This year FASS had three alumni recognised at the UTS Alumni Awards gala event, and for a faculty dedicated to teaching communications, education and international studies, these recipients could not be more fitting ambassadors. Meet Annabelle Sheehan, Brooke Boney and Jim White.
Annabelle Sheehan
(B/Communications, 1981) (Grad Dip/Education, 1992)
Annabelle Sheehan has had a global filmmaking and arts leadership career, and is currently the Head of the New Zealand Film Commission.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Alumni Award went to New Zealand Film Commission CEO Annabelle Sheehan. Annabelle’s first degree in film at UTS took her into a career that saw her recognised for excellence in sound, working on prestige projects such as The Piano, Lorenzo’s Oil, Portrait of a Lady, Dead Calm, Flirting, Bangkok Hilton and Mad Max-Beyond Thunderdome.
Later, Annabelle did a UTS post-graduate degree in education and taught emerging filmmakers for close to fifteen years - at UTS, at TAFE and at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. After this, Annabelle became the CEO of RGM, one Australia’s most powerful talent agencies, and then she took on a variety of business development and arts stewardship roles with Australian screen bodies.
In her leadership position for the NZ Film Commission, Annabelle is dedicated to using art to make change – boosting gender equality and getting more indigenous stories on the big screen.
Brooke Boney
(B/Communications – Journalism, 2014)
Brooke Boney is a powerhouse journalist whose impressive career across the media landscape continues to inspire the next generation of young indigenous Australians.
The Indigenous Australian Alumni Award went to Gamilaroi Gomeroi woman and journalist, Brooke Boney. Brooke was a political correspondent for NITV and SBS, she wrote for the Huffington Post, she was a breakfast news presenter with Triple J then she moved to Channel 9's Today show, as their new Entertainment Reporter.
Brooke is commercial breakfast TV's first Indigenous star. She is passionate about cultivating greater understanding, empathy and love between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and volunteers with initiatives like the GO Foundation to inspire and enable indigenous kids to gain an education.
Jim White
(M/Education – Adult Education, 1996)
Jim White is a HR executive for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, who has used adult education skills throughout his human resources career in entertainment and in his volunteer work with homeless communities in Los Angeles.
The International Alumni Award went to Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Paramount Pictures, Jim White. Jim started his HR career working on the global roll-out of emerging video store franchise Blockbuster and worked in 22 countries around the world.
He was inspired to pursue a Masters in Adult Education at UTS in Australia in 1996, and continued to apply his learnings throughout his career, and particularly now in his role at Paramount Pictures, when diversity and inclusion are key priorities in the entertainment industry.
Jim's adult education studies have also greatly influenced his after-hours career as a volunteer activist and philanthropist, combatting homelessness through the Business Leaders Task Force in LA.