Country Creatives

Episode 021.ENCORE Troy Firebrace

Caleb and Reece are revisiting a few of their compelling conversations and discussions from 2022 starting with their first ever guest on the podcast- Troy Firebrace.
Troy Firebrace is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung man making incredible visual art via his company Firebrace Designs. In this episode of Country Creatives Caleb and Reece find out about Troy's path to creating a significant and varied artistic career.  They learn about the process and motivation underpinning his evolving practice on canvas and on walls whilst juggling his work as an Aboriginal Educational Officer at Sandhurst Catholic Education Office Bendigo.  Recorded on 26 January 2022, this interview also contains some fantastic discussion around this current public holiday in Australia and other invaluable insight from this generous and talented guest.
 

Episode 020: The 2022 Wrap Up

Say sayonara to the year that was and contemplate your creative year to come with the latest Country Creatives podcast episode. Reece and Caleb are tying a big festive bow on 2022 with a chat about their personal highlights from the year that was, including some of the guest conversations that have really stuck with them.  The duo then look forward to their plans and aspirations for 2023.  

Episode 019. Craig Barker

In a career that has so far seen him move from teaching in the education system, to creating a successful freelance stock video production business, to finding a current place as the creative director of a fast growing online platform, Craig Barker is a country creative with a whole lot of ingenuity, curiosity and business skills to spare, as we find when he joins Caleb and Reece for their final podcast episode for the year.
 
In this fascinating chat, Craig discusses the choices, work ethic and processes that have helped him make the move from primary school teacher to the biggest producer of stock video footage in Australia, then transform from solo operator to content creation roles inside larger businesses. Caleb and Reece then uncover how Craig built on the sum of all these skills to now remotely manage content creators and other contributors from all over the world from his home in Bendigo, alongside tips for managing teams and productivity tools to make the whole experience a breeze.  

Episode 018. Check-in chat

As we begin to wind down to the end of the year, Caleb & Reece are grabbing a beer and sitting down for a bit of a check-in chat.  First up they talk with honesty about a situation familiar to many creatives at this time of the year- the financial black hole that can open up when clients, and their money, go on Summer holidays.   Thankfully Caleb has some very recent experience staring down, and then solving, this very problem in his own video production company.  Reece has been venturing into his home shed, aka laboratory, to invent some new ideas for future podcast episodes and Caleb also shares a huge creative win.
Sit back and relax as Caleb and Reece cover some great creative business learning, some laughing and then round it out with some table tennis talk.

Episode 017. Burn Out- What is it and how to get out of it.

Reece and Caleb speak candidly about an all too common occurrence for creatives - Burn Out.  They look at what it is, how to recognise it, what might be causing it, and drawing from their own experiences, some of the ways that you might work through it to a brighter side.  This is important work for all creatives who want to cultivate long enriched careers, so go easy on yourself and settle in here for some empathy and wisdom.

Episode 016. Megan Champion

Caleb and Reece discuss the invisibility of female artists and the devaluing of women's work with creative Megan Champion, founder of not for profit organisation 'We Are Untold'. Megan shares how she is building a business that utilises storytelling and visual art to ensure that the achievements of females working across all sectors is visible, valued and held up as vitally important. Megan talks about her Women of Gold program that is creating role models for the present day, stories that will become required historical learnings for future generations, as well as ensuring female art is paid for appropriately and displayed in prominent locations. There are more than a couple of mic drop moments as Megan turns the questions on Reece and Caleb and they delve deep into how we can all play a big role in shifting the needle on gender equality and eradicating the motherhood penalty. Listen in now and perhaps bring a notepad and pen, it's a big one.

Episode 015: Kylie Eddy

Kylie Eddy's presentation and workshop at Conflux Bendigo (A creative industries event held in regional Victoria in September 2022) was a highlight for so many of the participants including Caleb and Reece.  So much so, that they asked Kylie to join them in this episode to give us the lowdown on Lean Filmmaking, a revolutionary method for making feature films (or short films, book publishing or many other creative projects) using Agile processes.  In the past, gatekeepers like studios, distributors and exhibitors had the power to dictate which films got made and what audiences saw on screens. They’ve had a notorious reputation for silencing marginalized voices, discouraging diversity and lacking inclusivity. But as Kylie explains in this in-depth chat, you don’t need permission from the gatekeepers to make your film anymore.   Tune in now to discover a whole new way of working that puts collaboration, fans and story at the forefront.
 
 

Episode 014: How to have difficult conversations in business

Listen in to sharpen up your communication skills in less than 60 minutes with Country Creatives!If you struggle with asking your clients 'what is your budget?'. If you find it hard to put boundaries in when they ask you 'for just a little change', if you find your ego in the drivers seat when a client doesn't like the work you deliver, or when a project simply all goes a bit awry and you need to pick up the pieces pronto, then this episode is for you.  Using real life situations from their own creative careers, Reece and Caleb unpack communication fails and troubleshoot how to ensure better outcomes as well as sharing their key strategies and scripts for all too common pitfalls when navigation the client/creative relationship.  

Episode 013: Conflux Bendigo Highlights

Over two days in September 2022, creative trailblazers converged for Conflux Bendigo. It was full of thought provoking conversations, inspirational performance, enlightening workshops and purposeful connection. There were panel discussions, masterclasses, practitioner presentations, group forums, lively debates, Q&As, workshops, networking, performance, installations and Caleb and Reece were right in the thick of it as artistic contributors as well as audience members.   Tune in as Country Creatives take you inside their Conflux Bendigo experience and recap the thoughts and ideas that resonated with them, the performances that moved them deeply and the people they met who inspired them.  In between all the action Reece and Caleb also managed to grab some microphones and speak to a bunch of the creative folk about what Conflux Bendigo meant to them and what they hoped would grow from this fantastic creative gathering.  

Episode 012. Toby Benador

In this live podcast recording from Conflux Bendigo (A Creative Industries gathering that took place on September 9 & 10, 2022), Caleb and Reece speak with Toby Benador in the pop up studio just after a presentation Toby had given on cultivating strong partnerships.  Toby Benador is a neurodiverse, genderqueer, POC who has successfully made a name for themselves as an independent gallery owner, project manager, and curator in the Urban Art sector for over 15 years. Throughout their extensive time spent involved in the industry, Toby has opened and run several notable galleries and businesses all with a driving force to showcase and support emerging and established artists. 
 
In this chat, Caleb and Reece get the lowdown on how Just Another Agency came to be back in 2010, the type of work that the agency undertakes including large-scale, multi-artist creative projects, what kind of artists and clients Toby likes to work with and most importantly how, with some humanity, empathy and radical collaboration, this work can thrive in an incredibly fun and fulfilling way.