triple j Hack Executive Producer Laura McAuliffe will step into the Content Director role at the station this month, replacing Ollie Wards after his decade-long tenure.
Wards – who will leave the station at the end of this week – began working at triple j back in 2010 as a breakfast producer to Tom Ballard and Alex Dyson. Since 2012, Wards has overseen a wide variety of programming decisions, including talent scouting and show development for triple j’s Breakfast and Drive programs. Wards is responsible for launching triple j programs such as Good Nights and The Hook Up, along with projects such as Requestival and Ausmusic T-Shirt Day.
“It’s been an absolute honour to work with the best in the biz at triple j, as one of the caretakers of an institution that means so much to our audience and the music industry,” commented Wards, whose new undertakings post-triple j will include a drama series inspired by his ABC podcast Unravel True Crime: Snowball. “I’ll still be listening, but from now on I’ll just have to text in feedback like everyone else.”
McAuliffe began her career with the ABC back in 2007, as an intern at the station’s Illawarra branch, going on to become a senior producer at ABC Sydney. After overseeing ABC podcasts such as Ladies We Need to Talk and Fierce Girls, McAuliffe joined the Hack team in 2018, and has been largely responsible for the expansion of the team’s digital content.
“We’re always standing on the shoulders of giants at triple j. Ollie leaves behind an incredible legacy and big shoes to fill, but I couldn’t be more excited to step up and continue the good work,” commented McAuliffe.
