Documentary Mentorship

BushTV Documentary Mentorship

Finding Your Voice through Story, Craft, Ethics, and Personal Development

The BushTV Documentary Mentorship is for individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of storytelling and work creatively, responsibly, ethically, and with care in self-empowerment, self-determination, social enterprise and social impact, with a focus on regional and remote cultural and community contexts.

Indigenous participants are warmly welcome and the program is also structured to support non-Indigenous aspirants to become better storytellers, allies, listeners, and collaborators, grounded in cultural authority, consent, and long-term relationships.

This is not a filmmaking course. It is not group-based learning. It is a one-on-one mentorship with ten one-hour individual sessions designed to help you find your voice, bring your story, project or personal vision and goal to life.

It is a mentorship in the responsibility of storytelling, and in understanding when to step forward, when to step in front of the camera or stay behind it..

This mentorship exists to grow the field of ethical quality content creators, not louder storytellers. It empowers people to ‘find their voice’ as communicators with a message to share.

What this mentorship is

This is a small, mentored cohort focused on the intersection of personal development, storytelling, craft, ethics, history, culture and community responsibility.

The work sits at the point where storytelling meets power, culture, and consequence. Story craft is taught not as a technique alone, but as a way of being in the world.

The mentorship explores:

• listening as a creative, spiritual and ethical practice
• the interview as a relational act, not extraction
• discovering the difference between a video and a story
• uncovering the story behind your personal vision and underlying message
• finding your own unique voice and sharing it through story
• photography, video and writing as narrative and purpose, not decoration
• video storytelling that serves meaning, purpose and empowerment
• choosing the right form for a story, and finding the right audience
• cultural readiness, consent, and accountability
• authorship, ownership, and control of your story

Participants are encouraged to slow down, reflect, and practise responsibility over speed.

Understanding privilege and the colonial project is essential to telling stories that do not repeat harm. It is part of becoming someone who can be trusted with a story.

This mentorship is suited to people who already have a project in mind, or a strong desire to develop on a personal and spiritual level through understanding the power of authentic storytelling

It is designed for storytellers who:

• want to work with story to create social impact and change and inspire others 
• understand that access to story and place must be earned
• are willing to be authentic and to practice integrity
• respect Indigenous cultural authority and local governance
• are open to uncovering the power of storytelling and the ethical responsibilities that come with it.

Indigenous filmmakers, writers, and storytellers are welcome and supported within the space, and non-Indigenous practitioners are also welcome. This mentorship is about the power of storytelling.

This mentorship is suitable for people seeking personal growth and understanding through refining their storytelling skills and building social impact and community development, and inspiring positive change.

Structure

Sessions are intentional, tailored to each person’s vision and specific goal or project. They are private and confidential. They happen one-on-one via ZOOM with Tom Hearn for ten sessions, worked out between each person and the mentor. 
There are no slides, no certificates, and no performance pressure. There is a focus on using your own story as personal development, self-empowerment, project achievement and completion.

Cultural responsibility

Participants agree to work within these non-negotiable principles:

• Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural authority are central 
• community consent and local decision-making come first
• stories are not extracted, simplified, or reframed without agreement
• authorship, ownership, and use of stories are owned by the participant – not BushTV or the mentor.
• written, photographic, and filmed stories all require consent

This mentorship prioritises care over access.

Publication pathway

BushTV is a small, values-led publisher. Publication is never automatic and never guaranteed. However, BushTV often uses its platform to assist participants in getting their message out there.

The mentorship prepares participants for ethical, publication-ready practice. A small number of participants may be invited into a development and publication pathway following the mentorship, subject to editorial judgement, community consent, and cultural alignment.

Some stories may be developed but never published. Others may take years to find the right form. This mirrors real publishing practice and protects both communities and storytellers.

Cultural residency pathway

One participant from the cohort may be invited into a mentored cultural residency.

This pathway is community-led, commissioned, governed by clear cultural protocols that exist in every community, and mentored before, during, and after. It is not guaranteed and is not the purpose of the mentorship. It is an outcome of demonstrated readiness and trust.

What participants receive

All participants receive:

• direct mentorship from Tom Hearn• guidance in story craft across writing, photography, and film
• training in ethical interviewing and consent-based practice
• honest feedback and personal development through storytelling practice
• tools for navigating power, privilege, and institutional systems
• eligibility for future BushTV development and publishing pathways

About the mentor

The mentorship is led by Tom Hearn, founder of BushTV. Tom has worked with many individuals and organisations, helping them get their projects off the ground.

Tom is a non-Indigenous documentary maker, writer, and storyteller with more than twenty years’ experience working alongside communities across remote and regional Australia. He holds a Master of Arts in Documentary from the Australian Film Television and Radio School and founded BushTV in 2003.

He has worked at local, regional, and national levels for more than a decade on long-term campaigns focused on mental health, suicide prevention, workforce development, reconciliation, and community-led change. He is a recipient of the Reconciliation Award.

His practice has been shaped by long-term relationships, cultural respect, consent, and craft.

Cost

$2,000 per participant
Payment plans available

The fee covers mentorship, facilitation, preparation, project development and design. Book a free phone yarn with Tom here before committing.

Payment is only requested after applications are reviewed and a place is offered. Tom will be in touch directly to discuss next steps.

How to apply

Participation is by application.

Please ensure you have read this page carefully before applying. This mentorship is intentionally small and selective.

Apply for the BushTV Documentary Mentorship