South Gippsland: Our People

What is it?

The South Gippsland Our People cover image. The image was taken by brilliant local photographer while I was interviewing local artist Melanie Caple (Episode 2).

‘Our People’ is a podcast series produced for South Gippsland Shire Council, showcasing our diverse community and featuring stories told by South Gippsland residents from all walks of life. Hear stories about the hardships and the successes of living in our regional Victorian community, and unique local perspectives on what makes life in South Gippsland special.

Who is it for?

South Gippsland Shire Council is the local government of South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.

What was the job?

SGSC wanted to showcase the experience of living in South Gippsland, and by doing that show the diversity of some of the folks that call this beautiful region home. We worked to create a hybrid documentary/interview style that would allow folks to tell their own story, in their own words.

Catching up with Kim and Jay from Bena- you can hear about their organic farm and Kim's journey from the Netherlands in Episode 1.

How did we put it together?

I came up with a comprehensive podcast plan and proposal based on our initial discussions for approval by SGSC.

Six participants were chosen by SGSC to participate in the project after an application process.

• I organised and conducted an interview with each of the six participants in their own space. This included a sit-down interview, as well as following them as they demonstrated something that was important to them - walking around Kim and Jay's farm, checking out Melanie's art studio, or chatting as Jaci baked a cake.

• The grabs from the interviews were then edited into a cohesive sequence along with some of the informal chats. This was mixed with some music and mastered to form a cohesive story.

• SGSC supplied the cover art.

• I wrote the descriptions and show notes, and uploaded the podcast for publication.

Catching up with Jaci from Jacican Food Studio in Mirboo North (Episode 3). We recorded in the food studio, and Jaci made that beautiful cake while we were chatting to add a bit of interest to the interview.

Check out the finished product below, and head over to southgippsland.vic.gov.au for more.