Media Kit

Media & Press Kit

Quick Facts & Boilerplate

  • Full Name: Jaya Mangalam Gibson
  • Based In: Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Primary Roles: Brand Strategist, Digital Artist, Survivor Advocate, Author, Podcast Co-Host
  • Key Initiatives: Unspun Podcast, Uncult Ōtautahi, Decult, Auspicious Victory, Smell Hound
  • Website: jayamangalamgibson.com
  • Media Contact: mail@jayagibson.com

Multi-Tiered Official Bios

50-Word Bio (Event Programs & Short Introductions)

Jaya Mangalam Gibson is an Ōtautahi Christchurch-based brand strategist, digital artist, and survivor advocate. Born into the Fourth Way and a former member of Falun Gong, he co-facilitates Uncult Ōtautahi, leads design and sponsorship for Decult, and co-hosts the Unspun podcast, focusing on coercive control and post-cult recovery.

150-Word Bio (Podcast Intros & Speaker Profiles)

Jaya Mangalam Gibson is a brand strategist, digital artist, and survivor advocate based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. With over 25 years of experience in visual communication, creative direction, and community space activation, Jaya bridges commercial design with deep community advocacy.

Born into the Fourth Way movement and having spent 14 years within Falun Gong before leaving in 2012, his work today centres on public education around coercive control, cultic dynamics, and recovery. Jaya is the co-host of the Unspun podcast, co-founder of the peer-support group Uncult Ōtautahi alongside counsellor Alisa Woodruff, and manages design, marketing, and sponsorship for Decult, New Zealand’s national conference on cultic recovery. He is currently writing a memoir documenting his lived experience and recovery.

Full / 300-Word Bio (Detailed Features & Press Coverage)

Jaya Mangalam Gibson is an Ōtautahi Christchurch-based brand strategist, digital artist, author, and survivor advocate with a 25-year career spanning commercial design, space activation, and community leadership.

Having been born into the Fourth Way movement and later spending 14 years within the Falun Gong cult before departing in 2012, Jaya brings a rare, nuanced perspective to coercive control, high-demand groups, and post-cult identity reconstruction. Today, he leverages his background in media and strategic communication to advance public awareness and peer support for cult survivors across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jaya co-hosts Unspun, a podcast exploring high-demand groups and practical recovery strategies with peers and experts. He is the co-founder of Uncult Ōtautahi, a Christchurch peer-support group run in collaboration with professional counsellor Alisa Woodruff. Additionally, he leads design, marketing, and sponsorship initiatives for Decult, New Zealand’s inaugural national advocacy and education conference on cultic dynamics.

Parallel to his advocacy, Jaya’s creative practice includes generative visual art under the identity Auspicious Victory, bridging traditional print aesthetics with digital technology, and business development for Smell Hound. He is currently preparing a comprehensive memoir detailing his personal trajectory through high-demand movements, artistic direction, and recovery.

Key Projects & Advocacy Initiatives

  • Unspun Podcast: Co-hosted by Jaya Mangalam Gibson, Unspun unravels the threads of cult recovery, featuring candid interviews with peers, researchers, and clinicians exploring coercive control, high-demand environments, and practical recovery.
  • Uncult Ōtautahi: A local peer-support initiative based in Christchurch, co-facilitated by Jaya Mangalam Gibson and professional counsellor Alisa Woodruff, offering a safe, structured space for survivors of high-demand groups.
  • Decult: New Zealand’s national advocacy, education, and conference platform (decult.net), raising public awareness regarding cultic dynamics, legal frameworks, and support networks.
  • Auspicious Victory: Jaya’s creative persona and digital art studio, producing generative visual work (auspiciousvictory.com).

Suggested Interview & Panel Topics

  1. Understanding Coercive Control & Second-Generation Cult Experience: The psychological impacts of growing up inside high-demand groups versus joining later in life.
  2. The Mechanics of Leaving: Practical steps, identity reconstruction, and psychological recovery after leaving groups like Falun Gong and the Fourth Way.
  3. Peer Support Frameworks: Building safe, non-judgmental community support systems for survivors alongside professional counsellors.
  4. Design & Communication in Advocacy: How strategic design, branding, and media production can