Getting real with your career – the power of a breakthrough moment

Before that first opportunity, there is often a moment when you realise the shape of your life. This is how it can happen.

Among the joys of writing interviews for Screenhub are the stories about how people started in the sector. Each experience is unique but there is often a common ‘Aha!’ moment in which people sense a huge connection with a creative form. They can often look back and see how it shaped them from an early age as that passion continues for their whole careers. 

Bill Armstrong, a commanding figure in early pop music, set up Armstrong Audio Visual, a key post house. Born in 1929, he left school to an assembly line building amplifiers for Beaufort bombers, and hung out in Acland Street in a basement dive called The Galleon. He was taken under the wing of American servicemen who taught him about jazz and modern rhythms, and the rest was Australian recording history.

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.