AFTRS students, alumni and industry came together on Tuesday 28 April for the annual AFTRS Radio and Podcasting Showcase, an evening that celebrated the future of audio storytelling and explored the opportunities ahead in radio and podcasting.
It was a full house as industry partners met with radio and podcasting students, graduands and alumni, many of whom had spent the day at AFTRS, hosting judging panels for the Mumbrella and Radio Info/Radio Today Australian Audio Awards, whose winners will be announced on Thursday 28 May.
Designed to foster meaningful connections, the showcase brought together practitioners and executives from across the sector and across Australia, including representatives from the ABC, ACE Radio Network, ARN Media, Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, SEN, Tapt Media, Geelong Broadcasters, and Nova, alongside a wide range of production companies and broadcasters.
AFTRS Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting (GDRP) Program Convenor Natalie Pozdeev welcomed guests, inviting them to get to know the students and graduands who came to AFTRS “to make audio – in all its contemporary forms – across radio, podcasting, social, multiplatform and emerging spaces, including marketing, communications and various industries where audio is a part of the business toolkit.”
The GDRP flexible delivery has provided opportunities for students across the country to access studies online and part time, extensively opening access to the School and the community of creatives, from students to lecturers, who come together to create, participate and give voice to diverse stories.
Natalie added: “We know that audio is powerful because it’s personal. It’s tied to place, community and voice, and that’s especially true in regional and hyperlocal contexts, which remain critical to Australia’s media landscape. The geographic spread of our students, and the diversity of their experiences, is not accidental. It is one of our greatest strengths.”
The evening also celebrated the recent work of graduands, with attendees given a first look at the GDRP reel showcasing the creativity, craft and range of voices emerging from the program.
Karl Svikis’ experience of the course was also showcased, as students and alumni revisited the formative experiences of the GDRP, including real-world projects when students are on air, such as Show Radio, 2NRS, AFTRS FM and Next Podcasting. Karl, who graduates this year, is currently working for Southern Cross Austereo as a ‘street teamer’ and doing casual panelling for Sports Entertainment Network. He has also been invited to be a casual producer on The Hot Hits National evening radio show.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZCw0nF_o_jE%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.aftrs.edu.au
Fellow graduand Lee Chan spoke at the event, reflecting on her time studying at AFTRS as she returns to the media and broadcast industry after a three-year career break as a television presenter on lifestyle/food shows. She said what brought her to AFTRS was the motivation to “be a better storyteller”.
She told current students that the course will “push you to your limits”, noting “we created things we didn’t think we had in us, sometimes in record timing and in the end, what I got out of it was a clearer path on where I’d like to go after the course ended”.
Lee airs a weekly spot on EastsideFM, and her love for storytelling shines brightly through “podcasting, specifically docu-series and human-interest stories”.