Hello TCC. I’m Jimmy. Nice to meet you.

I am writing to apply for the advertised Digital Content Officer role. 

I would primarily describe myself as a filmmaker. I have been trading locally in Townsville as Mangrove Media for the last 8 years, and have built a portfolio that includes camera and producing credits for Netflix, Stan, and Australian and International broadcasters. The past few years have seen my work pivot to incorporate a significant communications element, which I am keen to develop further. 

I have come to specialise in communicating complex subject matter in polished short films, where the challenge is not simply creating attractive content, but understanding technically complex projects and translating them into compelling stories for a broad audience. Much of this work has been undertaken for The Australian Institute of Marine Science, The Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority and James Cook University. 

I spend a considerable amount of time before filming, immersing myself in the subject matter, digesting troves of text based resources, doing pre-interviews with those involved and developing a shooting plan. The short films I produce are built around polished interviews. I have 10+ years experience lighting and recording interviews at the highest level, and a refined interviewing technique that brings out the passion and emotion that make a good film. 

My ability to process large amounts of information and distil it into clear, audience-focused content has become the skillset that really sets me apart from other filmmakers here in Townsville. I enjoy the challenge of turning complex (and sometimes dry) stories into something engaging and understandable.

Running my own business has given me a highly independent work-ethic. For the past eight years I have managed every aspect of projects including building and maintaining client relationships, budgeting, planning films, managing, directing and keeping clients and crew happy whilst fulfilling a brief, editing, and guiding clients through the feedback process. Running my own business has taught me to be organised, proactive and accountable.

In addition to my communications and production skills, I am a capable photographer and writer, and have intermediate animation skills in After Effects. I have a working knowledge of HTML, maintain my own Squarespace website (www.mangrovemedia.com.au) and occasionally build websites for clients.

I recognise that for this role I would be needing to further develop my social-media management and graphic design capabilities. I learn new programs and digital techniques quickly, and am sure I can learn enough on-the-go to get the job done well from the outset. My current search for a communications role is part of an effort to augment my current skillset with skills that will make me a rounded communications professional. I am looking for a company or organisation who sees my potential and is willing to give me a space to grow. I plan to apply the same levels of ambition and professionalism to my budding communications career, as I have to my career as a filmmaking-professional. 

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you.

Kind regards,

Jimmy Purtill

The Northern Australian Marine Monitoring Alliance - AIMS

Directed, Produced, Edited, After Effects titles and graphics by Jimmy Purtill, Interviews by Various, Interviews at AIMS by Jimmy Purtill

I had to digest a trove of text based resources and preview hours of raw footage, before sitting down with representatives from AIMS and NAMMA to understand where the focus of the story should be. In this case the purpose of the film was to explain the project and its benefits in a non-convoluted way, to help look for further funding.

I crafted interview questions and organised a day of interview shooting at AIMS.

From 4 hours of interviews, using transcripts and a refined information processing workflow, I produced the following film. The 1 minute preview contains graphics which I have built from scratch in After Effects.

Creating Impact through Partnerships

Directed, Produced, Interviews, Editing by Jimmy Purtill. Camera: Various, see film credits.

This film is one of a series of four films I was commissioned to make for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (the premiere Marine Biology Institute globally at the time).

I setup a backdrop and had an assistant man the cameras, whilst I recorded sound and interviewed 17 scientists over the course of 3 days. I was provided with hours of footage captured by scientists and videographers in the field.

Be a Marine Biologist for a day

Directed by, Produced by, Interviews, Editing: Jimmy Purtill for GBRMPA. Underwater footage Woody Spark / Jimmy Purtill

GBRMPA came to me with a trove of newly developed learning resources, and two pilot schools who were going to be running the first program. I developed the story lines for four seperate films to explain different aspects of the project, developed a shooting plan, schedule, and interview questions, hired a crew, directed and edited the films.

Signet Magnetic Island Koala Hopsital

Directed, Produced, Interviews, Edited by Jimmy Purtill. Camera: Cody Smith-West, Jimmy Purtill. Animation: Brentos,

Signet came to me with access to this amazing story, and very vague ideas for a video-mini-series. I poured my heart and soul into helping them achieve something special within their limited budget.

The resulting series of six films would have never got off the ground if I hadn’t been incredibly personally invested in making them happen. I approach all my films with the same commitment,

“ Finding the right filmmaker for our latest sponsorship project wasn't easy. With our subject matter on the other side of the country, an unpredictable schedule and very little notice before key moments unfolded, we needed someone we could trust completely. Jimmy proved to be exactly that...

  • From the outset, he took ownership of the production, handling everything from directing and filming to interviewing, audio, editing and managing with the people involved in our sponsorship. He travelled independently, captured events as they happened, and took the very limited direction we could give him and turned it into something that genuinely exceeded our expectations.

    Although we're not usually comfortable handing over that level of creative control, Jimmy quickly earned our trust. Time and again, he took loose ideas and turned them into thoughtful, high-quality content that genuinely reflected what we were trying to achieve. He worked closely with our team, listened to the little feedback we gave him and refined every piece to make sure it aligned with our vision. His professionalism, initiative and ability to adapt to changing circumstances made the entire process straightforward and enjoyable.

    We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Jimmy to anyone looking for a talented, reliable and creative filmmaker. He has an incredible instinct for storytelling, solved problems as they arose and consistently delivered work of an exceptionally high standard. We couldn't have asked for a better partner on this project.

    - Andrew Hibbins - Manager Content and Sponsorship - Signet Australia. ahibbins@signet.net.au

Ark Energy - Chillumbin Windfarm

Directed, Produced, Interviews, Drone, Edited, by Jimmy Purtill. Camera: Nick Bent, Jimmy Purtill

The story below was a last-minute attempt to counter the misinformation campaign against the proposed Chillumbin windfarm (later renamed Wooroora windfarm). I had 1 week to digest text based resources, get my head in story, develop a shooting-schedule, before heading up to Ravenshoe to meet the team from ARK Energy. We spent 5 days filming, then I came back and had the first draft edited in 3 days.