Have you heard the story about an indigenous guy raised in Blackwater that produced content for Sesame Street? No; some parents may recall the song ‘5 Kangaroo’s’ sung by Jessica Mauboy. The video was produced by the Brisbane company Carbon Media, founded by Blackwater raised Andrew Denning. Andrew’s company not only produced the video, it was Andrew that, uninvited, pitched the idea to the New York producers of Sesame Street to commission it. The first non-American content on the show. The grand-son of a Woorabinda woman jailed for raising her hand to acknowledge the attention of a man, to producing 8 short films for Sesame Street born out of a desire to give indigenous Australians a positive voice in media, Andrew’s story would make an interesting film in itself.
What about the story of a lad who only went to grade 11 at North Rockhampton High School and last week was anointed the title of Chief Entrepreneur of Queensland. Parts of the Steve Baxter story are arguably better known, but there is so much more than the Shark Tank chapter.
What these 2 gentlemen, and the many others, have demonstrated that it doesn’t matter where you are raised, your level of education or how much or little money you have if you are passionate and persistent you can find ways to achieve and people want to hear/read the story.
The Australian poster boys of tech-entrepreneurs, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, the billionaire co-founders of software company Atlassian started with a $10000 credit card debt. It was remarkable in the recent local media coverage of Scott’s and his wife’s imminent purchase of one of Australia’s richest residences no mention was made that Kim, an investment banker, was raised in Yeppoon.
To produce more enterprising people, we need to keep developing a stronger eco-system in the region to support their development. Part of this eco-system is for local media to tell stories to inspire others. Especially reporting the local angle.
In the regions, there is a tendency to not go seeking publicity for one-self, in part because of the tall poppy syndrome and also the desire to still be able to walk the main street in relative anonymity. Thus, without the carefully scripted and supplied media releases it is more difficult for regional media to tell the stories. Not impossible though. Hopefully with the announcement of former local Steve Baxter as the next Chief Entrepreneur of Queensland been made official in Rockhampton we’ll start to see greater coverage in and from regional media about what is happening in the local start-up eco-system and help promote some of the idea’s coming out of it.
Idea’s like the very timely one that came out of GovHack held in Rockhampton, July this year, that could save the Queensland Government millions of dollars and even lives. Telling its story may lead to more initiatives that save tax payers, both money and their lives, and inspire others to get involved also. Everything starts with a story.