Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello! Thank you for visiting my site! I am very excited to be entering this new chapter with Kinship Productions and would love for you to join me on the ride.

It has always been my dream to help other families capture their history and preserve the memories of their loved ones.

Film has always been a hobby of mine, but it wasn't until I started studying Media at RMIT, that I realised I could actually turn my hobby into a career (which is strange, as both my parents worked in the TV industry!). I remember my Dad used to put together 'birthday videos' for our family friends on their milestone birthdays. I used to go up to the TV station at night and sit with him while he edited for hours. My first 'film' was a birthday video for Dad for his 45th birthday. I spent months going through photos and home video, teaching myself how to use video editing software and working out how to export the film onto a VHS tape, and I had an absolute ball. I had no training in film making, but looking back I can see that watching over Dad's shoulder must have taught me something about story telling and timing in the edit.

Fast forward a few (9) years and I was in my last year of Media studies at RMIT in Melbourne. My grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given 6 months. I went home to visit her with my camera and just started asking questions. We sat in her lounge for an afternoon and she told me little stories that even her children had never heard before. Not because they were secrets, but because no body had ever actually asked. Little things like her first kiss, her favourite memory of her kids, a memory that always makes her smile, any regrets she had in her life... When Nanna passed we played her little film at her funeral. As she got quite sick towards the end it was nice for people to hear her laugh, and to leave with a healthy, happy memory of Nanna. But more importantly than this, I now have Nanna's essence captured on film. It was a while after her passing until I watched the film again, and I was shocked by how many little things I had forgotten. Her voice, her laugh, her mannerisms when she told a story, the way she walked and the way she said 'ooh' before she answered your questions. I now watch her film quite regularly and it brings a smile to my face every time. It is nice to know that future generations will get to know a little piece of her and she can tell them her stories. I only wish I had one of my Pa who died when I was 6 months. Everyone says how similar Dad and Pa were, and I only wish I could see it myself.

After Nanna's funeral people were commenting on the film and requesting one of their parents and family members. It was then that I realised I could combine my passion of filmmaking with my love of family history and preserving peoples memories, so I began 'Kinship Productions' and I love that I can now help other families pass on their loved ones memories.