Meet the Author: Nicolas Brasch

Nicolas Brasch is one of the longest-serving authors at Hyphen, joining the team back in 2009 when he wrote Sienna College: Connecting Past, Present and Future. Since then, he’s authored twenty Hyphen books – part of a career that spans more than 400 titles. He also teaches professional and creative writing at Swinburne University, runs a corporate writing business, is chair of the Mildura Writers Festival, and has just submitted a PhD in creative writing for examination. And he still finds time for a glass of Barossa Valley Shiraz at the end of the day.

We spoke to Nic about his decades with Hyphen and what years of listening closely have taught him.

In your experience, what makes for a great corporate or school history?

I’ve always said that the qualities that make for a great corporate history are the same ones you look for in fiction: strong characters, conflict, challenges that have been overcome.

It’s not really about the facts. It’s about the stories – stories around people and moments of tension or change. Particularly now, AI can easily pull together a corporate history by collecting whatever facts exist online. But it can’t interview people properly. It can’t collect stories, ask the right follow-up questions, or push people to reflect in ways that generate a great story.

No one wants to read a list of facts. Facts matter, and of course they belong in the book, but the whole thing has to be structured around the stories you gather – people and conflict. And conflict doesn’t need to be dramatic or bad; it just needs to be something that breaks from the ordinary.

How do you approach the start of a project, particularly when you’re working with a new client?

The first thing is always trust. You’re asking people to tell their story, sometimes for the first time, and that only works if they feel comfortable.

It’s not about extracting information. It’s about creating a relationship that allows people to open up and reflect on what they’ve done. Often, they don’t realise the significance of their own story until someone else helps them see it.

That usually means a lot of conversations – ten or fifteen interviews sometimes – building trust and gradually finding the right way to tell the story.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve uncovered while working on a Hyphen book?

I’m fascinated by pretty much everything. I’m always interested in how things work and how people do what they do, and writing these books lets me step into worlds I’d never otherwise have access to.

When I worked on the Here Comes the Hannaford Man, for example, I didn’t even know what seed grading was. Then I learned how important it is – and how complex – and I got to watch it happening. That was genuinely fascinating.

Some of my favourite projects have been with wine companies. I think I’d always assumed winemaking was a bit of a pretentious industry. But it turns out they’re just farmers. It’s land, fruit, hard work – that’s it. At the same time, the depth of knowledge and care involved is extraordinary. I spent time understanding it properly and ended up with a very good wine collection as a side effect. It’s now a lifelong passion.

I’ve grown simply by learning about other people and other worlds, and that’s surprised me too. When I was working on Elderton Wines: A Vintage Story, they told me about their Commander’s Club, for people who spend $1000 on wine in a year. I remember thinking, Who on earth would do that?

A few years later, during Covid, I opened the letterbox and found my own Commander’s Club card and key ring. I didn’t realise I had spent that much. I joke that I’ve paid back my fee for writing that book in wine purchases.

Does the book-making process ever change the way clients see themselves?

I have a genuine sense of awe when I work with these companies – at what they’ve achieved, how long they’ve lasted, the challenges they’ve overcome. Often, especially with family businesses, people normalise things that are extraordinary.

Part of my role is saying to them, ‘This is amazing – look at what you’ve built!’

I’m thinking of Still Driven: The Penrite Oil Story, which marked 100 years in business. It was built by just two families, and the second of those, the Dymonds, grew it from a small warehouse in Brunswick to a billion-dollar company. It was a whole family effort. Everyone worked together to make it what it became. But for them, that is just normal life.

Through the book, they were able to step back and see the story through the eyes of an outsider. It was another way for them to see the scope of what they’d achieved. That shift in perspective is very rewarding.

Is there a project that stands out as particularly memorable?

I’ve genuinely enjoyed all of them. That said, the wine companies were a highlight. I also loved working on Delightful, the story of Baker’s Delight, an iconic Australian brand. There’s a real sense of responsibility that comes with that – I’m being trusted with something people care deeply about. I felt both the weight of that responsibility and a lot of pride in getting it right.

Arnott’s: Celebrating Today, Inspiring Tomorrow is another one that comes to mind. I was escorted through the factory and watched a Tim Tam being made from start to finish – from the funnel where the ingredients are poured to the moment it comes out drenched in chocolate. The whole process took about twenty minutes, and I got to eat it fresh off the production line. That’s something I’ll never forget.

After all these years, what keeps the work interesting for you?

I love doing the Hyphen books. The subjects are endlessly interesting – every project drops me into a new world, usually in an area I know nothing about. I’m put in a privileged position, getting close to people who have been incredibly successful, learning how and why businesses work. They are smart, passionate and deeply invested in what they do.

I often think back to a book I did for Best’s: Best’s Great Western: Celebrating 150 Years. It was eleven o’clock on a beautiful, crisp morning in the Grampians. I met Viv, the patriarch and owner, and he asked if I’d ever tasted their Jimmy Watson award-winning wine. He poured me a glass and we stood outside, looking over the 150-year-old vines. I remember thinking, Holy shit – I’m getting paid for this!

I have moments like that all the time. Meeting these people and being trusted with their stories – I consider myself very fortunate.

Nicolas Brasch is currently working on a history book for Multiquip, due for publication in late 2026.