Feeding the dragon: Pause Fest founder George Hedon on why content matters in startups and how to do it well

This originally started as an interview for the Beyond the Event guide by The Community Collective and The Nudge Group, with key voices from ThePillars, Curious Media and So-Co Collective to name a few, but I’ve expanded it here with some extra insights so you can have it all in one place.

After 15 years of building Pause Fest into one of the most respected innovation festivals in Australia—launching Pause Awards, Pause Originals, Pause Studio this year, spending a decade prior in top Ad agency land and a few viral stunts along the way—I’ve got a few thoughts on branded content and events.

Let’s get into it.

The way people engage around brands and events has gone from a few marketing assets to running a full-blown media company.

The challenge? Audiences are fragmented, algos are moody, and everyone’s fighting for attention. But if you get it right—if your content strategy is tight, your vision is clear, and your execution consistent—events become goldmines for brand equity, visibility and long-tail community engagement.

Pause Fest became that point or proof. We trended above SpaceX on Twitter. We went globally viral by implanting RFID chips as tickets into ten people’s hands to waive at the entrance to enter. One of our hero videos, The Power of Pause, hit over 50,000 views and 80,000 impressions.

That didn’t happen by chance. It came from obsessing not just over the event, but over how the Pause brand lived in the world before, during and after.

Content has Changed. So is the Game.

When I started Pause Fest, content wasn’t as diverse, and we didn’t have 10 platforms to juggle. A good blog and some speaker headshots used to cut it. Not anymore. Content is king? Sure—but let’s be real, video is king now!

Platforms are shifting, algos play favourites, ads are getting expensive and hooked audiences expect a lot—well consistency. It’s not one-size-fits-all and remember, the reach is not for free anymore! You need to know what you’re making, who it’s for, when to post, and why it matters. It’s granular. And complicated. And a game.

Today, you’ve got to pick your platform winners and double down. LinkedIn and Instagram Stories are still performing well for business events—especially if you know how to work them with post timings, hooks and a bit of storytelling magic.

From hook to halo: content across the funnel

Top-of-funnel content is where you hook people in. You’ve got 3–5 seconds max. I always recommend a punchy 60-second brand awareness video with a 15-second CTA version that hits hard right from the first second. Use faces, moments, energy—not just product or branding fluff.

Back it up with smart Google Search ads and retargeting using images from your actual event—people want to see real people. Test, test, test. Then layer in stories, speaker content, and benefits of attending. Articles, podcasts, speaker interviews—all that good stuff belongs in the middle-of-funnel.

By the time you’re at the bottom-of-funnel, it’s about trust and social proof. Testimonials, quotes, clips from past sessions that make people go, “daaayamn, I got to be there!” For Pause Fest, our ‘The Power of Pause’ video did exactly that—over 50,000 views, 80,000 impressions. Not bad for a single piece of content.

FOMO is your friend (at the event)

This is where things heat up. During the event, you’re not just delivering to your attendees—you’re already building hype for next year.

Pause Awards founder George Hedon. Photo: Jess Middleton

I’d set up automated daily EDMs to hit inboxes at 8am with the day’s “Top 10 Picks,” personally signed off by the curator. That little human touch in the morning, while people are on their way to the venue, makes a huge difference—it sets the tone for the day.

Then we’d follow it up with an end-of-day email wrap, recapping the highlights, running surveys with giveaways and pointing people toward spots to mingle and what’s on after hours. It kept the energy high, the crowd flowing and made sure no one missed the magic.

On socials, it’s live quotes, speaker snaps, crowd reactions, networking shots—anything that shows momentum. And here’s a secret tip: recruit social media ninjas. Give them free tickets in exchange for real-time authentic content from their personal accounts. Just make sure they report back daily. Every year, Pause Fest trended on Twitter for two to three days—but in 2018 it floated above SpaceX’s very first Falcon Heavy launch. That’s still one of my proudest moments.

The Aftermovie that actually means something

Post-event is where most organisers slow down. Don’t. This is where you build a legacy. Your Aftermovie should say something—it should have a story, a theme, a feeling. It’s your brand in motion, not just a highlight reel with a soundtrack.

Here’s what I do: I plan for the Aftermovie before the event. I line up 15 key speakers and ask them all the same thought-provoking questions. These interviews drive the story of the video. And when editing, you’ve now got an Aftermovie with narrative, not noise.

Plus, it’s easy to chop up those interviews into 60-second standalone clips, 15-second soundbites, and social edits. Same content, ten different uses. That’s how you get ROI.

Metrics? Here’s what actually matters

I don’t just care about how many people saw it—I care about how long the content lives. One great piece of Pause Fest content can run for years. Some of our YouTube uploads from 5–10 years ago are still getting views. Teenage Engineering’s 2016 keynote has over 23k and counting.

Sure, I track views, engagement, social shares and open rates. (Quick note: advertisers love to ask how big is your email database, but I prefer smaller lists with 45% open rates than bloated ones with 9–12%. Engagement > vanity.)

But the main metric is this: did it keep the conversation alive until the next event? If yes, you’re winning!

Repurpose with purpose

People forget how much value sits in the archives. It’s not just about lazy “Throwback Thursday” reposts—though those are fine. It’s about spinning old content in fresh ways. Add context. Tie it to current trends and events. When Twitter bought Ueno Agency, I resurfaced the Founder Haraldur Thorleifsson’s 2020 keynote from Pause Fest. Suddenly it was relevant again.

This is where being strategic really pays off. Plan for repurposing—don’t leave it to chance. Don’t let your video team just do their thing and hope for the best. Direct the story. Stay on brand. Own the narrative. Beat the trends.

Your event is a media lab

If you’re not extracting insights and content from your event, you’re leaving gold on the table. Every session is a chance to spot patterns, test ideas and capture trends at the grassroots and enterprise level.

Like Beyond the Event, we did something similar at Pause with our The State of Australian Tech 2020 report. Each year we’d also produce comprehensive impact reports to show our partners what we achieved with their support. On top of that, we pulled together a Top 10 Trends report based on speaker presentations—so we weren’t just putting on a show, we were tracking what was actually resonating, and adding some flavour too.

Over the years, we interviewed many founders and business leaders about the skills they’d learned building companies, and some of that content was co-created with suppliers, while others were packaged and sold through sponsorships.

This kind of thinking turns your event into a content machine, media company and a research engine. It builds value for your ecosystem well beyond the event itself.

At the moment, everyone’s talking about AI. But I’m more interested in how we’ll access it. China’s open AI vs US closed AI models is the big debate. Sam Altman’s $20k/month AI agent announcement? That’s not for the average person. If we can make AI free and open, like Wikipedia, everyone wins. That’s the fight worth watching.

Designing for real connection

Let’s be honest—events can be overwhelming. So you need to design moments where people actually meet. At Pause Fest, we capped workshops at 30 people, ran 10-minute speed dates with speakers and experts, used apps and even had volunteers play matchmaker between attendees.

And the venue plays a critical role. I love non-traditional spaces where people have to interact—hallways, rooftops, lounge areas. It forces connection.

As the Founder of Pause Fest, I made it my mission and priority to introduce and meet as many people as possible on the day of the event. It’s simple, but incredibly impactful to be available for handshakes, photos, quick chats and good times with your attendees and getting feedback—if you can stay stress-free and avoid getting caught up in operations. That presence goes a long way.

These days I also run my Dynamic Storytelling workshops—part improv, part theatre, part experiment. I’ve done it at SXSW Sydney, Design Outlook and internationally online. It’s playful, disarming, and connects people in the most surprising ways. Honestly, some attendees say it opened their minds up and challenged their comfort zone—and that’s the kind of impact I love.

Stay present or be forgotten

Let’s kill the idea that you can track every content piece back to a ticket sale. That’s not how it works. The game now is attention, consistency and emotional value. If you disappear, your audience will too. Content needs to be always-on, always-relevant, always-brand-aligned.

And yes, you can—and should—track your ads, CTAs and conversions. But the big-picture strategy? It’s about staying present. Staying interesting. Staying valuable.

Why value-driven programming wins

There’s nothing better than walking into a packed to the brim session and seeing 1,000 people, some sitting on the ground, some leaning on walls scribbling notes, chatter… hungry to learn. I know many companies that send their top staff to Pause Fest to report back to the whole team

with decks full of insights. That’s when you know you’ve created something bigger than just an event. A movement.

Our programming model was simple: 60% practical, 30% next 2–5 years, 10% beyond 10 years. That balance worked. It gave people immediate tools, not just hype. That’s why our audience stuck around for decades. That’s why we sold out year after year.

So yeah—content is a dragon. Just make sure you feed it consistently, it’ll fuel your brand, build your community, and scale your business while you sleep.

Download the full report to hear from other voices.