From Student TV to Digital Marketing Pioneer

Before Russell Brown became the founder of one of New Zealand’s longest-running digital agencies, he was just a young entrepreneur with a passion for media and a knack for spotting opportunities.

In the late 1990s, Russell was deeply involved in video production and student television, producing promotional videos and running a student TV station. But everything changed when he stumbled upon the internet, a new frontier still in its infancy.

“I saw the power of the internet back then,” he says. “Even in those days, there was video online. But what really stood out was that our city, Hamilton, didn’t even have a website.”

So, in 1999, Russell took matters into his own hands. He purchased the domain HamiltonCity.co.nz and pitched the idea of an official city website to the local council.

“They told me, ‘That’s a great idea, but we just had our budget cut by a million bucks. Why don’t you do it?’”

That unexpected challenge set Russell’s entrepreneurial journey in motion. He enrolled in a six-week “Be Your Own Boss” program, which helped him draft his first-ever business plan.

Armed with $5,000 in startup assistance and a small safety net from unemployment benefits, he teamed up with a friend—a technical coder—and built Hamilton’s website using Microsoft FrontPage.

That was way back in 1999, and things have changed a lot since….

At the core of it all, I just love to help businesses grow!