Following the success of the pilot at Kimberly and a recent workshop in Cairns, AFTRS aims to partner with ICTV and Pakam to provide industry training to creators from emerging countries living in the Bidyadanga community two hours southwest of Broome.
The On Country Pathways program was the inspiration for AFTRS Chair Rachel Perkins, and was made possible through federal grants as part of national cultural policy.
AFTRS will offer two workshops for the Bidyadanga community during FRAIM (Artem Remolian Indigenous Moving-Image festival) from July 13th to 20th. Topics include creating podcasts and mobile content.
In the podcasting workshop, participants will learn how to develop ideas for podcasts and radio shows, plan and create episodes, record episodes, videos and other visual elements, and how to publish podcasts.
Currently running as a short course at the AFTRS Sydney Campus, the Mobile Content Creation Workshop offers practical techniques training to get the most out of high-quality mobile content, photos, videos and mobile apps.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said the program would not exist without Perkins.
“After agreeing to be Chairman, Rachel immediately began to talk to me about how to make this kind of opportunity a reality,” he said.
“The story is told, the career is fake, which could not have been thought of without this work.”
Perkins said he is excited to see the positive impact the program is already making and empowering First Nations Creative with accessible world-class screens and audio training to enrich the Australian storytelling landscape.
“The program has really been embraced by the First Nations community, which co-designs the workshops with the skills needs and cultural context of local participants before their mind,” she said. “And for participants themselves, the outcomes can be life-changing.”
In collaboration with the Community, First Nations media organizations and industry partners, OCPP conducted a pilot program at the Pacum Festival held in Warmin, Washington, September 1-5, 2024. Most recently, AFTRS led the program to Gimuy/Cairns from April 14-17 in a partnership with Arts Queensland.
The Gimuy/Cairns programme saw 40 First Nations Creatives from Townsville, Torres Strait Islands and Cairns areas gather at the Brumbajaa Arts Centre to explore storytelling through podcasting and writers’ room workshops in culturally grounded spaces. Participants represented over 50 countries.
There are also plans for future programs across Australia, including the Northern Territory. In the final stage of the program, participants selected from each workshop will travel to AFTRS’ Sydney campus in Gadigar/Bidigarh Country in early 2026 to provide short courses, hands-on workshops and mentoring. It covers travel, accommodation and daily accommodation.
Participants will receive coordinated advice on networking opportunities and next steps, including award courses and application for placement. In addition to the training component, AFTRS engages with experts and conducts sector-wide skill audits to identify current employment and training gaps for Indigenous practitioners. The findings will help make them available to industry partners to shape future iterations of the programme and guide future training initiatives and support.
Pete Noble, Director of First Nations, Outreach and Events at AFTRS, said the program was welcomed by the First Nations community and local industrial practitioners.
“We are excited to empower First Nations talent with tailored training, mentoring and placement applications where there are genuine desires and needs,” he said.
“AFTRS is passionate about taking our schools to remote and local communities in Australia and creating career paths to enhance our thriving talent in the screen, radio and audio industries.”
