Interview
Malinda Rutter
Blackfisch, Australia
Malinda Rutter, Co-Founder of Blackfisch, leads an Indigenous-owned film company promoting cultural awareness. She's the youngest Indigenous director to helm an all-female crew, a pioneering achievement.
1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.
Malinda is a Co-Founder of Blackfisch, a majority Australian Indigenous-owned and operated company supporting cultural awareness and social progression through the power of film. Trailblazer Malinda was the youngest ever Indigenous director employed and the first to direct an all-female crew. As a writer, director and producer, she has over 84 hours of international broadcast TV under her belt and has worked globally. With a background in journalism, she is an internationally award-winning writer/director/producer and published author, with over 20,000 global academic paper mentions for her work. In her 34 years in film and communications, Malinda has amassed a stellar back catalogue of diverse work, ranging from acclaimed documentaries, corporate films and TVCs to government-commissioned video, digital and social media content in Australia, throughout the APAC, the US and Europe. When Malinda was on a tourism shoot and breaking for coffee at a cafe on the beautiful east coast of Australia, she met her creative partner Jeremy Perrott. The two formed a solid friendship and realised they were a force as a team. Jeremy had just returned from the USA and had only just retired; that didn't last a heartbeat after these two joined forces. Jeremy hired, mentored, directed and led the creative leaders of the network powerhouses of McCann Worldgroup, building the reputations of multi-award-winning consumer agencies and creating McCann Health as the most awarded Healthcare network in the world. Jeremy believes great success comes from giving talented creatives a platform, a vision and goals and then supporting them in a culture where the incredible and unexpected thrive. Jeremy believes that creativity is a global language. It
2 What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?
For both of us, that is all we had ever done from childhood, CREATED. Malinda even invented board games that sold globally. Its vision and the want to create, omg, you should see these two when they host a work function, the detail that goes into that collective vision and don't think for one moment they aren't hands-on! You will never see cleaner glasses.
3 Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
Blackfisch (Blkfsch) is an Australian First Nations majority owned and run creative service company. Blkfsch is a proven partner, collaborating on projects since 2003 on time and within budget. Blkfsch stands for innovation, creativity and best practice. FULL SERVICE CREATIVE SCRIPTED BROADCAST TV ANIMATION DESIGN CULTURAL CONSULTANCY ADVERTISING FIRST NATIONS INNOVATIVE CREATIVE BEST PRACTICE PROVEN PARTNER Our Team: Our core team structure demonstrates a model that provides more resources and the full benefit of collaborative, specialist expertise, offsetting any risk from siloed management. Our Company FULL SERVICE CREATIVE SCRIPTED BROADCAST TV ANIMATION DESIGN CULTURAL CONSULTANCY ADVERTISING FIRST NATIONS INNOVATIVE CREATIVE BEST PRACTICE PROVEN PARTNER Our Team: Our core team structure demonstrates a model that provides more resources and the full benefit of collaborative, specialist expertise, offsetting any risk from siloed management. Our Company FULL SERVICE CREATIVE SCRIPTED BROADCAST TV ANIMATION DESIGN CULTURAL CONSULTANCY ADVERTISING FIRST NATIONS INNOVATIVE CREATIVE BEST PRACTICE PROVEN PARTNER Our core team structure demonstrates a model that provides more resources and the full benefit of collaborative, specialist expertise, offsetting any risk from siloed management. We combine creative, strategic, commercial skills with knowledge of technology, retail, media and entertainment marketing to grow brands in unexpected ways. Simply put, our work increases sales, loyalty and brand equity.
4 What does “creativity” mean to you?
EVERYTHING
5 To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?
It resonates with the demographic, and it is human. Thinking is a human-centred approach to creative problem solving that combines what's desirable with what's technologically feasible.
6 Tell us about your creative and/or design process.
Our creative process involves critical thinking and problem-solving. Generally, we go through five steps to bring their ideas to fruition
7 What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?
When that excellent idea comes to you in the shower, and you run to the phone to call each other while still in a towel, you expand the core idea on the phone. It happens with us 90 per cent of the time, and it's hysterical.
8 Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.
Human, we know what it's like to be human and what we want to see and hear.
9 Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?
ABSOLUTELY
10 Congratulations! As the winner of the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
Thank you, it's wonderful to be recognised with Australian Aboriginal work. It meant the world to us.
11 Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
Our film transcends the cultural sensitivities of our aboriginal first nations people while weaving their stories and heritage into a film. We received such a tremendous response from Australians and then people worldwide and tugged at their emotions, making viewers very emotional. We knew we had done a great job when we saw the stats and felt it just might win an award.
12 What was the biggest challenge with this project?
Filming during COVID with Aboriginal people and Elders across the country and in very remote parts of the country, Australia isn't small! Keeping us all safe.
13 How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
Being recognised will only develop our company and us further. We are waiting for you to release and then we will also do the same.
14 What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Being able to create. Being able to Create. Being able to CREATE. The wonderful way you feel working with like-minded people.
15 What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?
The create industry is small and competitive and because of this, we tend to have the best that survive.
16 Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Look at us we were a film production company and evolved into who we are now. We are ever-evolving and for us we found our professional skill base transcending and being able to gain work in many areas we hadn't considered.
17 If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
Do what you love and enter what you love.
18 What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?
Be resourceful, find out who is the best, and learn from them as experience is just as important as talent.
19 Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
I just chipped my tooth.
20 Who has inspired you in your life and why?
Too many to list. We are constantly inspired, I have found inspiration from chatting to the garbage man and the cleaner and from talking to leaders. Everyone has a story and the human spirit is inspirational in itself.
21 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Love what you do. There is never a problem; there is only a solution. All in all, it doesn't really matter.
22 Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Thank you, it was amazing to be recognised with this award.
