Combining business and laughs
As Kimmie’s experience and talent in comedy developed, she discovered she needed more business knowledge to manage her career.
She enrolled in RMIT’s Graduate Certificate of Business Administration, Business Administration and Management and got to grips with the finance element of running a business.
“I had no idea how to do finances or anything like that and so that's when I did the graduate certificate in business admin,” she said.
“It took me a little longer to do it because I had to repeat the finance component. I'm good at spending money and figuring out what I need to buy, but to do both [and] the mathematical equation, it wasn't getting through my creative mindset.
“I was able to get a tutor and we spent pretty much every single day just going through all the equations and all the content.”
Kimmie has also found support at RMIT’s Ngarara Willim Centre, where staff help Indigenous students throughout their studies and into their careers.
“Whenever I have an idea for a show or anything, I'll reach out to Ngarara Willim to see if they want to support in any way,” she said.
“There's been a couple conversations to do a comedy lunch hour for when they've had their weekly lunches, which I've done before when I was working for the state government.”
The next act
In 2021, Kimmie founded Kungari Productions to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedians to perform in culturally safe spaces. Through Kungari, Kimmie also runs comedy writing workshops for people in the Victorian Aboriginal community.
Kungari means ‘black swan’ in indigenous language and the black swan is the totem of Kimmie’s people.
“I have the black swan tattooed on me as well, so no matter where I go in the world, if I'm feeling homesick, all I have to do is pretty much look at my tattoo and it will keep me grounded and keep me pushing forward,” she said.
Kimmie currently works as a cultural guide at the Koorie Heritage Trust and is writing a play called My Ruwi. The story is based on two Aboriginal girls, one from the country and one from Melbourne who meet at Kmart and discover they are related.
“The story's very similar to mine, but it's a story about when you find out that you are Aboriginal, or you've known you’re Aboriginal, and you are slowly finding those community family connections and what it’s like, kind of having your foot in the white world and also the black world whilst also battling biracial relationships,” she said.
Kimmie plans to write more plays integrating her own stories and experiences. She is also inspired to elevate women, particularly women of colour, to the stage and help give them the skills to take on comedy and live performance.
