{"id":1866,"date":"2025-10-02T15:55:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T05:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:55:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T05:55:51","slug":"brothers-finding-their-voice-at-aftrs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/10\/02\/brothers-finding-their-voice-at-aftrs\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Brothers\u2019\u00a0finding their voice\u00a0at AFTRS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Leroy Creed-Jones and Micah Kickett at AFTRS Broadcast Studios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Leroy Creed-Jones stepped onto the AFTRS campus in Sydney in February this year, he wasn\u2019t just starting a new course \u2013 he was stepping into a new chapter of his life. After nearly a decade away from work and study, the Pitta Pitta, Kalkadoon, Gungarri and Quandamooka man from Brisbane found himself surrounded by community, opportunity and optimism for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d become pretty much a homebody, and I knew I wasn\u2019t going to get anywhere staying in Brisbane,\u201d Leroy said. \u201cWith a passion for radio I saw this as a big opportunity for me to make something of myself.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraged by his brother Kerrod Meredith-Creed \u2013 an AFTRS graduate who now works in the School\u2019s First Nations team \u2013 Leroy successfully applied for the Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting (GDRP), thinking he might do it part-time and even online. But at First Nations Orientation Week (held the week before whole-of-School Orientation) he felt so at home he decided to stay. And a big part of that feeling came from meeting \u201cbrother\u201d Micah Kickett, a Wilyakali man from Broken Hill, who opted for part-time remote study while working in Canberra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While their journeys are different, their connection was instant and their bond with each other \u2013 and subsequently with fellow students and lecturers \u2013 has helped them to thrive throughout the course.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Micah Kickett<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019ve got a full-time job and other things that I do \u2026 sometimes it feels like it gets a bit too much,\u201d Micah said. \u201cBut then when I speak to Leroy, it kind of gives me that sense of hope to be like, \u2018Nah, if brother can do it, I can do it too\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though I\u2019m an online student and Leroy is on campus, it really helps just knowing that I\u2019ve got him there. We chat constantly and keep each other informed, and if I\u2019m struggling I\u2019ll just call him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After studying media and law at university, Micah spent eight years practicing as a lawyer. But the \u201cburning desire\u201d for a more creative path was always in the back of his mind. In 2019, he gave stand-up comedy a go \u2013 a bold step towards something different \u2013 but it still didn\u2019t quite scratch the itch. One day while driving to work a strong feeling of \u201cuncertainty\u201d came over him that led to a sequence of events that would change his life\u2019s course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t go into work that day,\u201d Micah recalled. \u201cI took a left turn, then a right turn, and I rolled into the ABC. I\u2019m like, \u2018Hey I\u2019m Micah Kickett, is there any way I could get some experience?\u2019 They gave me a microphone and said, \u2018Here you go, get some interviews\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah got back in the car and immediately heard a radio announcement calling for trainee radio broadcasters at a community station. So he went straight there, signed up for the training and 10 weeks later was a lawyer by day and community radio volunteer broadcaster by night. This, along with his freelance ABC interviews, led to his current job as the CBAA First Nations Affairs Reporter at Parliament House. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah then met Kerrod and GDRP Course Convenor Natalie Pozdeev at a CBAA conference and realised AFTRS would be the perfect career complement to \u201clearn about podcasting and sharpen my skills\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leroy Creed-Jones | Photo by Flore Vallery-Radot<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leroy, who had previously studied screen media at the Bachelor Institute, said the GDRP also sparked a deeper curiosity in podcasting for him, and broadened his understanding of the wider world of audio storytelling and career possibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first came to AFTRS I was just thinking about radio, I wasn\u2019t thinking about all the other stuff, like podcasting and voiceover,\u201d he said. \u201cIt made me realise how big radio is and all the other opportunities out there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leroy said along with key skills, the course had taught him a lot about the audio industry, the importance of audience and how to work collaboratively to produce engaging content. One highlight was working on Show Radio, at Sydney\u2019s Royal Easter Show, where he got hands-on experience across a range of roles \u2013 from presenting to panelling and producing. He said it also helped him connect more deeply with his peers. By dropping his guard and letting his personality shine through, Leroy discovered the power of bringing his authentic self to his work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, I wasn\u2019t really being myself, I\u2019ll be honest about that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut as I started being [at AFTRS] longer, getting along with the other classmates, I started actually being myself and opening up a bit more,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt Show Radio they absolutely loved some of the things that come out of my mouth \u2026 I was cracking them up, even though I wasn\u2019t trying to be intentionally funny; I was just being myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natalie Pozdeev said it was always rewarding to see that kind of growth. She emphasised the space in the industry for everyone \u2013 and that leaning into your personality is not just accepted, but encouraged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we find is the radio industry wants you to be the best version of you, so your most authentic self, and to show up exactly as that,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we find works really well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah said while he also thought Show Radio was a highlight, what he loved most about the course went deeper than the exercises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the tasks and the assessments are quite enjoyable, and just learning how to produce stories and do radio announcements are great skills to have, but in all honesty, it\u2019s also just the overall AFTRS experience,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lecturers have been very compassionate and very understanding because I know that both Leroy and I have had issues where we\u2019ve had to request extensions and they genuinely understand \u2013 like they understand things about the importance of family and sorry business and you feel very supported from that cultural sense as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I also feel really supported by the non-indigenous students. I\u2019ve seen how, on campus, they\u2019ve really taken Leroy in and how supportive they are. It\u2019s just cool to see.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Leroy planning to graduate at the end of this year and Micah hopefully the year after, the pair say they are now brothers for life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeroy inspires me so much,\u201d Micah said. \u201cHe\u2019s relocated from his family, left his comfort zone, and is creating something for himself. It really helps to keep me going.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this inspiration goes well beyond the AFTRS community, according to brother Kerrod. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeroy has 11 nieces and nephews and when he goes home to Brisbane they\u2019re all asking, \u2018Uncle Leroy, what are you doing? What are you doing?\u2019 And they\u2019re showing genuine interest in the radio course,\u201d Kerrod said. \u201cI think it\u2019s really cool. He\u2019s inspiring the next generation of our family to follow their dreams and chase what they want to do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah echoed that sentiment. \u201cWe\u2019re not just learning for ourselves. We\u2019re showing our communities what\u2019s possible. We\u2019re proving that our voices matter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Leroy Creed-Jones stepped onto the AFTRS campus in Sydney in February this year, he wasn\u2019t just starting a new course \u2013 he was stepping into a new chapter of his life. After nearly a decade away from work and study, the Pitta Pitta, Kalkadoon, Gungarri and Quandamooka man from Brisbane found himself surrounded by … Continue reading “\u2018Brothers\u2019\u00a0finding their voice\u00a0at AFTRS”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1867,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1866\/revisions\/1867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}