Two Words with Taku: Auspicious Writing (Virtual Podcast Recording)

Join award-winning writer, filmmaker and podcaster Taku Mbudzi for a chat about how artists can get support for grant and funding applications around Australia. 

Her special guest for this episode is Selene Dudley-Bateman, the Chief Executive Officer of Auspicious Arts Projects, a not-for-profit creative community management organisation. They provide independent artists with a secure and accessible framework to assist them with creative developments and producing work.

ABOUT THE PODCAST

Started in 2017, with more than 100 episodes, 30 guests and 40+ hours of audio content to date, Taku Mbudzi discusses storytelling and writing with her creative collaborators and community. Her previous guests have included film directors, screen producers, authors, actors and of course, comedians. 

Subscribe to Two Words with Taku on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Taku Mbudzi is passionate about using humour to inspire others to speak up and out for themselves. She has 17 years’ experience sharing her stories on stages and screens across Australia.

In 2021, she was selected as one of four filmmakers across Australia for The Kaleidoscope Project, a joint ABC and Screen Australia initiative. Her humorous kids' film Gugu naGogo, about a 12-year-old budding astronomer living in a small Australian town, is currently streaming on ABC iview and won an Audience Award at the 2023 New York International Children’s Film Festival.

Beyond screen and audio platforms, Taku's stories have earned her recognition on stage as a two-time State Finalist in the RAW Stand-up Comedy Competition at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, in both Western Australia (2015) and Victoria (2023). 

She is also an active participant in The Moth StorySLAM live events in Melbourne, based on New York’s global storytelling sensation, The Moth Radio Hour podcast. She recently performed at The National Theatre in St Kilda as a 2023 Finalist in The Moth’s Melbourne GrandSLAM Storytelling Championship.

ABOUT SELENE BATEMAN

Selene Bateman is a highly regarded arts administrator, producer and project manager who has worked in the creative sector for nearly 20 years. She has produced animated tv series, queer cabarets and comedy shows for children. 

As the CEO and Senior Client Manager at Auspicious, she has worked with hundreds of artists across art forms and career stages, helping them navigate the funding landscape, get budgets into shape, and manage their projects.  She is also an experienced grant writer, workshop facilitator, and financial manager.

Connect with Selene on LinkedIn.

Auspicious Arts Project Inc. was established in 1993 to assist artists undertaking projects within the arts. The intention was to provide artists with all the protection and advantages of working with a larger organisation while still remaining independent and in control of their work. 

Auspicious Arts Projects offers financial and administrative management for individuals and small art organisations. This includes assistance with the day-to-day financial aspects of the project. 

In addition Auspicious offers advice and guidance to artists to the most likely sources of funding, as well assistance preparing budgets for funding applications. Auspicious Arts Projects work with artists from across the spectrum of the arts, and has watched many of its artists grow into fully fledged companies of their own right.

WHERE'S THE OPEN MIC LIKE LAST TIME?

As this is a virtual event, we won't have the comedy open mic segment for this episode. We will, however, have a few writing games instead, so bring some pen and paper!

Still desperate to share your jokes? Did you know you can now sign up for the RAW Comedy Standup Competition? Registrations are now open and heats start across Australia in January — good luck!

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Please note: this event will not be live-streamed. All recordings will be edited for clarity later, and not all comments or parts of the conversation will be included. The episode will be published in Season 5 of Two Words with Taku, due out later this year.