For Master of Strategic Communications student Natasha Bulyga, a “traditional” career path isn't on the cards.
After graduating from a Bachelor of Media at The University of Adelaide, Tash decided a short stint in Tasmania was the ticket she needed to a media career in the arts.
“I believe that I heard about the University through Facebook. I just had my graduation a few months earlier and realised that I was not really done with study and the job market tended to favour post-graduate degree-holders,” Tash said.
“I had visited Hobart pre-COVID and found it so charming, so this prompted me to investigate the degree structure. I liked that the assessments were not just essays but media-writing and practise that I could use for future job opportunities.”
As part of her coursework, Tash was one of three students from the School of Creative Arts and Media (CAM) in the control room of Tasmania’s largest festival, Dark Mofo.
Sitting in the hot seat with DarkLab’s media team, the company that produces the festival, Tash put her relationship management skills to the test while working with media representatives and festival punters.
“It was eye-opening to see the amount of people on the DarkLab team and how busy they all were constantly.”
“It was also really interesting to see how they stream-lined the media events which happened multiple times a day during the festival. I’d never really considered where or how the reporters had their moment with the talent, or what was involved with organising that.”
When it comes to her career, Tash is inspired by big personalities. She said she saw herself working at the intersection of many creative industries, using her experience to carve out a niche driven by her passions.
“I would love to work in entertainment, not necessarily as a journalist but something close to that. I am passionate about music and film and want to get more involved with that next year.
“I think of people like fellow University of Tasmania alum, science communicator Zoe Kean, who is able to bring her personality into her work. She works across radio, social media, and traditional written journalism, and her interests link it all.
“The content I’ve studied in the Master of Strategic Communication so far has been useful in this way. I love that I can build a portfolio now featuring all types of media outputs.
“Like, last semester I undertook Multiplatform Storytelling, which was a self-guided, mini-research project on a topic you wanted. I did mine on the TV show Countdown and we had to communicate it in different ways – audio, visual and written.
“I had lots of creative output which was so much fun! We were really encouraged by the teaching staff to love the topic we chose.”
Whether Tash decides to nestle into Tasmania’s world-class arts scene or transfer her skills elsewhere, the relationships she’s formed with teaching staff have left a lasting impression.
“I’d recommend the University of Tasmania and especially in the Media School. The professors make such an effort to know their students and constantly support them.
“I love Tassie, I really do! I don’t know where I'll land but I’ll chase wherever the jobs lead me.”
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