Sky’s the limit for Tennant Creek’s Media Mob

Training opportunities are key to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employment. And for a small group of Tennant Creek youth, the proof is in the pudding.

Russell Habas, Sean Bahr-Kelly, Kaleisha Green and Jackson Dawson recently embarked on 13 weeks of intensive media training as part of Media Mob – a Barkly Regional Arts and Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation venture funded by the Australian Government’s Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program, which aims to help Indigenous job seekers gain the skills and capabilities needed to find sustainable employment.

Media Mob have learnt the tricks of the trade by working with industry professional and former youth worker, Shayne Teece-Johnson, on projects that have enabled them to develop a diverse range of digital media skills.

“We’ve had a lot of practical based training and we’ve tried to incorporate everything that is media including video, radio and social media,” Shayne said.

“Some of the group hadn’t even used cameras before training began and now they’re broadcasting live on the internet and producing work that’s of a professional standard.”

During the 13 weeks training, Media Mob captured sporting events around Tennant Creek and produced film clips for local bands, which involved operating cameras, editing and setting up live streams on the internet. The group has also learned web design skills, developing mediamob.net.au as part of their training.

“It’s quite a diverse range of skills but mostly we’ve focused on camera operating and editing,” Shayne said.

“Having just graduated from training, I’m just amazed at their skills base. It’s taken me years to get into the film industry and pick up these skills and these guys have really taken to it.

“The greatest thing for me is that I would trust them on any gig operating the cameras.”

In addition to professional development, Shayne said participants in Media Mob have also benefited on a personal level.

“I’ve noticed a lot of growth in their confidence and they’re getting a lot of respect from the community in Tennant Creek,” he said.

With many more projects lined up, including the production of three short documentaries for NITV, Media Mob participants are well on their way to a promising future in the media industry.

“I have aspirations for them – that they’ll eventually have other opportunities to do media in other parts of Australia and around the world,” Shayne said.

Media Mob participant Sean Bahr-Kelly has the same aspirations for himself.

“I’m pretty much loving everything. We’re learning a mixture of different skills and lots of hand-on stuff. Working on the cameras is great because we get to travel around a bit and as for the computer stuff – I love editing,” Sean said.

Russell, Jackson and Sean have just completed a second session of intensive training with Shayne. They will continue working 20 hours a week for Barkly Arts, as part of the Remote Jobs and Communities Program work experience agreement.