TAFE NSW graduate Georgia shares Hope

TAFE NSW graduate Georgia Free is using her media skills and passion for communications to deliver hope to audiences across a range of traditional and new media around Australia and overseas.

Since completing her Diploma of Screen and Media through TAFE Digital, Georgia has been promoted from Breakfast producer to Drive-time announcer on popular Sydney Christian radio station, Hope FM.

Georgia is also venturing into the digital communications space by producing two podcasts with themes aligned to her broadcasting job – Finding Hope with Georgia Free and The Hope Book Club.

Georgia says “It’s very rewarding to help people to find hope and get them through hard times but with a background in science rather than communications, I was definitely flying by the seat of my pants and learning on the job when it came to broadcasting and podcasting.”

“But by studying Screen and Media through TAFE Digital, I was able to learn flexibly and gained the confidence and knowledge I needed to be a better broadcaster and create a quality product in the digital space where I can reach people through my podcasts.”

As an announcer in the traditional broadcasting sphere, Georgia is part of a team reaching thousands of listeners on the FM dial every day, while the station’s app allows her to reach many more all around the world.

Her podcasts are also opening large audience channels, with each episode averaging more than 400 downloads, for a total of 17,000 downloads over the past month.

Her teacher at TAFE Digital Lisa McIntosh says Georgia has been able to build on her industry knowledge by gaining practical skills and formal qualifications at TAFE NSW.

“Our Screen and Media courses focus on the skills that are needed by communicators to engage, entertain and inform audiences and it’s wonderful to see Georgia using that knowledge to share her message of hope with so many listeners, both on the airwaves and in the digital sphere.”

Georgia would one day like to incorporate the knowledge she gained from a science degree at university with her passion for broadcasting and podcasting.

“It’s been a whirlwind time of learning and engaging with audiences but it’s joyous work and I feel very lucky to be doing it,” she says.