Meet Our Team: Dane Falkenhagen

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝘆𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮?
I’m an Account Manager and spend most my time working with a mix of local property clients across SEQ and our almighty auto client, Mahindra Australia.

It’s been a huge learning experience helping these brands grow. Starting out as a Media Assistant gave me the basics, but since starting at Ryvalmedia I have had to learn quickly about who I am in this industry and how to keep pace.

𝗙𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆?
Two come to mind, both sports-related.

The first is Simon Wilson’s “Race to Monaco”—a YouTube series where Simon sets off from Bruce McLaren’s original garage in Auckland to the McLaren Racing F1 garage at the Monaco GP. As far as I can tell, it was an unpaid collaboration with McLaren, but it got millions of views and built hype leading up to the race. Super smart. I don't normally bother watching the Monaco Grand Prix but this got me invested.

The second is McDonald's x State of Origin Maroons/Blues Meal—simple but so effective. Tapping into a rivalry like that just works. I’ve still got two Maroons collector cups sitting in my cupboard.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆?
The people are lovely and hard working and no two days are the same - there’s always a new challenge and new opportunities. I also appreciate the combination of a fast-paced industry that also makes time to catch up over lunch.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵?
I like that YouTube and the independent media scene growing around it is getting its flowers now. It’s been dominating video and podcasting for years, and there’s so much creative content coming from individual people. I also think platforms like Nebula are doing cool things—putting control back into the hands of creators instead of the big tech giants, a show on there I love is Jet Lag: The Game (think Amazing Race but convoluted and nerdy). For trashy TV I watch Below Deck, although I am not a fan of this season's editing. For movies I thought that the recent Aussie horror movies - Bring Her Back and Together - were excellent.

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Feels like a boring answer but you have to keep an eye on hashtag#AI. It’s already changing how search works and how people find content—whether it’s AI-generated recipes, shopping lists, or travel itineraries. That shift is pulling a lot of traffic away from traditional publishers.

The lesson so far - Content still matters more than ever. Brands need to invest in their own content and stay in control of their story—especially with AI constantly looking for new material to serve up.

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲?
Hard to go past Ricochet on Edward St and if you’re in the Valley a toasted sandwich and cappuccino from Bellissimo is a must – it’s popular for a reason!