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Staying- Curious
WHERE STORY MEETS INTENTION AND INSIGHT
We're an independent creative studio rethinking what brand stories can be.
We design richer content that delivers more value for audiences and brands, because deeper stories connect us, shift perceptions and spark conversations that drive change.
BRINGING BROADCAST CRAFT TO YOUR BRAND STORY
With roots in film, TV and brand creative, we use structure, character and a strong point of view to shape stories with emotional pull. Story x Design is how we craft narratives that deepen the relationship between your brand and your audience.
Our Founders
Launching in 2026 to live at the meeting place of Broadcast Storytelling + Brand Strategy.
Nicola Pointer
Co-Founder
Nicola Pointer
Co-Founder
Story architect and format creator, fluent in brand and broadcast.
Born in the UK and now based in Australia, Nicola has spent her career turning blank pages into bold, culture-shifting ideas. As an Executive Producer, she’s shaped innovative work across drama, documentary, arts and lifestyle for Netflix, BBC, Channel 4 and global brands.
She’s led format-first projects for digital and prime-time broadcast, pioneered interactive storytelling, and spent a decade creating hit series and impact campaigns with Jamie Oliver (watching takes with fork in hand). Whether working with celebrities, communities or changemakers, her focus is always on stories that move people and ideas that make things happen.
At The Counter, she brings her rare blend of creative strategy and story craft to brand storytelling, building work that’s insightful and ambitious.
Jamie Balliu
Co-Founder
Jamie Balliu
Co-Founder
Creative innovator, known for bold ideas and strategic insight.
Born in Eastern Sydney and evolved in East London, Jamie kicked off his career directing award-winning brand campaigns and channel identities for the likes of MTV, Disney, BBC and Channel 4 Music. A craving to explore deeper storytelling led him into documentary and culture-focused projects across Europe and US.
An early adopter (often a bit too early), he’s always worked at the edges – across film, animation and emerging technologies. From a feature doc Exec’d by Oliver Stone to an interactive platform for Arte, and an award-winning VR trip through a musician’s world, his work always invites new ways of both seeing and experiencing.
Now back in Australia, Jamie brings that restless creativity to brand storytelling, merging strategy with craft and visual style to help shape stories with purpose and impact.
Counter theOrdinaryAnd shapeThe story.
CountertheOrdinaryAndshapetheStory
Counter is our creative mindset: diving into subcultures, diverse voices and different ways of seeing to surface the human truths that make a story worth telling.
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