Who we are
It’s not enough to be part of the conversation. Start the conversation.
Fresh, engaging stories are born all the time. The tragedy is many of them are never told. You might even have missed one while you were reading that last sentence.
Don’t worry — we can help with that.
Every day we collaborate with big and boutique Asia-based hospitality and real estate brands to shine a light on the stories that engage and entertain audiences across the world.
Our integrated approach and bespoke media relations, content creation and brand positioning services are built on an in-house team of communication aces, a global network of media movers and shakers and partnerships with Asia’s most innovative creatives.
Launched in 2006, our offices now span from Asia’s most strategic hubs, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City, to the global powerhouses of London, Sydney and Dubai, ensuring our hyperlocal relationships are fulfilled by an international reach.
Our Expertise
- Media relations
- Content creation
- Brand positioning
- Influencer/KOL engagement
- Media trips and events
- Hotel, resort & residence launches
Our Team
David Johnson | CEO & Founder
David set out from his native UK on an uncharted course across the globe with armed with an arts degree, journalism qualifications and little in the way of a plan. He arrived in Asia a few months later and the rest, as they say, is history.
He went on to build what began life as a two-man operation 12 years ago into one of the region’s leading specialists in communications for the hospitality sector. Previously he spent 15 years in Asia’s media industry as a writer, editor and publisher with leading press organisations in positions in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.
Nowadays, he rambles around the region unearthing exciting business opportunities, speaking at events, forging new relationships and savouring local culinary delights (accompanied occasionally with a decent tipple).
Diane Fermin Roeder | Associate Director
Diane fantasises about the day she can disappear with her husband and dogs to a tropical island and while away the hours penning the first manuscript for her novel. Fortunately for us, she’s just as content dreaming up communications strategies and nailing media relations for her clients in the Lion City and beyond.
Throughout a rollicking career that has taken her from the Philippines to China, the US, Middle East and eventually back to Southeast Asia, she’s racked up a wealth of experience (and air miles!) working with some of the biggest brands in luxury hospitality. In her role with DAC, the budding pop pianist manages PR and media relations across the continent in the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and her current base: Singapore.
As a relatively recent addition to the Little Red Dot, post-work leisurely pursuits include exploring the island’s national parks, unearthing veritable bargains in vintage stores and brushing up on her interior design skills — oh, and hitting the occasional hole-in-one on the golf course, too.
Liam Aran Barnes | Content Director
In an alternate universe Liam would be running a tiny bodega tucked away in the Spanish Pyrenees, but in this one he revels in helping companies find and tell relevant stories that elevate their business and enhance external communications.
Since swapping the UK for Southeast Asia almost a decade ago, he has written, edited and consulted for some of the region’s leading newspapers, publishers, PR firms and major media companies.
As DAC’s Content Director, he works closely with key clients to realise their storytelling potential and ensure that high-impact content is at the heart of their marketing manoeuvres, all the while wondering what to cook for dinner.
Jérôme Richard | VP, Communications
Wanderlust struck Jérôme at an early age. After graduating with an MA Communications from the University of Picardie Jules Verne, he set out on his own journey around the world — lasting a little longer than 80 days! After taking a bite out of the Big Apple, he returned to France and spent a decade honing his craft in Paris’ competitive PR industry before relocating to Shanghai in 2010.
Fast forward another nine years, three nations and a bunch of big-name accounts and he’s now managing DAC clients across key markets and keeping a keen eye out for new business opportunities around the region.
Away from the office, he can be found scouring Bangkok’s legendary street-food stalls for unusual delicacies or dining in style at some of the city’s top restaurants. Either way, when his plate isn’t full helping clients realise their potential in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Hong Kong, it’s usually brimming with the finest food from around the region.