Testimonial: Egypt Equine Aid

Western Australian Jill Barton, CEO of Egypt Equine Aid, at her horse hospital near Cairo, Egypt.

“We met Cate Rocchi, Perth Media, during a talk at a networking event, hosted by Quorum in 2022. Cate offered to help find media opportunities for our horse charity. She worked quickly and I was surprised to swiftly be invited to several radio interviews including one with Jenni Seaton (Curtin FM Afternoon Show) and another with Tom Baddeley on ABC Perth breakfast radio. There was also a podcast with Triple M’s Rural Focus, hosted by Troy Stockden. These interviews led to more followers and supporters of our charity work in Egypt and a sizeable donation. One new large supporter read an online version of the ABC radio interview.

Subsequently, we have also had a film crew come to our charity in Egypt to shoot footage which should soon be shown on The Project.

Cate is an absolute delight to work with and kept me up to date with clear instructions on what I needed to do and where to go before every interview.

I highly recommend Perth Media and look forward to working with the company in the future.”

Jill Barton, CEO and Co-founder of Egypt Equine Aid

Testimonial: Strategic Creative Support

How to Professionally Brand Yourself and Your Project

“Being new to the industry, I reached out to Cate and Perth Media for much needed advice on a television series I am developing. Cate is very calm, methodical and knowledgeable. I was able to leave my session with Cate, full of excitement and direction. Cate helped me understand and plan the steps required to move forward in pitching my project. She has been great in widening my circle of contacts and with ideas to promote and strengthen my project. Thank you Cate.”

- Todd Jackson

Perth Media News

As Western Australia experiences increasing business activity, Perth Media’s clients are releasing more news. Here are our top recent results:

1.         A successful Media Conference, organised by Perth Media, for Blockhead Technologies in August, 2020. Perth business reporters saw $300,000 of gold bullion on display.  A presentation was made by Blockhead CEO Greg Leach, and representatives from ABC Refinery also attended. Coverage included Stockhead -  Gold Fraud is on the Rise but New Tech Is Helping Stomp it Out, S&P Global, Miningnews and Business News featured New Tracing App for Gold.

2.          Acuris and Stockhead covered Bryah Resources ongoing results and deal making while Paydirt featured the junior explorer substantially in its annual Diggers and Dealers Preview edition.

Source: ABC Refinery

Software Company – Blockhead Technologies – and Australian gold processor ABC Refinery enter partnership to trace gold bullion.

Top 5 PR Results for Perth Media: December 2019

Australian Vanadium Limited on location (Picture - Sophie Minissale, Perth Media)

As we enter our warmer months and head to the end of 2019, Perth Media has seen a strong flow of media activity for both ASX and small business clients. Our top five favourite results:

 1.       As business investment sentiment rose for gold, Australian Mining reported on our ASX client, Bryah Resources’, multi-pronged strategy of focusing on gold, copper and manganese.

The West Australian/Kalgoorlie Miner also carried the good news story of high-grade results in excess of 30g per tonne emerging from Bryah’s latest Gabanintha drilling  program, and our Perth Media consultant, Celia Pozzecco, filed a report whilst providing on-the-ground support to Bryah MD, Neil Marston, at the Gold and Alternative Investments Conference (GAIC) in Sydney.

 2.       We organised a Perth Press Conference for Australian Vanadium’s announcement on plans for a vanadium processing plant near Geraldton. Local government and community support for the economic boost this will bring was covered by the West Australian. The article noted the benefits of local investment giving rise to lower transport and construction costs as well as increased quality of life for workers living locally. GWN7 News also highlighted potential local investment for Geraldton and the Mid West.

 3.       Australian Vanadium Limited subsidiary, VSUN Energy, saw the announcement of its second battery sale to a dairy farm in Victoria, carried by UK Energy publication, bestmag.co.uk EPL.

 4.       Mirrabooka-based Sudbury Community House became our latest not-for-profit Adapters client, as it commissioned Perth Media to tell an important story of community support empowering those in need. The story detailed their move away from a ‘deficit model’ towards a community approach of individuals being supported towards self-help. The story was published by the WA Business News e-news bulletin and circulated to a readership of 40,000 +.

 5.       Mid-November saw a global media campaign on the release of Renascor Resources’ Definitive Feasibility Study for its Siviour graphite project in South Australia. Multiple news sites carried stories, including Mining.com the Asia Miner, The Pick magazine, Adelaide Advertiser, Miningnews, Australia’s Mining Monthly, S&P Global, Acuris and Smallcaps.

 Janine Taylor – Consultant, Perth Media

Central Banks are Buying Gold and Investors Urged to Follow at Sydney Gold Conference

GAIC: Bryah Resources MD Neil Marston with Perth Media Consultant Celia Pozzecco

Global investors should search for investments in quality gold stocks, as equity markets become more uncertain, according to speakers at a Sydney-based gold conference, writes Perth Media's Sydney-based consultant Celia Pozzecco.

Gold has seen a recent increase in profitability, which is a reverse of trends seen previously. 

Speaking recently at the Gold and Alternative Investments Conference (GAIC) in Sydney, John Mulligan - Director, Member and Market Relations, of the World Gold Council - said: "Gold is now back in investors’ minds... The recent rise in the gold price has finally seen it break out of the side-way trading band in which it has been stuck.

"The gold price has finally decoupled from the US dollar which indicates investors are becoming more risk adverse. The US Federal Bank has changed direction abruptly and globally, and central banks are buying gold. Most importantly, the rising gold price is being driven by speculator and investor interest. US dollar strength will not endure, combined with negative interest rates and negative yield-bearing assets. The ‘new normal’ is low interest rates and low yields. This is all supporting gold investment."

“Equity markets appear to be in bubble territory,” Mr Mulligan noted. Gold price is long-term driven. Historically, it is a growth market, not a cyclical market. Gold investment always moves west to east: The People’s Bank of China was a gold seller for many years. Now it is a gold buyer, he said. In 1989, the bank sold 432 tonnes of gold. In 2018, it bought 657 tonnes of gold.

“The Asian century is about to begin…and gold is an indicator of that socio-economic growth in Asia,” Mr Mulligan said. He also said, in 2009, the European Central Bank ceased selling gold. Central banks of developing nations have emerged as substantial gold buyers. This is indicative of a wider acceptance of gold within the financial system. European private investors are buying gold – 2,630 tonnes in the last decade, while Chinese and Indian private investors are driving up global gold demand. Historically, gold production was dominated by a handful of players, led by South Africa. Now, due to advancing technology, gold has a global production base which helps make it a very stable investment.

Another keynote speaker was Egon Von Greyerz, Founder and Managing Partner, Matterhorn Asset Management. His talk was a rather depressing presentation on the current – and future – state of the world’s declining financial and geopolitical health and how, as a consequence, this is driving gold investment.

“I think we’re facing the greatest risk in history…we’re going to have a very tough time in the world,” Mr Van Greyerz said. There is no point in investors waiting for the storm to pass; they have to “learn to dance in the rain”.

This growing risk is all based on the outrageously high levels of global debt – including current debt and unfunded liabilities such as healthcare and pensions. In 2006, global debt was $125T. In 2019, global debt was $260T. Mr Von Greyerz estimates that by 2025, it will be around $20 quadrillion. Combine this with low interest rates and 10-year negative yields and it is "unprecedented in history”.

“The USA, like the rest of the world, will drown in debt, thanks to hyper-inflationary collapse," he said. Investors should think about having a lot more gold in their portfolios “because then you are looking after yourself. The governments will not have enough money to look after you."

“I might sound like a profit of doom and gloom but I’m just looking at the level of risk and you can’t put your head in the sand.”

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WA Business News exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Perth Media Testimonial: Public Relations Campaign for Advanced Energy Resources on Refurbished Wind Turbines ‘Results Speak for Themselves’

On 19 June 2019, Perth Media ran a campaign on behalf of Advanced Energy Resources (AER).

Founded in 2006, AER is a WA electricity generator and retailer focused on supplying 100% renewable energy to its customers by 2025. Construction of its 3.5MW wind, solar and battery project will power GMA Garnet’s wet plant operations 40km south of Kalbarri in WA, a region of generally weak electricity network coverage.

On Perth Media’s successful media campaign, AER business development manager Steve Wall said: “When we announced our Australian-first 3.5MW Wind/Solar/Battery hybrid project to supply a mine in the Mid-West, we were determined to gain maximum exposure for our success.

“Cate and her team worked quickly and enthusiastically to ensure our story was embraced by a large number of industry, regional and general media outlets – including requests for interviews.”

Funding of $3 million by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Federal Government’s renewable energy programs manager, furthers its Advancing Renewables Program by commercially trialling AER’s back-to-back inverter technology. This, and the use of refurbished turbines, is a world first.

“Perth Media displayed a good understanding of AER’s business and the renewable energy industry in WA. The results spoke for themselves.” - Steve Wall, business development manager of Advanced Energy Resources.

Adapters: Perth's Real IQ Seeks Investment for Co-living Accommodation in India

Real IQ’s Raj Singh has launched Boston Living

Perth entrepreneur and real estate owner, Raj Singh, is teaming with an Indian property development group to deliver a revolutionary form of co-living accommodation in India that aims to attract Australian investors.

His real estate company, Real IQ in Northbridge, signed a joint venture with INCOR Group of India to provide fresh, purpose-built homes for university students and IT professionals in the teeming sub-continent.

“About 13 per cent of Indians migrate to other states for education, employment or marriage opportunities. That’s more than 150 million people,” Mr Singh says. “About 50 per cent of them are aged 18 to 35, and they need a place to live. Existing rental stock, which is not organised, is grossly inadequate to meet demand.”

Co-living is the answer, he says. For a set fee, tenants get purpose-built apartments with all essentials, including furniture, laundry, cooked food and even Netflix TV.

Two people who may or may not know each other cohabit separate beds in a one-bedroom unit; four people in a two-bedroom unit and, in each case, they share lounge, kitchen and toilet. As well, there are premium studio units for one person, targeted at the business community.

“We’re not selling apartments,” Mr Singh says. “We take the whole building and operate it like a hotel. It’s a new way of tenanting apartments that is more efficient and less costly. And funkier.”

Fully furnished homes will cost 10 to 15 per cent less than what tenants now pay, with the bonus of better locations, services and quality, inclusive pricing and onsite security staff.

Mr Singh says they fill a growing need for good accommodation in bustling hubs of education and technology in the metros of Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The target group is millennials – 18 to 35-year-olds – comprising students and professionals, a significant number of whom hold well-paid jobs with global tech giants.

Real IQ’s joint venture partner, INCOR Group, is one of South India’s most respected corporate houses in real estate. The group services more than 3600 families and INCOR has a penchant for building well-knit and vibrant communities. Through the Omni chain of hospitals, comprising six hospitals with more than 850 beds, the group also has a major presence in healthcare. In view of the considerable unmet need for organised accommodation, INCOR has launched Boston Living, a co-living brand that seeks to create a unique living experience.

Boston Living is renovating a former 260-room block of flats in Hyderabad to provide 500 co-living beds, to demonstrate the lifestyle. A new 500-bed development in Chennai is scheduled for completion in six months, to be followed by another with 1500 to 2000 beds in 18 months. A new 1000-bed complex is planned for Bangalore. Land is already set aside. Boston Living aims to incorporate 15,000 to 20,000 beds of premium co-living by 2023.

Mr Singh plans to fund the project by pitching to Australian institutional investors and high net worth individuals. Australia’s low interest rates will lead investors to diversify into emerging overseas markets, he predicts. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s economy is geared to double in five years’ time, spurred on by regulatory changes to attract foreign investment.

Mr Singh was born and raised in India and has more than 17 years’ experience in real estate in New Zealand and Perth.

He took note of India’s booming economy and spent 18 months researching its property market and tax structures, the latter to provide solutions for investors outside of India.

Mr Singh teamed up with property developer, INCOR Group, where an old friend, Surya Pulagam, was at the helm. They planned co-living projects under the banner, Boston Living, to meet accommodation demands of an increasing number of young people in fast-growing cities.

“Our goal is to get the millennials to switch to co-living from traditional home rentals,” he said.

According to his research, India’s 3.6 million beds in the shared rental market in 2018 will grow to 5.7 million by 2023. Co-living’s 2.6 per cent of rentals will grow to 8.3 per cent in that timeframe.

Nearly 40 per cent of India’s millennial workforce are migrants. About 4.7 million migrant millennials are employed in the service sector across India’s top seven cities, a figure expected to increase to approximately 7 million by 2023. Most of them stay in unorganised rented accommodation.

For more information please email: raj.singh@realiq.org

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WABN exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Perth Media's 'Adapters Short Film' Launches with Marina's Ambrosia

Marina Herlihy, of Marina’s Ambrosia, is Perth Media’s first Adapter’s Short Film

Perth Media Adapters are now available as short films, as well as 600-word written columns.

Adapters is a Perth Media brand that profiles news stories about small businesses, start-ups and not for profit organisations in Australia. After one year trialing a successful written content service, the company is extending the Adapters service to video productions - Adapters Short Films.

Marina’s Ambrosia is the first one!

Adapters has profiled many dynamic people driving innovative Australia enterprises so far.

Some of these became subjects in the Adapters print series published online by WA Business News. They gave thousands of readers an insight into the people creating our new work environment.

Perth Media services have adapted and grown to meet rising demand for video production.

“We’re finding more and more clients want to use film to tell their stories and connect to customers ,” Ms Rocchi said.

“So we are offering clients the opportunity to make short videos about their products and services, at a modest fee. Many have tried to make films themselves at home, but found the quality has been poor and they appreciate the input of media professionals. It also saves them time and stress, they don’t have to worry about being amateur film makers now. They can just visit our Nedlands office, talk to an interviewer and our team with produce a fabulous short film.”

Client companies will be able to use videos on their websites and in media releases and social media and YouTube channels, knowing the material is professionally produced and edited.

“We expect our business community will be interested in this service as a means of keeping up with modern media,” Ms Rocchi said. “Client businesses evolve, and we must, too, if we are to offer a comprehensive, useful service.”

Perth Media, which is based in Nedlands, Perth, began in 2015 and is owned by Ms Rocchi, a former finance reporter. Her journalism experience took her from WA and into some of the world’s biggest financial publishing houses in Hong Kong and London.

“I imagine Perth Media will offer more media content services to dovetail with videos,” Ms Rocchi said. “We will be guided by feedback from clients. But what we can say is that we continue to see a big future for video, and we are improving our services to assist our clients connect with their customers and stakeholders.”

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WABN exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Adapters: Perth Startup Ajero Brings Digital Know-how to Oil and Gas Decommissioning

From left: Ajero Pty Ltd's David McLeod, Farzan Marfatia and Peter Walton

Three oil and gas industry executives have found a way to tap into a $35 billion pool of opportunity in the waters around Australia, with the launch of their company Ajero Pty Ltd.

They have identified an emerging new market from the decommissioning of old pipelines and offshore installations.

Ajero has developed a Software as a Service (SaaS) based platform - complete with algorithm/engine - to facilitate the decommissioning process for the oil and gas industry by helping to determine the best way forward to clear the world’s oceans of abandoned offshore installations.

Ajero is the brainchild of Perth local, Farzan Marfatia. “Australia is just starting to decommission its offshore oil and gas facilities. There are up to 80 offshore facilities and only a handful have been decommissioned,” he says.

“But procedures and standards for decommissioning are ambiguous. We’re striving to bring consistency and logic to the planning and decommissioning process, while keeping the industry up to date with the latest technologies and methods available.”

With often hundreds of millions of dollars provisioned to decommission a facility, the need to successfully navigate the minefield of legislation, regulation and opinion has never been more important.

 “Legislation calls for complete removal and rehabilitation,” Mr Marfatia says. “Literally, it means oil and gas companies must leave the title area how they received it.

"Complete removal is not always the best solution because new environmental research suggests that subsea equipment turned into an artificial reef or marine habitat may be beneficial to the environment. There is some evidence fish stocks improve around pipelines and infrastructure. So, the question is whether complete removal is really the best solution."

It’s a critical point, given that airlifting and excavation is often used for removal of equipment, but can significantly disturb seabeds and marine habitats, and remedial work must meet international maritime conventions to which Australia is a signatory.

The overall cost of decommissioning Australia’s fields is estimated at US$24 billion (AU$35 billion) over 30 years. With companies now required to have a decommissioning plan, Ajero developed software to independently assess each project efficiently at reduced cost using tested and validated algorithms.

Mr Marfatia combined his expertise as a project engineer with that of two former colleagues, Peter Walton, now Ajero’s managing director, and David McLeod, CFO/finance manager.

They targeted decommissioning work, reckoning that a digital platform could plough through the sea of regulatory and environmental issues faster and more efficiently than consulting hours. The digital technology provides the end user the ability to run through several decommissioning scenarios, while considering personnel safety and impact to the environment. Furthermore, the auto generated reports are immediately available to the user once the relevant information has been entered and agreed in a 'HAZID' style workshop. The report's format is consistent each time, which will help regulators reviewing the documents.

The result is an annual subscription service for Ajero software that can perform in-house, in one week, what usually takes an outsourced consultancy up to 18 weeks. The cost savings are significant.

“If an operator wants to leave some structures in place when decommissioning, there are questions," Mr Marfatia says. "What do they leave? What do they remove? And how likely is it to be accepted by the regulator? Ajero software platform can provide the solutions."

Aside from offshore oil and gas operators, Ajero has recently signed agreements with two global management consulting firms to explore the platform's use for the legal and insurance industries.

Series of Cracking Films for Australian Vanadium

Perth Media’s film for Australian Vanadium’s Pre Feasibility Study for the Gabanintha Vanadium project in Western Australia. Editing by Courtney Waller.