SAE Qantm Creative Media Institute - Brisbane Campus
Name?
Jeremy Butts
Tell us about your business/organisation?
SAE Australia offers Higher Education and VET education opportunities to more than 2,500 students, including certificate, diploma and degrees across the following major fields of study; Audio Production, Film Production, Games Design, Games Programming, Animation, Web and Graphic Design. SAE is one of the world’s leading media technology training institutes, with 55 campuses in 28 countries. SAE is a part of the Navitas group.
The Brisbane Campus, on corner Jane St / Riverside Drive, is one of the largest SAE campuses, with approximately 650 students and 65 staff.
What is your role at your organisation?
I’m the Campus Manager
What are your key skills and responsibilities?
Like many people, I’ve had multiple careers, from advertising to creative industries solutions provision. An accelerating vision impairment caused me to rethink my career options, so I moved from IT into adult education about 12 years ago, and have subsequently focussed on management within an educational context.
My responsibilities at SAE include ensuring that the overall performance of the campus meets the expectations of the staff, the students, and the shareholders. I see my role complimenting that of Faculty; helping to remove obstacles to delivering exemplary learning opportunities to our students.
How many people work at your business?
We have approximately 65 staff at the Brisbane campus. Many are part time, as the cross-section of industry and pedagogical skill sets benefit our students.
What is your favourite place in the precinct?
Three Monkeys. The laid-back ambiance is refreshingly zen, and their desserts suitably decadent.
What do you want BSB members to know about you or your business?
We pride ourselves in providing a personal service to a small community of creative students, many of whom unlock their potential when liberated from the constraints of a traditional schooling environment. We equip our Higher Education graduates with transferrable skills as well as technical skills, ensuring they can collaborate across creative disciplines in real-world projects.
What is something people wouldn’t know about your business?
We offer each of our Higher Education students an internship. So if you have an opportunity, and would like to assist in developing creative talent, please contact us.
What has recently happened at your organisation?
We hosted a live performance by Bart Stenhouse and his jazz band, where Audio Diploma students managed the live audio, and Film Degree students performed a live capture on multiple cameras using our state-of-the-art tricaster.
What have you learnt lately?
How complicated it is to set up and capture a live performance!
What do you hope to achieve in your industry?
Personally, I’d like to leave a legacy of facilitating the best experience and graduate outcomes for creative students in Brisbane. There are some impressive players in this space, which motivates us.
What inspires you?
What inspires me most is seeing the pride our students have in their projects, and the growth they evidence through the process. As a bonus, it’s wonderful witnessing the pride (and sometimes surprise) shown by their parents when they witness what their children have created.
What are your words of wisdom?
Work with great people. Their achievements will drive you.
