Make It, the must-attend conference for Victorian early career screen creatives and practitioners, returns to Melbourne in February 2022.
Make It is presented by AFTRS with principal partner Film Victoria and Media Mentors Australia and is designed for those who want to develop a career in the flourishing local screen, broadcast and games industries. The two-day event will be jam-packed with industry professionals on hand to give career advice and tips on thriving professionally. Confirmed speakers at Make It 2022 include one of Australia’s most successful screen creatives, Tony Ayres, a multi-award-winning producer, director, screenwriter and showrunner whose recent credits include the series Fires and Clickbait. Other leading Victorian screen professionals speaking are factual producer Kate Pappas, whose recent credits include art/science documentary Deception By Design, the feature documentary Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy and 11 hours of blue chip wildlife films with Wild Bear Entertainment; Frank Bruzzese, the Director of Production at Guesswork Television, who has worked on titles including Hannah Gadsby’s ground-breaking Nanette and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering; documentary producer and director Laurence Billiet (Freeman, General Strike); writer/director Goran Stolevski (Would You Look at Her, You Won’t Be Alone); and producer and disability advocate Ade Djajamihardja (The Big Gig, A Legendary Love) who is co-founder of A2K Media, a Melbourne production company that focuses on content endorsing disability advocacy, empowerment, pride and leadership.
The final speaker line-up will include television, online, film, VFX and gaming professionals who will share their secrets for success, along with their mistakes. Attendees will get the opportunity to network with experienced practitioners, explore a range of career paths and learn more about how to get their ideas into production, including business skills, funding opportunities and job interview skills.
Make It 2022 opportunities include –
- Identifying which path in the screen and media industries is the right one for you
- Learning how to pitch and present yourself to employers
- Gaining vital industry information and contacts
- Meeting like-minded individuals who may be your future collaborators
- Exploring how to develop your own screen content
- Accessing real-world advice and coaching about your career path
Make It is open to participants who are 18+ and live in Victoria. The event is designed for early-career practitioners already working in the Victorian screen industry and recent media graduates and it will provide a huge amount of value.
Participants will be invited to pitch for a mentor to support them after the conference. Mentors will represent a range of roles in the industry including below-the-line work such as on-set crew and post-production roles, which are competitive in Victoria.
“AFTRS is really excited to be collaborating with Film Victoria and Media Mentors Australia on this fantastic event. Giving emerging screen creatives this kind of access and support is crucial to building a robust pipeline of skilled talent. We were really proud of the success of our two previous conferences, and the 2022 program promises to be equally valuable,” said Nell Greenwood, AFTRS CEO.
Film Victoria’s CEO, Caroline Pitcher said, “We are committed to creating opportunities for Victoria’s emerging creators and screen practitioners to hone their skills and build valuable connections, as they explore career pathways across the global screen industry. Supporting conferences like Make It, is essential to nurturing our future home-grown talent and allowing fresh voices to produce the new and dynamic material we crave.”
“At Media Mentors, we know how important it is to have excellent support to achieve a successful career. Make It 2022 will be offering one-on-one coaching sessions with top industry professionals free of charge to conference participants. They will all be booked in advance and will offer rare and valuable insights from those who know to help you make it in your career. Don’t miss this opportunity,” said Denise Eriksen, Media Mentors Australia Co-Founder.
Previous participants have been enthused about the outcomes from Make It, including one delegate who said, “Make It was an invaluable experience for me – I had just arrived in Australia when I attended Make It in 2017. I made contacts across the industry, both experienced producers who helped me find work almost immediately, as well as peers who I still see, and bounce ideas around with today. There’s no doubt I wouldn’t have been able to start my career in Australia anywhere near as quickly were it not for Make It.”
Make It will be held on Saturday 12 February and Sunday 13 February at the William Angliss Conference Centre in Melbourne.
Early bird tickets are available from now until midnight on Sunday 14 November 2021 for $95. Tickets will then be available for $120 until Sunday 16 January 2022 and $135 thereafter.
Read more about Make It here.