What Fireside Agency Pty Ltd does

Fireside Agency Pty Ltd (legal entity: Fireside Content Agency Pty Ltd) is an Australian boutique communications consultancy that provides strategic storytelling, content creation, brand identity, design, and embedded communications support. Founded by Ben Hart and operating from Brunswick East (Melbourne) and Byron Bay, the firm serves government bodies, health services, advocacy organizations, First Nations-led initiatives, and mission-driven enterprises. Its core offering is the 'embedded communications support' model — long-term retainer engagements in which Fireside practitioners integrate with client teams to provide ongoing strategic counsel, crisis communications, media training, and capability building rather than transactional project delivery. Service modules include brand identity and design, impact reporting, organizational narrative strategy, executive storytelling workshops, and crisis communications.

The agency's product portfolio combines professional services with a small set of published thought-leadership artifacts. These include the 'Storycraft' storytelling guide (sold via Gumroad), the 'The Story' print magazine about storytelling (sold via Big Cartel, originally launched as a free digital publication in 2021), and the 'Reframing Risk' discussion paper on risk intelligence in public institutions, co-authored by Ben Hart and presented at the AdaptNSW Forum. The five-member named team combines senior editorial pedigree (former editors of frankie magazine and Smith Journal) with senior government communications experience (former Chief of Staff to the Victorian Environment Minister, communications leadership at Headspace, ARENA, and the AFL Players' Union).

Fireside generates revenue through two streams: (1) professional services billed on a custom project or retainer basis with multi-year contracts, distributed through direct, relationship-based sales to enterprise and government clients; and (2) one-time product sales of educational and creative materials through third-party e-commerce storefronts. The firm is founder-owned, has no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. It operates as an independent private Australian company domiciled in Victoria. Named anchor clients include the Municipal Association of Victoria, Bendigo Bank, North Richmond Community Health, The Nature Conservancy, Children's Ground, the Victorian Drug Checking Trial, Living Lab Northern Rivers, and Tyson Yunkaporta. The agency has won the Australian Good Design Awards 2025, multiple Communicator Awards, a Davey Award, and was shortlisted for the Better Future Australian Design Awards 2026.

Name

Fireside Agency Pty Ltd

Legal name

Fireside Content Agency Pty Ltd

Website

https://firesideagency.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fireside Agency Pty Ltd is an Australian boutique communications consultancy that provides strategic storytelling, content, design, and embedded communications support to government bodies, health services, nonprofits, First Nations organizations, and mission-driven enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brunswick East

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Services: Full-spectrum communications support including strategy development, content creation, brand identity, and embedded team support. Billed as ongoing retainer engagements or project-based work for government bodies, health services, and advocacy organizations.
2. Storytelling Resources & Publications: Sale of educational materials including the 'Storycraft' guide sold through Gumroad, and print magazine 'The Story' sold through Big Cartel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fireside Agency is a communications consultancy that provides strategic communications, storytelling, content creation, brand identity design, and workshops for organisations. They offer retained and project-based engagements covering strategy development, impact reporting, brand architecture, crisis communications, and embedded team support. They also publish educational resources (Storycraft guide) and a print magazine (The Story).

Product overview

Fireside Agency is a communications consultancy offering strategic storytelling services. The firm operates a dual approach combining publishing expertise with strategic communications counsel. Their product portfolio includes published resources (Storycraft guide, The Story magazine, Reframing Risk paper) alongside core consulting services encompassing brand identity, impact reporting, organizational narratives, storytelling workshops, and embedded communications support. The agency specializes in working with government bodies, health organizations, First Nations communities, and advocacy groups on complex communications challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Communications and Strategy Services Strategic communications services combining publishing expertise with strategic counsel. Includes brand identity development, impact and evaluation reports, crisis communications, organisational narratives, and executive leadership coaching. Designed for government bodies, health services, advocacy groups, and mission-driven enterprises.
• Embedded Communications Support Long-term retainer partnerships embedding Fireside team members within client organisations to provide day-to-day communications leadership, strategic guidance, and capability building. Designed for complex organisations such as government departments, health services, and large nonprofits that need sustained senior communications support.
• Storytelling Workshops Interactive workshops teaching storytelling skills for impact, helping clients influence stakeholders and drive change through narrative. Designed for executives, communications teams, and advocacy groups seeking to improve their storytelling capability.
• Brand Identity and Design Visual identity development including logo design, brand architecture, and style guides that translate organisational stories into cohesive visual systems. Designed for organisations needing to refresh or establish brand identity in alignment with their narrative strategy.
• The Story Magazine A print magazine about stories, the forms they take, the people who tell them, and the ways they get under people's skin. Originally launched as a free digital publication in 2021 and reimagined as a print magazine. Sold directly to consumers and storytelling enthusiasts.
• Storycraft Guide A 30-page human-written guide distilling the fundamentals of storytelling, including the psychology behind engagement, storytelling frameworks, and practical tips for creating compelling content. Sold via Gumroad to professionals seeking to improve their storytelling skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ views in first few days for Tyson Yunkaporta protocols project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SupermarketminorOthersWebsite development partner. Built the Fireside Agency website according to source: 'built by Supermarket'
• PublicminorOthersDesign partner responsible for website design according to source: 'Designed by Public'
• Lila TheodorosminorOthersDesigner collaborated with Fireside on the Tyson Yunkaporta protocols project. Worked on reimagining how the document looked and felt.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Thinkerbell: Australian boutique creative and strategic communications agency founded with a similar 'measured magic' positioning. Comparable in size, Australian market focus, and emphasis on integrated storytelling across consumer and social-impact clients.
• Fenton Communications: US-based mission-driven communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and progressive brands. Closely matches Fireside's vertical focus on social-impact, health, and community-led storytelling work.
• Hallam: UK-based boutique communications and digital agency serving mission-driven and B2B clients. Comparable size, embedded-team retainer model, and emphasis on strategic narrative work.
• WE Communications: Global communications agency focused on technology and social-impact clients, with deep expertise in narrative-driven campaigns. Comparable services mix (brand narrative, purpose storytelling, impact reporting) but at significantly larger scale.
• FGS Global: Global strategic communications advisory serving corporations, governments, and NGOs on complex narrative and stakeholder challenges. Comparable strategic communications, crisis management, and executive narrative services for high-stakes clients.
• BMF Advertising: Highly awarded Australian creative agency with a strong storytelling and brand identity orientation. Comparable mission-driven and government-adjacent client work, with deeper scale and headcount than Fireside.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Largest global public relations firm with a dedicated purpose, health, and government practice. Competes with Fireside for the same mission-driven and public-sector clients but at far greater scale and geographic reach.
• Allison+Partners: Mid-sized global communications firm with purpose and social-impact practices. Overlaps Fireside in nonprofit, health, and purpose-driven storytelling engagements.
• Ogilvy PR: Global creative and communications network with established public-sector and social-impact offerings. Overlaps Fireside's brand storytelling and impact-reporting work but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Regional players

• The Communications Group: Australian integrated communications agency focused on social purpose, philanthropy, and advocacy sectors. Highly comparable client base (nonprofits, peak bodies, government) and strategic storytelling approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firesideagencyaus
• Instagraminstagram.com/firesideagency

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fireside Agency Pty Ltd