Damien Axiak

Experience

Damien Axiak is a digital video expert with a 16-year career producing video content for some of Australia’s most recognisable media and entertainment brands, including nine.com.au, 9News, Married at First Sight, The Block and Wide World of Sports.

He started at Nine Entertainment in 2009, fresh out of university, as a young video cadet where he researched and edited shortform news video for ninemsn, the precursor to nine.com.au.

Since then, he’s become an expert in digital video production, storytelling and online audiences, leading video teams at Nine with high impact roles, including Editor of Video, Ninemsn (2015), Head of Creative News Video (2017), YouTube Content and Commercial Manager (2020) and now, Head of Video, Lifestyle and Entertainment (2024).

His diverse video work has seen him cover everything from breaking news, including the Lindt Cafe Siege, Manchester Arena Bombing, the Black Summer Bushfires and the Covid-19 Pandemic, to producing video on-the-ground at major sporting, cultural and entertainment events, like the London Olympics, NZ Rugby World Cup, Melbourne Cups, awards shows and Fashion Weeks. 

He’s collaborated with many journalists over the years to produce, shoot and edit some compelling video pieces and series - including video interviews with the likes of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Sir Richard Branson; as well as short-form news and lifestyle features; brand-sponsored projects; and digital companion series for Nine’s biggest shows.

As YouTube Content and Commercial Manager, Damien managed over 20 channels for Nine, performing his most impactful work on 9 News Australia, growing the channel’s audience to over a million subscribers and solidifying it as one of the biggest Australian news channels on YouTube. 

Today, as the Head of Video (Lifestyle and Entertainment), Damien spearheads the production of original video content at nine.com.au, leading the in-house team bringing video to life across the site, YouTube, TikTok and podcasts. 

Damien is the chief videographer at nine.com.au.

Education

Damien completed a Bachelor of Media at Macquarie University in 2008, where he majored in Screen Production, and pursued a special interest in documentary, screen writing and sound design.

Awards and Recognition

Damien Axiak has been recognised for his impactful work, including being nominated for Best Use of Short-Form Video at the Mumbrella Publish Awards in 2016. In 2021 and 2022, he won the Game Changer Award at Nine Digital’s annual awards for his work growing and developing Nine’s YouTube ecosystem to what it is today.