Process The Podcast

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas

For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.

From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders. 

This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"

INSIDE THE EPISODE:
00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story
01:15 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall
03:53 — Learning the Value of a Dollar
05:32 — Moving to New York for Acting School
06:12 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career
08:05 — Behind the Camera With Meat and Potatoes
12:00 — Working with Kmart
16:13 — The TikTok Era
20:30 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines
20:57 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be
24:00 — Process Today
30:15 — Cinema Thom Today
33:00 — What's Next?

Enjoyed this Episode?
Join our Community!
Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

"My parents owned a five star luxury hotel that they built when I was ten... it formed me in a way that I cannot even comprehend." — Arielle Thomas

For over 140 episodes, Arielle's been the one asking the questions. This week, she turned the mic on herself. With so many new listeners joining after the Merit episode went viral, it felt like time to rewind the tape, who she actually is, how Process the Podcast came to exist, and where her seven-figure production company, Cinema Thom, stands today.

From growing up behind the scenes of her parents' five-star hotel, to a teenage sales job at Scanlan Theodore, to acting school in New York, to directing a Kmart TikTok vertical that helped drive enormous value for shareholders.

This is the full, unfiltered walk through everything that built the person behind Process. It's personal, it's honest, and it's the episode to send anyone who's ever asked, "wait, how did you get into this?"

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Process the Podcast and Arielle's Origin Story01:45 — Growing Up in Hotels: The Lyall03:42 — Learning the Value of a Dollar05:20 — Moving to New York for Acting School06:00 — Coming Home & Arielle's Acting Career08:17 — Behind the Camera with Meat and Potatoes10:54 — Working with Kmart14:09 — The TikTok Era17:45 — Global Expansion: Anko Philippines19:43 — How Process the Podcast Came to Be21:21 — Process Today27:52 — Cinema Thom Today28:30 — What's Next?

Enjoyed this Episode?

Join our Community!

Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

New here? We're now on YouTube with a companion panel alongside the video, worth a watch if you're a visual person! Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday.

See you at the next one!

This episode references past projects (Meat and Potatoes, Deadline Gallipoli) discussed for personal/educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige

Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:

00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona

05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves

07:41 — What They Knew Going In

14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?

16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud

18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board

22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening

22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had

31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?

34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca

42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print

44:18 — Production vs. Printing

48:23 — The Launch Gamble

53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?

58:24 — Partnership

1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From

1:04:00 — Second Issue?

1:08:32 — Where to Find Them

1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

Take a look at Persona:

Persona Magazine:⁠ www.persona-magazine.com⁠

Instagram ⁠@thepersonamagazine⁠

Connect with our Guests:

Grace O'Neill on Instagram: ⁠@grceoneill⁠

Paulina Ortega on Instagram: ⁠@paulinapaige⁠

Enjoyed this Episode?

Join our Community!

Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠

Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast ⁠

Whatsapp Community⁠ @processthepodcast ⁠

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's an object of obsession about one woman... you genuinely get an intimacy that you cannot find anywhere else." — Grace O'Neill & Paulina Paige

Grace O'Neill and Paulina Paige have built magazines and campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion media. But this time, they threw out every rule they knew and started from zero with no guardrails, no existing audience, no safety net. The result is Persona: a biannual, single-subject magazine that reads more like a coffee table book than a glossy, with its debut issue built entirely around Bella Freud.

In this exclusive interview, Grace and Paulina walk through exactly how Persona came together, the cold email that convinced Bella Freud to say yes, the unpublished 90s photo archive they talked a photographer into handing over, getting the rights to a Lucian Freud portrait, and the real numbers behind launching a $75 magazine with zero followers. It's a rare, honest look at what it actually takes to build a print product from scratch in 2026 - the creative risk-taking, the budget conversations, and the trust it takes to hand a stylist "a little kernel of an idea" and let them run the thing.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:
00:00 — Intro: Grace & Paulina The Lead-Up to Persona
05:27 — From Massive Infrastructure to Doing It All Themselves
07:41 — What They Knew Going In
14:26 — What If a Magazine Had No Rules?
16:47 — Deciding on Bella Freud
18:52 — The Cold Email That Got Bella Freud on Board
22:08 — The Moment They Knew It Was Really Happening
22:57 — Building the Book Around What They Had
31:35 — Is It Really an Australian Magazine?
34:16 — Talking Budgets: Landing Dior & Reframing Beauty With Mecca
42:14 — What It Actually Takes to Print
44:18 — Production vs. Printing
48:23 — The Launch Gamble
53:32 — How Much Room Does This Take Up in Your Life?
58:24 — Partnership
1:00:29 — Where the Creative Stimulus Comes From
1:04:00 — Second Issue?
1:08:32 — Where to Find Them
1:10:15 — Persona Launch Party

Take a look at Persona:
Persona Magazine: www.persona-magazine.com 

Instagram @thepersonamagazine

Connect with our Guests:
Grace O'Neill on Instagram: @grceoneill

Paulina Ortega on Instagram: @paulinapaige

Enjoyed this Episode?
Join our Community!
Your host, Arielle Thomas, on Instagram, @arielle.thomas

Us, on Instagram, @processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes references to third-party archival imagery and licensed material (including works connected to the Lucian Freud estate) discussed for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com

"The beauty of great satire is you blur the line of whether or not something is true or not true."- Claudia Bursill

Before she was Miss Double Bay, Claudia Bursill was just a uni student with a Woolworths review that spiralled into a national news story. Today, that same anonymous meme account is her literal resume; it's how she landed a job at the Betoota Advocate, and now leads talent and business development at its sister agency, Leverage.

In this episode, Claudia breaks down the real mechanics behind building a satire brand: why great comedy always "punches up," never down, how she decided to reveal her identity after years behind the account, the brand deals she's turned into some of her most-shared content, and why she thinks a running joke can build more trust than a perfectly polished post ever could.

INSIDE THE EPISODE:
00:00 — Intro: Claudia Bursill A.K.A Miss Double Bay
01:30 — The 'Miss Double Bay' Persona & Origin Story
02:33 — Origin Story: The Woolworths Avocado Review
06:25 — The Identity Reveal
10:57 — Miss Double Bay (MDB) & Job Opportunities
13:01 — Why Authenticity Beats the Traditional Influencer Brief 14:59 — From Meme Account to Writer to Business Development
16:12 — The Future of the Creator Economy
17:23 — A Day in the Life at Leverage
20:16 — What Is Satire, Really?
20:54 — The Golden Rule: Always Punch Up
24:41 — Turning a Moment Into Content
30:12 — Climbing & Fighting the Cringe Mountain
33:41 — Riding a Trend the Right Way
40:32 — Your Relationship With Your Phone
46:12 — PNLs in Media
48:18 — Trivia Night!
52:17 — Closing & Where to Find Her

TRIVIA NIGHT TICKETS! 
Get it here

Connect with our Guest:
Miss Double Bay on Instagram: @missdoublebay

Claudia Bursill on Instagram: @claudiabursill

The Betoota Advocate: @betootaadvocate

Enjoyed this Episode?
Join our Community!
Your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram, ⁠@arielle.thomas⁠

Us, on Instagram, ⁠@processthepodcast

Whatsapp Community @processthepodcast

Follow us to get notified every time a new episode drops every Tuesday. See you at the next one!

This episode includes third-party references (news coverage, satire case studies) used for educational commentary. All rights and ownership belong to their respective copyright holders. This content is utilized under Fair Use principles and does not imply endorsement or affiliation with Process The Podcast. For takedowns or copyright inquiries, please contact hello@cinemathom.com