Gilimbaa was born out of a passion to work with Indigenous art and story-telling and the elements it can bring to contemporary design and communication.
L-R: Riki Salam, Naomi Moran, Jane McCrory, Jen Hillhouse, Amanda Lear, David Williams.
David Williams - CEO and Artist
David performs many roles at Gilimbaa, from managing client relationships to facilitating artwork strategy sessions and acting as Gilimbaa’s roving photographer. A descendant of the Wakka Wakka people of central south-west Queensland, he learnt the traditional songs and stories of his people from his grandmother.
David first picked up a paintbrush during university at the suggestion of his uncle, himself an established Aboriginal artist. After several successful exhibitions David began to experiment with merging traditional art with digital graphic design techniques and in 2008 established Gilimbaa along with Amanda Lear and Ben Johnston (of Josephmark) to explore the way Indigenous art and design could be used in modern communication. A photographer, artist and musician, David brings his cultural and artistic knowledge to projects to ensure that their overall message is culturally appropriate and meaningful.
“As an Aboriginal man, I share my knowledge of culture through dialogue and practice. This is Indigenous Australia in the 21st century, and we communicate culture through a variety of mediums. I’m fortunate to work with a team of highly skilled and dynamic professionals who push the boundaries of traditional design and strategy, working with our clients to create desired outcomes in the most culturally effective way."
Amanda Lear - Managing Director & Strategic Communications
As co-founder and Managing Director Amanda straddles the dual roles of managing the growth and development of the business and driving client campaign and communication strategies. Qualified and experienced in marketing/communications and training and development, her previous role in Training and Development and Marketing for a multinational company saw her create and implement nation-wide training and education programs on communication and leadership for all levels of staff.
As the Strategic Director for Gilimbaa’s projects, Amanda leads the team to create strategies and messages that effectively engage key audiences to meet project outcomes. She regularly speaks at conferences on communication strategy and running a small business.
“For me it’s about working as closely as possible with clients so that they play a key role in strategy creation. The integrity of how we do what we do is as important as what we do, and client involvement is a critical part of our process.”
Riki Salam - Creative Director
Riki brings his distinct and considered artwork style to his role guiding the creative direction and output of Gilimbaa’s projects. After studying Visual Art and Design Riki honed his craft at renowned Indigenous art studio Balarinji and worked with Indigenous Artists Co-operative Larrakia Nation (based in Darwin), conducting artists workshops and creative brainstorming sessions.
READ MORE >Born and raised in Cairns, Riki’s father is a Torres Strait man from Moa Island and his mother was a Ngai Tahu (Maori) woman from Poi, near Christchurch in New Zealand. Riki joined Gilimbaa as Creative Director at the start of 2010. He works in pen and ink, gouache on paper, and with acrylic paints, exploring concepts of traditional culture in a contemporary format.
“Besides interacting with a small and extremely hilarious group of talented individuals the thing I enjoy most about my role is learning about, educating and promoting our culture to an audience that otherwise may never have had the opportunity to engage and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Culture.”
Naomi Moran - Project Manager
Naomi brings her considerable experience in the Indigenous media and entertainment industry to her role as Gilimbaa’s project manager. A Bundjalung woman from the north coast of NSW, Naomi spent 10 years at the national Indigenous newspaper Koori Mail in production and advertising before working at National Indigenous TV and the National Indigenous Radio Service in marketing, communications and sponsorship (with the occasional stint in news-reading).
Combining her extensive project management experience with her communication skills, focus on project outcomes and a wicked sense of humour, Naomi works closely with clients and the Gilimbaa team to manage project deliverables and guide clients through the project process.
“My role at Gilimbaa gives me an exciting opportunity to help showcase, educate and appreciate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and encourage a continued professional and cultural unity between both Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations, businesses and communities.”
Jane McCrory, Copywriter & Content Strategist
Jane’s role encompasses all things content. With undergraduate qualifications in Literature, Communications, and Economics and post-graduate qualifications in Writing, Editing, and Publishing, it’s easy to see why she is Gilimbaa’s copywriter, editor and content strategist. Jane works closely with clients and the team to develop content that conveys key messages and connects with audiences through its language and style.
She is ruthless about the purpose of content, writing for your audience, and spelling. A qualified editor with a background in agency copywriting, editing and marketing/communications, Jane has worked with Gilimbaa since its inception. She is privileged to have the role of interviewing elders for Gilimbaa’s newsletter The Circle and to play a part in telling people’s stories.
“Apart from relishing the challenge of working with the team and our clients to create content with a clear purpose that resonates with audiences, I love the opportunity Gilimbaa affords me to learn about Indigenous culture and explore other people’s stories and in turn share those stories.”
Jen Hillhouse, Graphic Designer and Illustrator
Jen approaches graphic design and illustration as creative problem-solving, always seeking innovative and considered design solutions to project briefs. A graphic designer, illustrator, artist, photographer and musician, Jen studied Honours in Communication Design at the Queensland College of Art.
After graduating Jen worked at the Museum of Brisbane, gaining experience in designing for a range of media, including exhibition design, before moving to Brisbane studio Josephmark where she designed and illustrated for print and web. From there she joined Gilimbaa in 2008. Jen often explores the way photography and illustration can bring added depth to graphic design.
“I enjoy the challenge of using my knowledge as a designer to work with the team to explore the ways traditional Indigenous design and artwork can be applied within the boundaries of contemporary mainstream design.”