Hoolagans

Our core hoola values are integrity, humility, and passion and whilst we’re each beautifully diverse and different, we all share and live these values every day.
At hoola there is a like-minded sense of kindred unity which propagates a desire for colleagues and clients genuine best. You see, it’s not just what we do, but how we hoola, and who we hoola with and for, that makes all the remarkable difference to us.

We truly do find joy in solving remarkable challenges with remarkable solutions.

Kenny Holloway

ACTING MD
Propelling progress fuels me. Sometimes growth requires innovation & change, and sometimes it just needs consistency & stability – collaborating to advance sustainable solutions is part of the joy of our agency life! I’d like to be thought of as a God-fearing, people-loving, broad-minded-narrow-downing, insight-generating, wisdom-guiding guy who listens well and brings out the best in people. But what’s said about oneself is much better done by others. I’m a husband, dad, son, and brother, a pastor, economist, writer, scholar, surfer, explorer, wannabe farmer, proud South African, and very average muso. I count working with remarkable people on remarkable brands doing remarkable stuff in this world a great privilege & blessing.

Danie Brink

FOUNDER & CEO
Having lived in the USA, Australia and all over South Africa, I have developed a passion for growing business at a global level. I came to realise that the modern online world offers new and exciting opportunities for businesses to thrive. That’s why I founded hoola Agency in 2016, with a passion for developing people and business and using the digital world to do both.

Our hoola team is the evolution of this realisation and I am excited about the possibilities that await us and our clients. I place a high value on family and I love the outdoors and the pursuit of an active lifestyle.

Jadine van Breda

STRATEGY & DIGITAL DIRECTOR
My greatest passion as a strategist lies in learning about the intricacies of each business from the people I meet, and how to implement that knowledge in solving clients’ challenges and building their dreams. Having been with hoola from the start, I strive to maintain our rich company culture, which is truly different to any agency or corporate setting that I've experienced.

On a personal note, I have a great love for people, food, photography, advertising and other cultures.

Lauren Wait

BUSINESS DIRECTOR
I'm passionate about people and thrive off building relationships. The hoola way is unique in how we collaborate and find the right marketing solution for our partners. We have the opportunity to influence people's experience with, and perception of great brands.

In my career, I've been challenged and have had the incredible opportunity to work with brands in different sectors. I love the passion and energy in our industry. I strive to lead by example and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Jamie Bell

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
It's all about the passion. For amazing creatives' executions, for the idea to beat all others and to do it without compromising the true artform that is designing for solutions.

I love to connect with clients on a personal level, to understand what drives their passion and to always meet on a level that's not becoming of typical pretentious advertising 'Mad Men' language.

Let's do awesome things in this world, together.

Andrea Jackson

HR CONSULTANT
I am passionate about learning, self-development and equipping leaders to face a new world of work. My objective is to help create more successful individuals and organizations. My motto is to encourage and mobilise and I believe everyone has something amazing within them.

My faith and family are most important to me and when I don’t answer my phone it’s probably because I’m out horse riding.

Neil Dickson

CFO
I'm extremely passionate about business, and finding the best and most innovative ways to build businesses is where I find joy. As much as the creatives might not like to hear it, it's looking closely at the numbers that drives good decision making! I firmly believe that the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts and that by careful analysis, we can make those tiny gains that make all the difference.

Away from the office, I love running ridiculous distances and I have completed a number of ultra marathons - another passion where the numbers count!

Michelle Brink

HR & ACCOUNTS
My passion for people inspired me to complete my Bachelors Degree in Education with a specialisation in the Psychology of Education. I want to bring out the very best in people. I have realised that this can be done through education, mentorship or simply playing a support role.

I believe in living a balanced life where family and health come first. I enjoy working in a team where I can inspire people and grow alongside them.

Zinzi May

ART DIRECTOR
I was drawn to visual communication because of the power it has to influence the world. I love Africa and believe in its potential to have its own unique identity.

I focus my career on building proudly African brands and believe in the power of brand self-identification - don't be like anything else, be yourself!

I find joy in spending quality time with family and investing in local art and brands.

Jessica Ah Sing

SENIOR DIGITAL ANALYST
I’m passionate about people and technology, and to me - marketing is the best of both worlds! I believe every person and every brand has a unique story to tell, and I love how through advancing technology, digital and social media, we are able to tell these stories in new and innovative ways!

When I’m not at work with my hoola family, you can find me ballroom dancing, cooking or on a spontaneous adventure with my friends.

Diann Holder

BOOKKEEPER
I've always just loved working with numbers and finding solutions to problems, so it only made sense for me to join the world of accounting. They say if you choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life and never has that saying been truer than right now, being a proud hoolagan. Not only am I doing the job I love, but I get to do it with the most amazing bunch of people. If I'm not busy on a spreadsheet or calculator, you can find me spending time with my family, cooking, baking or watching documentaries.

Chris Hoelson

SENIOR COPYWRITER
The power of words fascinates me! Their ability to paint spectacular pictures, elicit emotion and bring amazing ideas and concepts to life is awe-inspiring. I have a passion and deep appreciation for the spoken and written word. My career path has meandered through the corporate landscape to the forest of creativity, where I have finally found a place that feels right! In my spare time you can find me on the golf course, surfing, or gaming on my PC. I'm an avid reader and dabble in art when I get the chance. This wonderful new journey continues and I'm proud to be doing it as a hoolagan!

Chelsea Gardner

CREATIVE: DESIGN
I've always dreamed of working in the creative world, and I love that working at hoola allows me to do just that, alongside a unique team of creative individuals. It excites me that there’s always something new to learn, especially in this ever-growing digital world we find ourselves in, which fuels my love for the creative industry as there are endless possibilities and always room for growth! When I’m not at work, I’m spending time with my family, friends and 4 cats, or exploring other passions of mine, which include photography, hiking, plant-based cooking and yoga.

Odwa Lalela

BRAND CONSULTANT
For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to become a TV presenter. Since then, my fascination with how everything worked behind the scenes gripped me even more. I'm fascinated by the process of making small brands realise their full potential in the digital world. I have a great love for the creative world, and its ability to reveal so many people's hidden talents. When I'm not at hoola, you'll find me with my head down reading a good book or at a cute coffee shop with friends.

Nathan Benjamin

SENIOR CREATIVE: DESIGN
I've always been intrigued by how things work, both independently and as a collective. This curiosity appealed more to my creative side and over time evolved into a passion for Design, Illustration, Motion Graphics etc. Honestly, I love all things in the creative realm but I have a true devotion to Layout and Typography. My goal is to become a more well-rounded creative and expand my skill-set into Art Direction. I relish the opportunity to work as part of a dynamic team, especially one where we share the same passion for what we do.

Lonwabo Ngcwayi

JUNIOR CONCEPTUAL CREATIVE
I am motivated by the pursuit of the best version of myself possible; how creative can I possibly be and how much of an impact can I make in the world. I follow my goosebumps and that pursuit led me to learn a number of creative mediums of expression. I enjoy spending time in spaces that refill me, in places that reflect me with people that renew me. I grew up in a rural Xhosa village and I strongly believe that the childhood memories and the ideas birthed in that space gave me an interesting creative perspective and I believe being African, in the current creative landscape, is a "superpower."

Bradley Dubbelman

SENIOR STRATEGIST
Strategy is about finding order in the chaos – deriving meaning from complexity. The reward is not in the strategic output of the work but rather in the process of solving it. I have a passion for understanding the human experience and diving deep into what drives behaviour, which provides the foundation for any succesfull marketing strategy. The opportunity to immerse oneself in a clients business, gain an intricate understanding of their brand, and ultimately provide strategically-led solutions to their business problems is what motivates me. In my free time, you are likely to find me hanging with friends, hiking mountains, running trails, or simply just hanging out with my family on the beach!

Lené van der Merwe

SENIOR BRAND CONSULTANT
I value the heart that goes into developing brands. Being able to help clients grow and meet their business needs is rewarding. I believe in customer service with a smile, transparency, hard work, that a little humor goes a long way and that failure is a stepping stone to success. I enjoy quality time with my loved ones, the outdoors, throwing a few weights around in the gym and a good bottle of red wine. Fun fact: I once won a "hoola as long as you can" contest at a school event - and here I am a few years later hoola-ing with this awesome team. Coincidence, I think not 😉

Ryan Sainsbury

CREATIVE: DESIGN
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but imagine the life that cat experienced. I've constantly found things that may seem mundane to others a chance for learning and understanding things fully. I treat design the same. Why do things look the way they do? Why does this colour make me feel a certain way? It's these small, seemingly mundane aspects, that usually are the drivers for reinforcing an idea. My passion lies in creating things that move. Giving a set of pixels its own unique personality is something quite magical, and I live for creating that magic.

Robyn Furstenburg

SENIOR BRAND CONSULTANT
I have a fiery passion for brands and curiosity to understand how people immerse in the brands they love and why they do. Marketing is fascinating to me and an incredibly challenging industry, which is why I fell in love with it. Hard work, resilience, focus and determination set you apart in anything in life, particularly your career. Dreams don't work if you don't, but ultimately, everything is hard until it's not. Believe fully, work consistently, surround yourself with like-minded people, and achieve the extraordinary. What lights my world are the people I'm surrounded by and their energy, getting fulfilment out of the work I am doing, no matter where or how that might be.

Kai Schoemaker

JUNIOR CONCEPTUAL CREATIVE
I've always found fulfilment in the act of learning and thus have never had a "dream job". What I learnt about has never been much of a bother to me, as long as I was continually growing as a person, which makes hoola the perfect place for me. Working alongside an array of unique individuals in the Creative, Brand, and Digital teams has given me the opportunity to forever improve and have a laugh at the same time. Some of my passions in life include learning languages, socio-political factors, problem solving, storytelling, and the arts. I'm also partial to Dungeons & Dragons, reading, and swimming.

Savannah Connacher

BRAND CONSULTANT
Remember the days when Pepsi and Coke used to battle it out through combative advertising campaigns? That's what got me hooked on the idea of going into marketing. I ended up studying psychology first and then went on to study digital marketing. The two go together like tea & rusks! My love for writing got me my very first job in rugby journalism. After moving on from the world of journalism, I tried out agency life, and the rest is history! When I'm not at the office, you'll find me flipping through recipe books, outdoors taking photos, laughing away with my friends and family or planning my next trip!

Akhona Yosa

BRAND CONSULTANT
Communication works for those who work at it – John Powell

I love how effective communication is needed not only in business, but in pretty much every aspect in life. It’s the middleman between confusion and clarity – much like I’m the middleman between the clients and the audience/resources/suppliers and so the list continues... I started with a Diploma in Journalism and needed to broaden that skillset, hence the degree of Arts in Media, COMMUNICATION, and culture. If I’m not glued to my work PC screen, I’m at the park with my doggos, trying out new hairstyles or places, taking random pictures, reading fantasy books/novels, or glued to another screen watching Netflix.

Devon Schoemaker

JUNIOR COPYWRITER
My goal of using words to inspire those around me stems from my studies in psychology and sociology as well as from the lessons I've learnt from the people I've met between classes over the years. I’ve always been a fan of the creative side of life; doing visual art in high school, playing drums since I was 12, becoming an affiliate Twitch streamer, and even attempting to start a couple of podcasts with friends! Inspiring people has always been a major motivator for me. If I’m not writing, then you’ll find me playing my favourite games, telling stories in Dungeons & Dragons, or enjoying some good banter with my friends.

Portia Tambo

AGENCY COORDINATOR
I am a go-getter and I always go in with a positive mindset in any given situation. I did not see myself in the fast paced creative world but here I am enjoying the work environment! One develops a sense of pride in the end result having been in front of camera, behind it in production, and now coordinating it! My work allows me to experience almost every department, whether it's digital, creative, production or brand consultancy, and that's a big yes in my book! I am a mother, and wife which seals the deal on who I am.

Kim Yvonne Phillips

SENIOR CREATIVE: DESIGN
I aspire to be passionate and compassionate and show that part of myself through the work that I do and with the people that I work with. With ambition I have been able to learn, grow, and conquer obstacles in my career and personal life that before felt near impossible. For me, conveying emotion is so important, which is exactly why I adore every moment I spend creating and communicating in the marketing world. Apart from my day-to-day, I identify as a night owl, spending my time as an aspiring aerial artist and performer OR feeding my video game addiction. Find what fuels your fire and make it burn!

Chelsey Daniels

DIGITAL ANALYST ASSISTANT
Since I was young, I’ve always been fascinated by the creative world. It’s so vast and rich, always with new energy flowing through it. This led me to study media, communications, and culture at NMU. I have a passion for relationship building and I’ve always been intrigued by how people operate and why they make the decisions that they do. I strongly believe in self-development and using the power of human connection to achieve remarkable things. In my free time, you can catch me watching series, listening to good music, eating great food, and exploring new spots in town!