A new home for young media-makers

A new home for young media-makers

For the first time, three student and youth media organisations have been brought together in a custom-built space at RMIT.

Officially unveiled last night, the Media Collective is a brand-new co-working and training space located in RMIT’s Media Precinct is home to student-run production house RUSU RMITV, community broadcaster SYN Media and student publication Catalyst.

Coming together in a central, on-campus location will allow the community of young media-makers more opportunities to connect, collaborate, and engage with the media industry. 

L-R: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Engagement and Vice-President Melissa Sweetland, SYN Media’s Campbell McNolty and Rachael Dexter, Gabrielle Williams MP, Gandel Philanthropy Grants Manager Alexandra White and Stephanie Ryan MP. L-R: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Engagement and Vice-President Melissa Sweetland, SYN Media’s Campbell McNolty and Rachael Dexter, Gabrielle Williams MP, Gandel Philanthropy Grants Manager Alexandra White and Stephanie Ryan MP.

The three independent media organisations are invaluable for young people who want to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of TV, radio and print media and have been a training ground for household names like The Project host Waleed Aly, TV personalities and comedians Rove McManus, Peter Helliar, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Vice-President Belinda Tynan said the launch was an opportunity to celebrate a great, new space.

“The completion of this project has seen RMIT’s vision to create a space for the next generation of young, independent media-makers brought to life,” Tynan said.

“In the heart of our City campus, this fantastic suite of facilities will enable the three media organisations and the wider community to share resources, spaces and knowledge, prepping their volunteers for careers in the industry.”

Guests were given a tour of the Media Collective's facilities. Guests were given a tour of the Media Collective's facilities.

Speaking on the night, Victorian Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Youth the Honourable Gabrielle Williams said that in a world where media was rapidly transforming, it was reassuring to know that RMIT was giving young people a chance to learn in cutting-edge environments.

“I know that too often the stories and perspectives of young people are overlooked,” she said.

“We understand the value of giving young journalists a chance to hone their skills and get real-world broadcasting experience – because the work of our media industry is essential to the health of our democracy.”

RMIT School of Media and Communication alumni were present at the launch, including Seven News producer Rachel Ward, Radio National Earshot Producer Georgia Moodie and Herald Sun journalist Grace McKinnon.

Another guest on the night was the Nationals Deputy Leader and RMIT alumnus Stephanie Ryan, who volunteered at SYN media while completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism).

For SYN, the Media Collective project also represented the culmination of the largest investment in infrastructure they had ever made. With the support of Gandel Philanthropy and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, SYN built three new radio studios equipped with industry standard broadcast gear.

RMITV Manager Joe Betros said it was important for the three organisations to come together as they each represented  different mediums within the media industry.

“Since we all have a different focus – RMITV covers film and TV, SYN covers radio and Catalyst covers print media – it’s important for us to collaborate and cross-promote,” he said.

“Having access to these state-of-the-art facilities in the Media Precinct, in the one place, gives students easy access to explore media creation in the various mediums on offer.”

 

 

Story: Jasmijn van Houten

26 September 2019

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26 September 2019

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