Australian publisher and marketing agency the Big Smoke may have been insolvent for almost four years before collapsing, with a liquidator finding the company could have racked up a further $1.48m in liabilities while unable to pay its debts.
Founded by Alexandra Senter, also known as Anita Alexandra Tselio, in 2013 as an online news publisher, the Big Smoke expanded into digital marketing and public relations in 2021, as it sought to build a broader marketing services business alongside its publishing operation.
However, over the past four years, the business was squeezed by a weakening digital publishing market, a failed US acquisition and problems with key personnel, according to the liquidator, Stephen Thomas of Helm…