About · Highlight Creative · jess kitchin
Heya, I'm Jess
If you're a regional business owner doing genuinely good work but feeling invisible online, overwhelmed by "just post more content," or sick of paying for marketing that looks nice and does nothing —
you're exactly who I built this for.
Jess Kitchin
Founder · CPM
Good regional businesses that look smaller online than they really are.
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who i help
Tradies who've never had a proper website
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Cafés that outgrew their Facebook page three years ago
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Not-for-profits that need to be seen
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Real estate agents chasing a listing edge
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Health clinics that need to feel trustworthy first
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Community groups telling a story worth hearing
Anyone in regional Australia who's ready to grow but doesn't need another "expert" talking over their head in jargon.
If that's you: I build the strategy, the website, the content and the systems behind it — so your marketing actually does something, not just looks like something.
Why you can trust me with it
An actual qualification - not just a nice font and good taste.
Before Highlight, I spent 14 years in the belly of small business: accounts, HR, systems, and eventually marketing at a regional accounting firm. I went from receptionist to running marketing across multiple branches, digitised five sheds of paperwork at 21, and kept a business steady through mining downturns and COVID.
So when I tell you what will and won't work for your business, it's coming from someone who's actually run the numbers — not just the vibe.
Certified Practising Marketer (CPM)
Through the Australian Marketing Institute. Member ID: 76611515
B.Bus (Management & Marketing)
Bachelor of Business with joint specialisation from Charles Sturt University
Diploma in Professional Writing
Additional diploma in professional and creative writing through the Australian College
15 years experience in business
Across all things arketing, systems and small business operations
Outstanding Young Business Leader, 2025
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— Deniliquin Business Chamber Excellence Awards.
How it started
A kitchen table, a laptop, and a stubborn belief.
I grew up in Deniliquin, left for 14 years up in North Queensland, and came back homesick and a bit restless at 30. I saw so many brilliant local businesses struggling to be found online or tell their story properly — and I knew I could fix that. No investors, no safety net.
Vibes > 5 year plan, sure — but you still need a plan.
It wasn't smooth. I grew faster than my systems could hold, and for a while that looked like success from the outside while feeling like barely hanging on from the inside. So I stopped, pulled it apart, and rebuilt properly — clearer offers, real systems, a business built for what I actually wanted to run. That restructure is part of the story, not something I hide.
Because it's how I can actually help YOU.
Here's what it's looked like for real businesses.
Does it actually work?
Average month-on-month following growth (organic) for my clients
30%
Of our clients re-engage for ongoing graphic design and advertising plans after great results
80%
Donated in pro bono work for local causes and not for profit groups in the Riverina
$10,000+
“I genuinely love the work and branding you've created for CWS. It really reflects our vision and the way we want the business to be presented.”
From an inactive Facebook page and a half-broken website to 134 calls and 734 website clicks straight from Google — zero paid spend.
— Alanna, Country Waste Systems
“It finally looks like what we're actually doing.”
From no website and no social presence to an online brand that lets commercial clients trust his work before they ever make contact.
— Jack Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Fabrication
Deniliquin RSL Club
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— over 520,000 social impressions and 49,500 engagements in six months. All organic.
James Coghlan, Stories That Matter
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— a retired Mount Isa writer, given a full author platform: newsletter, podcast, website.
The human part
I still write every proposal myself.
I design every brand kit, and occasionally swear at a website at 11pm. I'm direct, I'm honest when something won't work, and I'd rather tell you the truth than tell you what sounds good.
My laid back energy is the most complimented by clients after a project.
$10K+ donated in pro bono work for local causes, because community isn't a marketing tactic here — it's the point.
Send a message
Whether you need strategy, content, a website, or all of it wrapped into one clear plan — we're here to help you show up, stand out, and grow with purpose.
