As Executive Producer of It’s A Lot with Abbie Chatfield, Lem Zakharia became a familiar figure with listeners known for her candid insights and on-air honesty.
But her recent exit from the podcast, while sad for regular listeners, marked a turning point and the beginning of a new chapter.
With more than 15 years of international experience in media and brand integration, Zakharia has ambitious plans, recently launching her own influencer and brand agency, Bedou, under the tagline “Bridging the gap between talent and brands.”
Split into two, the agency offers both representation for talent – Zakharia already manages the global influencer powerhouse Kayla Jade – and also a strategic arm aimed at working with brands to develop creative executions for influencers.
Kayla Jade
The launch is a natural progression, formalising Zakharia’s years of working behind the senes in the media to work with clients on brand building rooted in talent-led narratives and bold creative direction.
“I want to work with brands specifically on the influencer marketing side of the business,” she tells Mediaweek. “Especially mid-sized brands that are successful but don’t necessarily want to invest in a full-on agency.
“I match brands with the right influencer, or influencers – and not just the ones I work with – based on their campaign. I strategise how to integrate the brand messaging and creative into the digital creators’ organic content, and then I execute.
“I do all the communication on behalf of the brand with the influencer, and I think that’s often the missing link.”
‘I know how to protect brand messaging and give creative freedom to talent’
But what can Zakharia actually offer that other agencies can’t?
She’s very clear on that.
“I know how to protect brand messaging and I know how to give creative freedom to talent too.
“Before I arrived in Australia, I incorporated brands into music projects in Jordan, and I’ve worked with McDonald’s and Toyota.
“When I came here, I had to start from scratch and so I built on my knowledge to build integrations really successfully into Abbie (Chatfield’s) content.
“Abbie’s got brands coming on the podcast and I had to be the creative gatekeeper and try to find concepts and ways of integrating the brand content into a way that worked for her and the client.
Oscar Gordon with Zakharia and Chatfield.
“Plus, I get so excited when I see a brief,” Zakharia said. “I love doing a visual strategy, the brand deck, and then the creative strategy. Then I love finding the right people to make it all happen.”
“Communication and trust is key. Communicating ideas and making sure the brand’s needs and directives are met but also that the talent’s creativity is protected means success.”
So, how does she prove she can do that outside of her work with Chatfield? Two words: Kayla Jade.
Operating under the handle @blueeyedkaylajade, Kayla Jade has cultivated a significant social media presence by engaging both male and female audiences through her distinctive content and authentic storytelling.
Her candid narratives, shared across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, delve into her experiences as a sex worker, offering insights that resonate with a broad audience. This approach has garnered her a substantial following, with over 2 million followers on TikTok and more than 275,000 on Instagram and a new podcast, Story Time with Kayla Jade.
Reports of products Kayla promotes selling-out are rife across the media. One client, Georgia Geminder, the founder of Gem deodorant, took to the company’s TikTok account following the product’s viral success to confirm they were working hard to replenish stock.
Geminder told news.com.au, “Blue Eyed Kayla Jade has made our small business go completely viral! Over four days, we’ve sold out nationwide, with one product being sold every three seconds.”
Zakharia admits it’s been a wild ride, but “as her manager, I’m very protective over her and the authenticity of her platform,” she says.
“The campaigns with brands we’ve been doing have been successful – and that very first conversation with a brand is key. I set the expectation from the beginning that Kayla’s the creative expert of her own work and the brand is the expert in the product, and we can weave it within her storyline but not the other way around.”
A focus on neurodivergency
With the global success Kayla Jade’s been enjoying, it’s clear Zakharia will be popular with influencers, hoping they can steer a similar career path, but Zakharia is determined to keep it deliberately boutique, having just two clients at the moment Kayla and Mitchell Coombs.
“I will manage a tight roster of talent and I’m especially interested working with talent who are neurodivergent
“There are heaps of talent who are neurodiverse and highly, highly creative. Obviously Abbie is ADHD, and while I’m not managing her, I have been her producer so it’s knowing how to communicate, motivate, understand and empathise with what she’s going through.
“Burnout becomes a real thing, and I’ve seen it firsthand. With Abbie, knowing how to prioritise information and how to really understand the importance of giving her a break means she ends up being even more productive.
“I have a background in psychology and family with autism and Kayla is ADHD so I’m surrounded by people with spicy brains. Bringing out the best in neurodivergent people is a skill-set I’ve developed over time.”
‘This is a woman having such an impact on other women’
This meant she was perfect to work with Kayla who was manager-free when Zakharia first met her.
“She was on Abbie’s podcast as a guest and I really admired her work.
“I also saw how incredibly well that episode did, and I could see this is a woman who’s having such an impact on other women. Initially I thought the majority of her followers were men because she’s a sex worker, but actually it’s like 95% women following her, and that that got me very interested in what she’s doing.
“I asked her who was managing her and she said no-one. But she’s very similar to Abbie and has a real gut instinct when it comes to people. I think she’s had a lot of offers from management companies, but when I chatted to her and what I can offer she just said, ‘Let’s go, girl’.”
Kayla and Abbie
Zakharia’s launch of Bedou comes at a time when brands have to reassess the value of influencer partnerships, seeking more strategic alignment between message, medium, and messenger.
By positioning Bedou as both a management agency and a creative consultancy, Zakharia is aiming to tap into a growing demand for hybrid models that can deliver both talent access and campaign integration.
For brands navigating an increasingly fragmented digital landscape, that focus may prove effective.
With Bedou, Zakharia is aiming to bridge a recognised gap in the influencer economy: the need for unique trusted voices, like Chatfield and Kayla Jade, who understand both sides of the equation, and can translate that understanding into success.