Frankston Arts Centre Launch Event for 2016

They used a comedian use of celebrity which creates good publicity. 

On his Facebook page he referred to FAC which gives more traction to those who like and follow Sammy J. 

FAC sent out letters which I packed along with some volunteers to send out to those who are members of the FAC. As well as sponsors were invited to the event. 

The mayor of Frankston spoke about the city as well as someone from one of the FAC's sponsors Eastlink. 

Then everyone went into the theatre and listened to Sammy J who began with launching the event where he required assistance from If These Walls Could Talk as the rope was a bit far away from his reach. See image below: 

If these walls could talk were also a show coming to the FAC. Sammy J then talked about each show in of course a comedic way. Then he sang about Frankston with the most talked about song for the night the Nepean Highway. Ara Ketu then came out and did a dance and got everyone involved to preview a bit of what's expected to see at this event. 

I was also told by someone working at the Frankston Arts Centre to try and find a man on LinkedIn because he has worked in the area of radio. He said he has been in the industry a while and appreciates people who seek out to find him. This felt like a great opportunity to have been told. 

Lots of photos were taken in order to create further publicity for the arts centre.

Places I want to work

Seven West Media

I applied for an role at Seven West Media and have not heard back from them. To show interest I found the person I would be working alongside in the position. I tried to contact this person by phoning them and leaving a message for them to get back to me. I wanted to know more about the job and if it would completely suit me and my experiences.

Having not heard from this person I decided to go to the company directly and ask if I was able to have a chat with her about the position. She was busy and had to go into a meeting at the time so I was not able to speak with her. But she did mention they were going through applications. I decided I better not bother her anymore therefore I am expecting a response in late January.


Bauer Media

I applied for this position because it was a media industry and I thought it would be great to be apart of such a company seeing as I studied Media and Communication.

I was asked to come in for an interview where I learnt a heap more about the company and the things they have to offer. I found it would be the perfect job for me and complements everything I have been studying for 3 years.

They work with renowned magazines such as Women's Weekly, Elle
Many of these magazines I read very often so it was exciting to hear about a wonderful opportunity.

I realised I actually would love this job as it is all about how audiences think and their reactions. In this role as a Business Executive I would be creating content for places such as Myer.

After this interview I just wanted to get started and help come up with potential ideas.


Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and go for something because you may find a passion for something you never thought existed.

Applying for Jobs

Getting the knock backs and how to turn them into phone calls

I constantly applied for jobs constantly throughout the year. After receiving knock back after knock back I knew something had to change. So I decided to change my career objective as this is the first thing employers will read. How do I make this different from every other resume they have looked at?

It took me a day to write the career objective because I wanted to find different ways of saying things. I chose to go with talking about myself and what kind of skills I have to offer. I related these skills to how they will complement the job. I stated that I wanted to become a media professional and believed the job would be a stepping stone to my dream career.

After these slight changes I was offered some job interviews which were a fantastic experience.

Hunting down that dream job like there's no tomorrow

You need to show interest in the job you are applying for. Call them up and ask them questions about the job. If you are sent to voicemail like I was, leave a message. I then decided to go to the company and ask for the person I would be working alongside. I found this person on LinkedIn then asked for her at the reception desk of the organisation.

Practitioner Interviews

Jodi my supervisor for the Deakin Events Management Internship found her job in an interesting way. She originally worked in the city and was a restaurant manager at the Langham hotel. She was told by someone that she was in the wrong job and should run events.

Jeremy for the Frankston Arts Centre Internship found his job also in an interesting way. He used to be in charge of a theatre company. 

When I met comedian Sammy J at the Frankston Arts Centre launch it was intriguing to find out he had studied Media and Communication also. After being told this I watched a few of his acts and noticed that a lot of what is said relates back to the studies of Media and Communication. Some things were about society and how we react to everyday life. However he does this in intriguing ways through acts like his backwards song. He shows that thinking outside the box with different ideas can be turned into comedy. Media and Communication is about researching audiences and how they react to different things. These skills most definitely would be transferred to his job. 

I met some people on LinkedIn and found out about how they ended up in their jobs. 

Ryan who's job title is Athelete Social Media Education, Co-Founder/ Head of Social Communications, Hook Media mentioned that internships/volunteering and other kinds of work helped him get his first jobs in the media industry. He also provided me with his blog link where I had a look at some of his insights. 

Another person from Linkedin Brett who job title is Niche Market Specialist - List Building Solutions, Advertising Sales, Exclusive Networks, Niche Publications. He sent me statistic reports about conferences and events in Victoria. 

It seems to me that whatever experience or jobs you have before another job that will always determine where you end up next.

It has been interesting to notice that usually jobs come about from other people who believe they may be better in another realm. Just like when you're in an interview, even though you have to talk about yourself in positive ways employers can tell if you will fit the job and blend in with the company.

In all I have realised the importance of asking other people about their experiences and current jobs. This helps to identify whether you would enjoy working in their field or if other places would be more suitable.

I also found that deep down your personality and little things you seem to do when you were younger apply to your passions. These things stick with you and help create a path for your career that suits you. For example, when completing the Events Management Internship I found I loved organising things and making sure everything runs as smooth as possible. This dates back to when I was younger and at the age of 17 I prepared daily sightseeing attractions for the 4 days we were in London. We were able to squeeze in 12 attractions in 4 days where we were able to visit most attractions in London. I also enjoyed it as tasks I did such as ordering catering and donuts for the conferences were things I had to do when organising my trip to America last year. 

How to blitz the job interview

Okay so your resume must have caught the eye of someone in the company. Something in it stuck out but it is all about the interview that will get you through the  line. Don't let the hard work and hours you put into creating your resume go to waste!

Always look straight into the interviewers eyes. This means they can tell you are telling the truth and you are welcoming their questions.

It is important to remember that no interview is the same!

Different jobs and different companies will be wanting different people for the job. I have learnt to not expect to receive the same questions you have had for past interviews. This will leave you off guard and not as confident when you are asked a question you were not prepared for.

If the interviewer is answering all the questions you were going to ask then this might be a good thing. If they do this I have tried by saying it was interesting how you mentioned ____ because I think that is really interesting as I have had skills or experience in that area. If the questions have already been answered then make up your own questions and answer it. This shows you were listening to your interviewer which would also make you a valuable candidate for the job and show you will follow instructions.

Always remain confident and always answer the question to the best of your ability. Be honest about why you are looking for a job and why you believe you would fit into their organisation. If you require time to think about that question do so.


I always recommend people ask the interviewers questions. This will stand you out from the pack, make you noticeable. It can also throw the interviewers as you have put them on the spot just like they are doing to you. They may even have to fully think about the question and take their time to answer it because they did not expect to be interviewed themselves.


I take a notebook into the interview with the interviewers name and job title at the top of the page. I also write down possible questions I would like to ask. This prevents from becoming blank at the end of the interview when they ask you whether you have any questions. This also makes you appear prepared and organised which would reflect the way you work. The little things in interviews do matter and it is integral not to ignore them.

Write some notes down you find important. This shows the interviewer you are interested in the company. It also highlights that you are somewhat assessing the company and finding out if it is the type of place you wish to work.

WARNING: It is not a good sign to the interviewer if you do not ask any questions. By not asking questions during the interview this shows that perhaps this person isn't interested in this position. People want to hire those who want to be in their company and not just for the short term.

Some questions you should always ask in the interview:

• What do you most enjoy about your job? - This tells the interviewer you are interested to find out how if you want to have the same job satisfaction from working at the particular company. 

• How does the organisation communicate? - Importantly this shows the interviewer that you want to find out how they communicate in the job and if this is your preferred way of communication. It also shows whether you would be adaptable to the processes in the organisation.

So don't be scared for the interview because as long as you do all the right things it should be a breeze. Show the interviewer your personality, who you are and what you are passionate about which can help their company and everything should work out. Don't stress about the interview because it is all up to the day and when you walk in to the interview. Nothing is worth stressing about so go out there, have fun and take it in your stride, believe in yourself and your ability and everything will sort itself out in the end. 

If you don't get the job after having the interview don't stress perhaps they realised you wouldn't suit the position. This is a good thing because you don't want to be stuck in a job you won't do well at. One day someone will see those abilities and notice you fit a particular job and then the world will be your oyster.

If you keep getting knock backs I changed my career objective and was honest to why I am applying for jobs. This was when I began to get phone calls for interviews. Hang in there because it will all come at once and you will have to make a decision which is right for you and where you want to be in the future. 

Public Relations at the Frankston Arts Centre Marketing Department

The Frankston Arts Centre uses many aspects of public relations in their organisation to attract attention and bring in customers. The Frankston Arts Centre are sponsored by Eastlink and the Leader Newspaper these connections have helped drive more traffic to the arts centre. For example, many people may have noticed billboards on Eastlink about certain shows that are coming up. The Frankston Arts Centre have show Eastlinks logo on their company website as well as in articles in the Leader.

Articles in the Leader Newspaper are a great way to broadcast our shows from the Frankston Arts Centre. There have been many articles which would have attracted the publics interest.

The Frankston Arts Centre were also given their own page in the Mornington Peninsula tourism guide. Not only this but many images of the arts centre were displayed in the book. An art piece from the Cube 37 Art Gallery was also placed in the booklet.

Some other ways the Frankston Arts Centre communicates with the public is through posters. These posters are displayed in shop windows for those who will allow it and in the cafe' of the Frankston library. Posters are not only displayed in shop windows in Frankston but also other places such as Mornington and Mount Eliza.

I was given the responsibility of creating a feature article about the Frankston Arts Centre for Group Link magazine, which is created for an older demographic and provides information about iconic places to travel. The feature article was a challenge for me as I only knew a small fraction about the organisation at this stage and was unsure of the direction for the piece. Nevertheless, I created what I thought was suitable and was spoken to about different things I could talk about. Once I knew exactly what to write about I was set to go and sent the article to my supervisor. From then on I wasn't asked to do it again like last time so it must have been fine. See below for my feature article:

Live life live at the Frankston Arts Centre

Situated in the heart of Frankston, the Frankston Arts Centre’s mission is to provide and inspire creative experiences that strive for positive community participation and engagement.

The centre attracts approximately 250,000 visitors yearly, so if you visit Frankston you cannot miss out on the Frankston Arts Centre experience.

Within close proximity to the train station and underground parking at the arts centre, it allows for easy travel.

The centre also provides lift and wheelchair access to foyer and stalls area allowing for easy access.

Supported by Stockland Retirement Living the Daytime Music + Theatre shows are an incredible afternoon out. Your ticket will include morning or afternoon tea and the option to purchase a lunch package. Daytime Music + Theatre show performances run on selected Fridays as part of a two series a year and provide many different performances to choose from. Upcoming in November we have many intriguing shows featuring songs from renowned artists such as Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, and Johnny Cash.

Other upcoming shows include the ballet classic Swan Lake performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre. Have a look on our website thefac.com.au to see other wonderful upcoming shows!

Many famous performers such as Hugh Jackman, Priscilla Presley, Lisa McCune, Suzi Quatro and Denis Walter have performed on the big stage at the Frankston Arts Centre.

The Frankston Arts Centre presents tours and the possibility of an additional free backstage tour depending on performance sessions.  

To enhance a great theatre experience, the Frankston Arts Centre also provides live theatre captioning, ticket subsidy scheme, educational pathways and specialised workshops.

Solo artists and groups in the Frankston Open Annual competition hold Art Exhibitions in the Frankston Arts Centre foyer. Glistening jewellery in glass cabinets can be seen in the foyer and are available for sale.

Peter Corlett sculptured Dame Elisabeth Murdoch’s sculpture commission, honouring her interest for the arts and generous support towards the Frankston Arts Centre. The statue can also be viewed in the arts centre foyer.

While in the area feel free to enjoy a short walk to see the Frankston Foreshore scenic landscape and striking examples of public art.

Take a short drive to the McClelland Gallery and witness one of Australia’s richest sculpture prizes.

Many other attractions nearby include well-known destinations Cruden Farm and Mulberry Hill.

For more information please visit the Frankston Arts Centre homepage:  thefac.com.au

I was also given the privilege to create all the media releases for the upcoming shows next year. These media releases would then be forwarded onto the Leader newspaper where they have the information they need to create newspaper articles. This included about 20 media releases where I found information from the descriptions of the production companies and online sources.

The centre send out letters in the mail to people they think will be interested in a certain show. For example, if they saw the opera sometime last year and there was similar show coming up they would mail out information of the show they might be interested in. As shown in the digital age people actually enjoy receiving advertising that is intriguing to them and their interests. I was given the task to create some of these letters. As I was studying Media and Communication it put my studying to practice where I had to think of what a target audiences interests would be and tailor a show towards that.

Away from traditional advertising the Frankston Arts Centre also communicates with its public through the digital platform.

The Frankston Arts Centre use many event listing sites for their upcoming shows. Some of these uses of advertising are free which also helps with budget decisions.

The Frankston Arts Centre is also affiliated and part of the Frankston City Council, therefore they have information about the arts centre on their website. The most used free advertising include websites such as Visit Victoria, Frankston Visitor Website, Mornington Peninsula website, ArtsHub, Only Melbourne, Theatre Alive, Show Dates website, The Edge, Eventfinda, Art News Portal, Aroundyou.com, Meet Up, Frankston City Council's What's On page, Trip Advisor, Constant Contact, Event Brite, QR code maker, Yammer (Monash Uni), Mornington Peninsula Business, Shows for schools, Vimeo.com, Australian Marketing Institute (AMI), Frankston Chamber, ARTS ON TOUR, theatrecaptioning.com.au, 4shared.com, CyberPaddock, Musodirect.com.au, HootSuite, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, DreamWalk, Wikispaces, Netregistry, Mornington Peninsula Visitor Guide, Purple Seven website, Monash University, Lifesize Standups and Children's Event Websites.

The arts centre also have a Facebook page, Instagram and twitter accounts. The Facebook page is used to let people know about particular shows coming up and all things happening at the Frankston Arts Centre. While at times they also help to let the public know how they are helping the Frankston community.

I was also given the task of creating Facebook Ads for upcoming shows such as Hamlet. I created a general one for the public and a more specific one to those who enjoy drama. It was the first time I was able to see how sponsored advertising on social networks is directed to us. Certain interests selected for the ad would either maximise or decline exposure of the ad. Therefore you had to create a target audience which was not too specific but was enough to reach the target audience. It even tells you how many people are likely to see your ad.

The centre also uses EDM (email direct marketing) to their current members of the Frankston Arts Centre and they also send a different email to certain local clubs that would have an interest in certain upcoming shows. I had the privilege of creating one of these emails to clubs for an upcoming show called Australia Day.


The Frankston Arts Centre has always paid attention to helping the Frankston Community. There are many education programs in place and an Arts Access program. This program allows patrons to make a donation towards, captioned/Auslan interpreted performances, providing a couple who are disadvantaged a night at the theatre, giving someone with a disability an arts workshop placement and helping someone young to join the circus program. These ways of caring for others provides brand loyalty and trust with customers who understand the centre is helping people in need.

Public Relations at Deakin University Events Department

Created a welcome email which was sent out to 700 delegates a few days before the conference which highlighted how to get to the venue and places to park. The welcome email also had to ensure that all dates and times for the event were correct.

While on this internship I created a how to guide for twitter and Instagram. This allows anyone not familiar with the social networking sites to understand how to use them.

Deakin also has accessibility to the committee holding the conference (AMSA) website. Here Deakin have included a place to register whereby the link sends them to the registration site called Ex Ordo where delegates can purchase their passes to the conference. Deakin also update any alterations to the event such as field trips and provide accommodation and travel descriptions. This is useful for delegates who wish to make the most out of their stay in the Geelong location.

On one of the nights of the conference AMSA held a public forum whereby anyone could pay $10 to attend and ask questions to marine biologists.

The AMSA annual conference was also advertised in the Geelong Independent newspaper. Information about the conference was also found on the Western Australian Marine Science Institution website.

The conference allows marine science students to network with professionals to talk about issues and interesting facts about marine science.

As part of my internship I had to ensure all key note speakers and sponsors were present in holding slides I had created. Sponsors included CSIRO, Geosciences Australia, Environment, Department of Environment and Water Resources, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Environmental Scientists and Engineers, Department of Environment, Land & Planning. These sponsors had exhibitions set up in the Outer Costa Hall foyer in order to attract potential delegates to their organisation. Banners for AMSA were located in this area.

Deakin also created signs around the building as a guide for the area the conference will be held. At the bottom of each of these signs included the AMSA logo as shown below:

Each day of the conference Deakin put up flags at the entrance of the building and banners with their logo attached.

Deakin also created a media release about the conference in order to bring awareness to the public. See it here:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/news/latest-media-releases/2015-media-releases-archives/deakin-geelong-to-host-national-marine-sciences-conference

However, AMSA also creates their own media releases for their upcoming events.
https://www.amsa.asn.au/media-release-amsa2015-geelong

In order to innovate alongside the digital age, AMSA had an app delegates could locate in order to find out what topics were being held in which room. This cuts the cost on the print of handbooks and is more environmentally friendly.

AMSA also have their own twitter and Facebook pages to communicate with their public. Deakin also uses such platforms to communicate upcoming events. For example, Deakin posted about the Youth Conference which occurred in August.

For the opening of the conference Geelong mayor, attended and the ABC filmed this part of the event therefore providing further publicity.

Information about venue hire and events to be held at Deakin is available on the Deakin website.

As I was the point of contact at the registration desk I was responsible for providing each delegate with a satchel which included bags from the Geelong Tourism organisation and marine science pamphlets located inside.