About BushTV
My name is Tom Hearn. I am an Australian documentary storyteller, communications practitioner, community development worker and First Nations ally.
I founded BushTV in 2003 with a simple belief:
Stories have the power to strengthen people, communities and systems when they are shared with care, consent and cultural authority.
For more than twenty years I have worked alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across regional and remote Australia, recording stories on Country, supporting community-led initiatives and helping organisations communicate their work more effectively.
I hold a Master of Arts in Documentary and have been recognised with a Queensland Government Reconciliation Award for my commitment to community storytelling and Indigenous workforce development. My documentaries have screened nationally and my work increasingly sits at the intersection of storytelling, communications, education and social impact.
My Gurda, Ernie Dingo, has been a mentor and collaborator throughout much of this journey, including our award-winning Camping on Country initiative, where he continues to serve as National Ambassador.
Today, BushTV operates across four interconnected areas.
BushTV works as a strategic communications and storytelling partner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, foundations, health services, government agencies and purpose-driven enterprises.
Through structured agency partnerships, BushTV helps organisations strengthen communications, tell their stories, build trust, create content and develop long-term narrative infrastructure.
TRACKS is BushTV’s storytelling and communications framework.
Designed specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, TRACKS helps teams embed storytelling, media and communication into everyday work rather than relying solely on external providers.
Whether supporting Rangers, schools, health services, cultural organisations or Community Connectors, TRACKS helps organisations capture and share their own stories in culturally appropriate ways.
The BushTV Documentary Mentorship supports emerging storytellers, communicators, writers, filmmakers and changemakers who want to deepen their understanding of story, ethics, craft and responsibility.
Delivered through one-on-one mentoring, the program focuses on helping people find their voice and develop meaningful projects grounded in care, consent and cultural authority.
First Nations Story Library for Schools
The BushTV First Nations Story Library brings real stories from Country into classrooms.
Recorded over more than twenty years alongside First Nations communities, the library helps schools engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures through authentic voices, short documentary films and curriculum-aligned learning resources.
The first collection, Untold Stories: First Nations Contributions to Australia, is voiced by Ernie Dingo and supported by teacher guides and student resources.
How I Work
BushTV is intentionally relationship-based.
I don’t see storytelling as content production. I see it as responsibility.
Every project begins with listening. Every partnership is built on trust. Every story is shaped by the people who carry it.
Whether I’m working with an organisation, mentoring a storyteller, supporting a school or helping a community share its knowledge, the goal remains the same:
To help important stories be shared well, by the right people, in the right way.