21 September 2023

TAFE NSW Newcastle graduates are proving the future is female on the set of Australia’s most popular TV drama sets.

55 percent of key creative roles (writers, producers, directors) in Screen Australia approved development and production funding are now women, according to the agency. 25-year-old Brittany ‘Britt’ Dorsett, a Screen and Media Diploma graduate from TAFE NSW Hunter Street, is proudly part of that gender parity.

Brushing shoulders with the likes of Ada Nicodemou (Leah Patterson) and Ray Meagher (Alf Stewart), the Third Assistant Director works to ensure the smooth daily running of production on the set of Home & Away.

Joining her in Summer Bay is fellow TAFE NSW graduate and Second Assistant Director Georgie Larkin. Both Britt and Georgia credit the hands-on learning and industry connections granted to them at TAFE NSW for jump-starting their careers in the highly competitive film production industry.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to work in film,” said Britt, who received her first handy cam recorder as a gift from her grandfather at just age 10, “yet I was shy by nature and didn’t know where to start.”

Britt floated around in jobs that didn’t fulfil her passion until the COVID-19 pandemic provided her with a much-needed shake up. “I decided to do what I’ve always dreamed about. As someone who very much learns by ‘doing’ I decided to study with TAFE NSW instead of a private screen school, as it offered the practical entry into the industry I was looking for.”

Home & Away is not the only big name dropped on the budding director’s CV. Impressively, Britt’s first foray into film was as a runner on the set of new Paramount Plus and Easy Tiger Productions series, One Night, starring Jodie Whittaker and Noni Hazlehurst.

“My first gig was very much woman-run. Women dominated almost every department. It was a story about three women, the office was entirely full of women, even typically male roles such as gripping and lighting were done by women. Home & Away is much the same. The tides are definitely changing, women are leading the way,” Britt said.

TAFE NSW Screen and Media Teacher Hannah Hartley, who also works as a First Assistant Director for the likes of ABS, Channel 7 and SBS, said Britt’s success is a no-brainer.

“The Australian screen industry is crying out for smart, savvy women to fill positions across the board from writers and directors to camera operators and video editors. The learning we provide at TAFE NSW is designed to get our learners job-ready, in even the most competitive industries like screen and media, and the success of our talented female students like Britt is testament to that,” said Ms Hartley.

Media contact: Lee Tobin, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, mediarelease@tafensw.edu.au, 0402 087 839.