Daniel Featherstone
Daniel began at RMIT in April 2021 as Senior Research Fellow on a project mapping digital inclusion in remote Indigenous communities. Previously Daniel was the General Manager of First Nations Media Australia (formerly Indigenous Remote Communications Association) from 2012 to 2020. He oversaw the organisation’s transition in 2016-18 from remote Indigenous media peak body to national peak body for the First Nations media industry and staff growth from two to 18, across a range of programs. In this role Daniel introduced and led a range of new programs and initiatives, including the annual CONVERGE First Nations Media National Conference, First Nations Media Awards, inDigiMOB Digital Mentors program, re-development of indigiTUBE as a national content sharing platform, the Our Media Matters campaign, the First Nations Media Workplace Development Strategy, and the First Nations Media Archiving Strategy, among other projects. From early 2020 to April 2021, Daniel managed FNMA’s archive projects, a field he has been passionate about for many years.
From 2001-2010, Daniel was Manager of remote media organisation Ngaanyatjarra Media, coordinating a range of media, telecommunications and digital inclusion programs for 15 communities across the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of WA. Prior to that he had a successful career in the film industry in Perth and Sydney. In 2015, Daniel completed a Research PhD on evaluation and policy development of remote Indigenous media and communications.
His interview for Satellite Dreaming Revisited was recorded in Alice Springs in November, 2011, and focuses mainly on his work with Ngaanyatjarra Media and ICTV.
'Video as a tool for cultural continuity' (interview with full transcript & links here)
"My name's Daniel Featherstone…"
"When I first started, it was almost entirely still analogue video…"
"Noli Roberts and Belle Davidson continued to play a key role…"
"…there's been a number of developments of Indigenous television over the years…"
"The original concept of television in remote areas was…"
