Daniel Bourke
It’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras season! The highly anticipated event is a whirlwind of fun, creativity and (eco) glitter.
SAE Sydney film graduate Daniel Bourke will be one of the many creative professionals engaged to bring the festival to life through film.
In his role as Video Content Producer at community health organisation and longtime Mardi Gras supporter ACON, Daniel creates queer health campaigns in a way that meets the needs of the community it services.
“As a filmmaker, working with ACON combines my passion and skill set. I am fulfilled creatively and get to contribute in a meaningful way to the community. I have a lot of freedom in my role, I get to be who I am and express my creative ideas”
Daniel will also be filming the annual ACON float at the festival again this year; producing video content to showcase the float and the experience of those marching in the parade – the best seat in the house.
Daniel started working full time at ACON during his final trimester of study at SAE.
“The skills I learnt at SAE helped me land my dream job. It was tough to juggle work and uni but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up and ultimately the hard work paid off.”
Daniel was well placed to start his career, even when he hadn’t quite finished his studies yet, having two of his student films ‘A Room Full of Lego’ and ‘The Jump’, shown and winning awards at film festivals around the world.
Aside from his work with ACON, Daniel is also a member of the selection committee for Queer Screen, the home of Queer Screen Film Fest (Sep) and the Mardi Gras Film Festival (Feb/Mar).
And Daniel says some very robust discussions happen between the selection panel. “It’s great to be able to talk about the films we are watching with others who are just as passionate.”
“I’ve been able to establish a career and a network that’s outside of the traditional film-making scene. I hope my experience shows aspiring filmmakers that there are many and varied pathways to a career in film,” Daniel says.
Daniel says he moved to SAE from another institution with no set expectations of what he wanted to do after graduating, he just knew he had a passion for film.
He believes you can learn so much just by being on set. “I wanted to diversify my skills and learn as much as possible while I was at SAE. My advice to other students is to put your hand up to help on other projects and work cross-collaboratively when you can, don’t be shy about doing extra work.”
“The old adage you get out what you put in is so apt, networking is everything in filmmaking.”
Brad caught up with Daniel Bourke on Arvos just after Mardi Gras wrapped for 2020:
