The Australian Film Television and Radio School’s (AFTRS) On Country Pathways Program (OCCP) will head to Jigamy, near Eden, on the far south coast of NSW, later this month.
The program aims to create career pathways into radio, podcasting, film and television through bespoke training for emerging First Nations creatives living in remote, rural and regional areas across Australia. This edition of the OCCP will be held Jigamy, in Thaua Country, on the south east coast, with two workshops, in podcasting and mobile content creation, following on after the Giiyong Festival. The workshops will be run in partnership with local not-for-profit First Nations media organisation Studio Jaanda over three days from November 24-26.
Create, Record, Publish: Podcasting Made Simple is a practical workshop that will explore the principles of what makes good audio content and the unique opportunities podcasts offer for connecting with audiences and communities. Participants will learn practical skills so that, by the end of the workshop, they will have at least one show, podcast episode or podcast trailer ready to publish.
Workshop facilitators are Natalie Pozdeev (pictured main on the right, at the Cairns OCCP workshop in April), AFTRS’ Program Convenor for the Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting, and Dre Ngatakorua, a broadcaster of Wangkangurru, Adnyamathnha, Kuyani, Luridja, Deiri, Yankunytjatara, Cook Island and Maori decent. Dre is host of the Straight Out Show on Umeewarra Radio.
In the Mobile Content Creation workshop, participants will learn how to write, shoot, edit and share short reels/video content for social media and online platforms using mobile phones. Participants will learn how to plan and capture engaging short form content, tell stories in 60 seconds and learn skills for recording, editing, uploading and sharing content.
Facilitators for the mobile content workshop are Patrick McKenzie and Brooke Collard, with mentors Jodie Dowd (AFTRS First Nations Community Engagement Manager), Kerrod Meredith-Creed (AFTRS Community Training Officer), Sara Khan, screenwriter and proud Wailwan, Gomeroi, Pakistani woman with a strong background in storytelling, and photographer and filmmaker Anthony Rigby-Smith.
AFTRS First Nations Director Peter Noble said the program had been warmly welcomed by First Nations Communities and industry practitioners since it was piloted in collaboration with PAKAM in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia in September 2024:
“The On Country Pathways Program is about creating real opportunities for First Nations storytellers in regional and rural areas to build their skills and share their voices and stories.
Our workshops are co-designed with First Nations Communities, so they truly speak to local culture and aspirations. Bringing the program to Jigamy means connecting with Community in that region and building practical skills, along with the confidence, to open doors and minds to creative careers that can be life changing.”
AFTRS On Country Pathways Program has been made possible thanks to the support of the Commonwealth Government as part of the National Cultural Policy. AFTRS will also have an information stall at the Giiyong Festival on Saturday November 22.
More than 20 emerging Aboriginal storytellers are expected to attend the workshops, and more are welcome. People wishing to register should contact Kerrod at AFTRS: [email protected] or Kyle at Studio Jaanda: [email protected].
You can read more about the On Country Pathways Program below: