project you have worked on that has been particularly interesting/successful? 

Most recently I worked with a non-Government client in the mental health space on a very public campaign that forced the Health Minister to release a report they had been sitting on for six months. 

This report showed there were a significant number of South Australians living with a complex mental illness not receiving the support they needed. The title of it was ‘Minister people are dying to know the truth.’

We did radio, print, outdoor and social media. We had the campaign set to run for a week and then within two days, the Government released the report. So in a matter of hours, I had to switch all the creative over to the second phase of the campaign which focused on what the report said. It was a real lesson in having both campaigns ready to go at once. We did not expect such a swift response, but we were ready.

Our campaign was in the news cycle for a week, and now my client is starting to see funding trickle in to fix the problem. But they are happy with that as the report found it is a $125m problem to sort out, and we knew the Government could not find that kind of money overnight. Years and years of working to get people to know this was a problem, and it just took a brave creative campaign – and lots of steel from my client to get us where we needed to be.

What is something about your work or yourself that people would be surprised to learn?

With all this work, I also fit in being a Councillor with the Adelaide Hills Council. I just love helping my community with the little things that impact their homes and lives. In parallel to this I am driving programs in our Council that aim to end violence against women and children in our area. This is where I can take my passion for driving change up a level.