About
Wayne Hickson
Managing Director
Wayne Hickson has over 25 year’s media experience, bringing this respected Gold Coast firm first-hand knowledge of the workings of local media, government, sporting and business communities.
Holding a number of senior public relations positions since 1980 with the Hobart City, Albert Shire and Gold Coast City Councils, Wayne has been involved in the coordination of a large number of high-profile special events over the past two and a half decades in an organising, coordinating or advisory capacity.
Wayne most recently returned from Vancouver, Canada where he was an Olympic News Service Supervisor for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
He was also appointed by the Beijing Olympic Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) as the Sports Information Specialist at the August 2007 World Junior Rowing Championships test event, where his intimate knowledge of the sport proved a key to the success of the Olympic News Service (ONS) media operations of that event.
He returned to Beijing in July, August and September 2008 to once again work at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for BOCOG as a Sports Information Specialist for the sports of Rowing and Canoe/ Kayak Flatwater and Canoe/Kayak Slalom. He was also a sub-editor for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
Wayne was heavily involved in media activity for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as a contract media officer with the British Olympic Team and has served on the Gold Coast committees for the Australian teams of the Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney games.
He was a Broadcast Liaison Manager at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games for host television broadcaster TWI.
In 2002 Wayne travelled to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester to work with the Games News Service on press conference coverage, games-time reporting and also as an in-house journalist on the Athlete’s Village newspaper.
With an impressive list of sporting-media credentials under his belt, Wayne is also the contract media consultant to the Gold Coast Turf Club, for the past ten years coordinating the media operations of the Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions, Goldmarket and Carlton Draught Prime Minister’s Cup thoroughbred racing events.
He has been the media manager for Australia’s largest marathon - the Gold Coast Airport Marathon - Australia’s largest [39 sport] Masters Games, the Pan Pacific Masters Games and was Media Manager of the VIII Australian Special Olympics.
But perhaps Wayne’s greatest sporting achievement came in 1972 when he was crowned yo-yo champion of his Grade 6 class thanks to an awesome execution of his ‘rock the cradle’ signature move in the Grand Final.
Some of HicksonMedia’s corporate clients over the past decade include The Eye (Laservision) Centre, Southport Sharks AFL Club, Margaret Keech, State Member for Albert, Peter Lawlor, State Member for Southport, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Surfers Paradise Management and nine years with the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards as the Event Coordinators and Media Consultants.
In 1999 and 2000 the company provided its first consultation services to the Gold Coast City Council and in 2002 provided community consultation to Multiplex’s Lakelands residential development and telecommunications company Vodafone.
In 2008 HicksonMedia coordinated the media and communications for Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke’s successful re-election campaign.
Wayne is also a tutor and lecturer at Griffith University in Public Relations, Media Relations, News and Politics and Campaign Strategies and enjoys the sound of his own voice.
On a community level Wayne is a member of a number of community groups including the Southport Lions Club, a member of the Lifeline PR Advisory Committee, a Board Member of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, an establishment member of the Committee of the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame, is a former chair of the Southport Police Community Consultation Committee and a former area coordinator of the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal.
Wayne Hickson
Email: hicksonmedia@optusnet.com.au
Mob: 0407 028 917
Work: 5591 2556
Fax: 55912 556
Address:
PO Box 3147
Southport
QLD 4215
Sophie Lawson
Media Consultant
Sophie Lawson graduated from Griffith University Gold Coast with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Journalism and Creative Writing in 2006 and has been working as a full time Media Consultant with HicksonMedia for the past four years.
During her time at HicksonMedia, she has been heavily involved in Australia’s largest marathon, the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, as a Media Assistant. Sophie was also a Media Coordinator at the Pan Pacific Masters Games, the VIII Australian Special Olympic Games and consults to the Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions and Carlton Draught Prime Minister’s Cup racing carnivals.
Sophie has assisted with the media operations of the Gold Coast Blaze, Gold Coast Schoolies Celebrations, the Gold Coast International Hotel, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the Gold Coast Sports Business Taskforce to name but a few clients.
Sophie won the Best PR Promotion for Community Initiative award at the 2008 Gold Coast Media Awards.
Sophie has been a contributing writer to the Masters Voice Newsletter, the Official Special Olympics Handbook, the Gold Coast Turf Club Magazine and music publication, RAVE Magazine. She is also the web author for the Gold Coast Sporting Hall of Fame.
She is currently a member of The Gold Coast Media and Corporate Club and has participated in volunteer work for the Southport Lions Club and fundraising for Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.
Sophie Lawson
Email: hicksonmedia@gmail.com
Mob: 0405 227 444
Work: 5591 2556
Fax: 5591 2556
Address:
PO Box 3147
Southport
QLD 4215