Atlassian 'having a ball' with CoBox Collaboration.

Atlassian

Twice a year, Atlassian holds a ‘ShipIt’ event where employees are given two days to develop and present their most innovative ideas back to the company. For a company at the forefront of the Tech industry in Australia and globally, the event drives their culture of future-thinking solutions and collaboration. Atlassian approached CoBox with the task of creating an internal broadcast radio show series to run concurrently with the event, and livestream globally from their Sydney office.

The key objective? Set the fun and innovative tone of the day and keep audiences, both local and remote, buzzing and interacting with the branded event. We responded with ShipIt FM.

Live Radio and Show Broadcasts have long been known to be built on fast-paced fun, interesting segments, and direct interaction with audience listeners. It is for this reason it is perfect for creating positive internal brand messaging and communications with employees, yet it is criminally underused.

As a traditional media form, it often gets left behind in the world of ‘meet-the-c-suite’ podcasts, videos, and cookie-cutter corporate events. However, with the advent of digital broadcast and streaming event software, live radio shows are as accessible as ever. The promise of its content spectacle can go far beyond that of conventional media in keeping a workforce audience engaged and entertained with your messaging.

CoBox’s ShipIt FM series has been a strong example of this in action. We launched this show initially as a supporting show to the 24 hour ShipIt day, but the production has taken on an exciting life on its own. With the success of our first show and its fun spontaneity, the sequel show became more integrated with the main event, to the point where it was driving the flow of the day to great success.

Building ShipIt FM

We built the idea of ‘ShipIt FM’ in collaboration with Atlassian. Our creative development started with a search for the perfect host. We wanted someone with a background in the tech-entertainment space that could bring the right charisma and on-air expertise to the show. This brought us to Tech Journalist and Podcast Host extraordinaire Angharad “Rad” Yeo, who had the perfect energy to lead the show.

The challenge for us was to manage the balance between local and online audience appeal, and ensuring the on-air talent and designed interactive segments could fill in airtime seamlessly up until the final judging. Then following that, keep the event energy pumping through our show for the after party, cementing the core brand values of the day of innovation, collaboration, and fast delivery. We also ensured there would be room for spontaneity on the day that would allow the radio show to adapt and evolve to the day.

A little bit of chaos is part of the fun of a live show, and ShipIt FM was no different. While we worked hard to put together some fun set pieces, we also allowed the breathing room of an ‘anything can happen’ live environment that led to fun and unexpected moments as more people wanted to get involved in what we were doing.

- Rad Yeo, Host

The final challenge was ensuring a smooth on-location broadcast on the day. Our crew built and controlled a sophisticated audio-visual set up in the Atlassian Sydney Office, with on-brand set decoration and all the props Rad would need. For our sequel ShipIt FM show, we upped the ante with higher production value, custom built set pieces, elaborate pre-recorded segments, and video call integrated audience interaction.

To embezzle the aesthetic, we brought in smooth branded blue lighting, set pieces, and themed props to interact with, including a fully functional traffic light for to integrate into a ‘true or false’ inspired segment. We further innovated with a three-camera set up to maximise coverage of show interviews and shenanigans, and switch freely between points of interest. Our pre-recorded video segment involved an exciting RC car race in the middle of Martin Place, complete with a fun action montage, and stylised costumes for the Atlassian talent. The result was a more visually dynamic show that kept all eyes engaged on our show, be it locally or remote.

The result of our ShipIt FM series so far has been exceptional. The audio-visual broadcasts were seamless, and thanks to the talent of Host Rad, and our quick-thinking director and studio producers, there was never a dull moment in either show. Audience interest was kept high, both remote and locally. In office, the show was played to an audience of people across screens, with many staff hanging around the studio space to see the exciting show up close. Remote viewers were also highly engaged, with dozens active on the show chat and many more spotlighting their video to interact with host Rad and segment games in real time.

It was a really laidback and enjoyable show for everyone involved, and Atlassian employees were stoked to have something special put together for them as a treat on the day... Such a professional team to be working with too. Big thank you to Atlassian and CoBox legends!

- Rad Yeo, Host

With the entertaining and celebratory atmosphere, and successful amplification of the Atlassian ShipIt core values across their internal channels, the client was more than pleased with the ShipIt FM series. We look forward to seeing how we can keep raising the stakes on future shows, and keep transforming the way ShipIt is brought to life.
Production Company :CoBox
Executive Producer, Creative Director :Aaron Petersen
Producer :Sarah Linton
Show Host :Angharad 'Rad' Yeo
Technical Director :Evan Zell
Line Producer :Sarita Hearse, William Garing
Pre-record Segment Director :Jif Morrison