71 [EB Series] Building Connection Through Content | Kelly Murphy from Story House Early Learning

In this episode of the VMJPod’s Employer Brand Series — Brisbane Edition — hosts David Macciocca and Will Innes, sit down with Kelly Murphy, Head of Talent Acquisition at Story House Early Learning, to explore how a people-first approach to storytelling reshaped recruitment, culture, and connection across a dispersed workforce.

Kelly shares how she built Story House’s internal talent function from the ground up — moving away from agency dependency to create an in-house team that attracts and retains educators through authentic, human-centred content. She explains how building trust with marketing unlocked a collaborative EVP, how her team empowered educators to create and share their own stories, and how bold use of social platforms, including TikTok, drove measurable results.

Whether you’re looking to elevate collaboration between TA and Marketing, reduce external recruitment costs, or ignite employee storytelling at scale, this episode uncovers what it takes to transform culture through content and connection.

Key Topics
01:00 – Meet Kelly Murphy and her journey from agency recruitment to in-house leadership.
05:40 – Building a talent function from scratch and cutting agency spend to near zero.
09:20 – Laying the foundations for an authentic employer brand inside a growing organisation.
13:05 – Bridging TA and Marketing: trust, collaboration and shared ownership of EVP.
18:40 – Evolving the employer brand to “Where the pieces fit together.”
22:50 – Turning everyday stories into powerful recruitment content.
26:10 – Growing the team and adding a Recruitment Marketing Specialist.
31:00 – Building an always-on content strategy that delivers consistent engagement.
34:20 – Launching TikTok and celebrating educators as creators.
37:40 – Aligning content calendars with Marketing to amplify reach and brand value.
40:15 – Results: 30% reduction in job-board spend and stronger candidate quality.
43:20 – Key takeaways on trust, authenticity and the power of storytelling.

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