Melbourne’s Expert Video Production Team

Daniel Calleja

Creative Director

With over 20 years of experience in the video production industry, Daniel is the Owner and Creative Director of Visual Production Agency. His passion for capturing motion to tell a story was sparked at the age of 9 when his father gave him a Super 8 camera and he was influenced by movies like Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgement Day by James Cameron. He honed his skills to become adept at finding ideal angles and lighting for the most impactful shots, even filming and selling event videos by the time he was 15.

Daniel obtained his BA Multimedia Degree from Victoria University when he was 20 years old and started his first business from home shortly thereafter, with clients including Victoria University, Rio Tinto, and State Government Departments. He relocated to an office in Essendon in 2009, bringing with him his passion for film, exceptional technological skills, meticulous attention to detail, and strong work ethic.

As a university success story, Daniel expanded his business by hiring a young creative team to take it to new heights. He places a high value on maintaining good health and fitness, believing that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind and helps keep him motivated at work. In his free time, he enjoys building computers, restoring old vehicles (with special attention given to his 1969 LC Torana Coupe), and weightlifting.

Christina Nguyen

Communications & Project Manager

Christina is a highly experienced business and project manager with extensive leadership and management experience. In addition to her previous role as a Team Leader at MLC Australia, where she managed two teams and was responsible for implementing continuous improvement, Christina has also managed the Recruitment and Payroll team at Reed Recruitment.

Her role in this project will involve managing resource allocation, staff, production schedules and timelines, as well as daily planning and workflow management. Christina’s wealth of experience in leadership and management will be invaluable in ensuring the success of any project.

Christina loves to travel and eat great food. However, her idea of a perfect night is simply staying in her pyjamas, watching a movie and snacking on popcorn.

Rachel Hatzi

Photographer & Production Assistant

Rachel has been an invaluable member of the team at Visual Production Agency since 2018, working as a production assistant and photographer.

Her passion for photography began when she was young, playing with a cardboard camera. Once she graduated to a real camera, she honed her skills by taking photographs of family members. She now specialises in event photography, professional headshots, and behind-the-scenes photography for Visual Production Agency.

Rachel also has her own photography business. She enjoys going for walks outside with her camera to not only keep herself healthy but also to keep her well-trained eye and natural talent in shape so that her photographs are always of high quality.

With training in business administration, she works to keep all projects on schedule and everyone happy. Rachel creates deadlines in the production process so that videos are delivered on time. Despite her friendly demeanour, she will keep the crew in line to ensure customer satisfaction with the final product.

Rachel has a few hobbies and passions, including online shopping for activewear, exploring holistic approaches to health and wellbeing, and doing at-home workouts.

Jamie Watkins

Editor and Motion Graphics

Jamie has a decade of experience working in video production across digital media, feature films, and television. 

Jamie’s portfolio includes campaigns for Telstra, Westpac, Revlon, WD-40, Chivas Regal, Dementia Australia, and Catch.com.au.

For the past three years, Jamie has been a Senior Manager at A Cloud Guru, where he led and mentored a global video team that produced hundreds of tech education videos watched by millions of students worldwide. He has a Bachelor of Media (Screen & Sound) from the University of New South Wales.

Paul Thornhill

Producer / Content Development

Paul has been working with Visual Production Agency since 2015, helping clients tell their story and integrate video content with their brand.

He has worked as a media adviser, journalist and marketing manager in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Paul has a wide-ranging knowledge of industry issues, including human resources, training, compliance, environment and government policy.

Paul works directly with clients developing themes, researching, writing and editing scripts and interviewing to ensure the video delivers an effective message.

He combines his quirky sense of humour with his love of storytelling and film. Sometimes his passion for projects causes him to get carried away, and suddenly, there are two directors on the set. However, his experience in corporate marketing makes him a valuable part of the team, and the content he develops is second to none.

Hobbies and Passions: Urban Planning, Environmental Sustainability, SCUBA diving, and reminiscing about the days of clubbing and listening to trance music in the 90s.

Paul Calleja

Production Grip / Lighting

Paul Calleja has been with Visual Production Agency since its inception in 2006. Although the brand name has changed since then, Paul’s value to the team has remained the same.

He learned about photography at Impact Photography in the 1970s. From 1977 to 1986, he was the main photographer at Channel 7, Australia’s biggest news network. Following his time there, he worked for the Government at the Defence Department, utilising his stills in welding and photography. In the 1990s, Paul also opened his own photography business, working on family portraiture, printing and industrial photography.

When his son started what would later be known as Visual Production Agency, Paul was a massive help to the business’ success, assisting in all aspects of filming, whether it be lighting, being a production assistant, or even directing.

Paul’s ability to step in and help with any task is priceless. He does what is necessary to ensure videos are perfect in a timely manner. Plus, he also looks after Visual Production Agency’s biggest fan – his dog, Milly.

Paul’s hobbies and passions include fixing up his vintage cars and being a handyman. He is also an amazing cook.

Marlon Caracena

Camera Operator

Marlon worked with Visual Production Agency for the past 3 years on various projects such as La Trobe University, Bushfire Recovery Victoria, and Rinnai Australia. 

With his extensive experience in operating gimbal and drone cameras, Marlon is highly skilled at capturing footage from unique angles and perspectives. 

Additionally, he is fluent in both English and Tagalog, which allows him to communicate effectively with crew and interviewees who speak non-English languages.

Jamin Menegazzo

Photographer and Makeup Artist

In 2021, Jamin joined the Visual Production Agency and has quickly become an integral part of the family. 

Jamin has experience in various creative industries and is skilled at capturing candid moments in different environments to capture the perfect behind-the-scenes shot.

With a well-trained eye and natural talent in composition, Jamin’s photographs are always of the highest quality. 

Jamin also has experience with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, allowing her to assist our post-production team with their graphic design needs. She has just completed her final year of a Bachelor of Photography degree at RMIT.

Leighton Hill

Account Manager

In 2013, Daniel, the Owner of Visual Production Agency, was in search of someone who could handle only business-related matters, and he found the perfect candidate at a networking event: Leighton Hill.

Leighton moved from England to Australia in 1982. He holds a joint honours degree in Accounting and Economics and is a Chartered Management Accountant, a CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He has worked in various financial management and management accounting roles for several companies, including ACI Resources, Brambles Seacargo, and Merv Brown group, among others.

Leighton played cricket for 32 seasons, and during that time, he met many of his clients through the sport, allowing him to grow his skills and expand his network. He has been serving as a director of several small private companies since 1974. In 1992, he founded Samuel Leighton & Assocs. Pty. Ltd. to provide management consulting services.

Leighton’s expertise in financial management and management accounting has proven invaluable to Visual Production Agency, providing peace of mind to the crew to focus on making clients happy with their video projects.

Hobbies and Passions: Skiing in Canada and locomotives.