Starr Studio takes Sunrise Australia 2024

Over two days at Sydney’s Carriageworks, we heard from leading innovators, creatives, and entrepreneurs about how to drive change, find purpose in your work, and set yourself up for success.

If you were to frequent Redfern station on May 1st and 2nd, you would have seen a procession of people beelining towards Carriageworks. Some dressed casually in jeans and puffer jackets, others donning suits or heels. Each was distinguished by the neon lanyard that hung from their neck, indicating entry to the long-anticipated Sunrise Australia 2024, hosted by Blackbird.

The festival is a celebration of creativity, technology, and ambition, drawing people from all walks of life and career paths under the umbrella of optimistic development. The start-up landscape may be one fraught with challenges and obstacles, but Sunrise suggests innovation and change are possible—as long as you arm yourself with the right ideas, mentors, and investors.

After an incredible Welcome to Country and a Jannawi dance performance, the festival kicked off. The event was spread across three stages: one promising groundbreaking keynotes, the next a challenging of ideas and perspectives, and even a collaborative space for personal growth and development.

Here, we share our top takeaways from founders, leaders, and operators, as well as practical tips to level up your career and bold ideas that are sure to shape the future.

Bluey Creator Joe Brumm on The Three Key Principles Of Success

With his trademark humour and charismatic charm, Joe Brumm took to the stage to chat about the origins of Bluey, a show that since debuting in 2018 has amassed global audiences and become the most streamed show of any genre in the US (wracking up an impressive 918 million minutes of viewing in one week).

It’s a staggering feat, but Brumm didn’t start off with grandiose plans to create global impact in animated dog form. But he did seek to bring laughter to households and in that noble quest, he produced what is now Australia’s most successful export.

While the origins of Bluey can be traced to Brumm’s first drawing of the cartoon dog and his experience as a Dad, it also goes back further to his time spent in London, where he worked on the hit series Charlie and Lola. There, Brumm learned of the deep meaning and significance entertainment can have on the lives of those watching. He also came to identify the three key principles that made the series a success: people, project, and place - three principles he would seek to recreate with Bluey.

Brumm amassed a team of veterans and driven animators fresh out of University to work with him on Bluey. All of them were passionate, skilled in their craft, and understood that together, they could achieve something extraordinary. They knew the project they were working on was a special one, and Brumm was uncompromising when it came to the integrity of Bluey’s storyline. When it came to place, he ensured the show remained a deeply Australian one, not only eschewing offers of co-production overseas but also committing to keeping the Australian accents that made Bluey distinctly ours.

These three principles have shaped Bluey into the show it is today, one that continues to engage audiences of all ages and demographics while cementing Brumm’s place as a true visionary of the craft.

Kirsha Kaechele on Remaining Playful in Problem-Solving

If you weren’t familiar with the artist and curator of MONA, chances are you’re aware of her now. Always looking to challenge conventional narratives and stand up against the patriarchy, Kirsha Kaechele opened the Ladies Lounge at MONA in 2020. Since that time, it’s continued to prove a popular addition to the museum, welcoming some 425,000 visitors who are waited on by a butler while being treated to some of the best art MONA contains.

But when a court case was levelled against Kaechele’s Ladies Lounge for being discriminatory, ultimately leading to the tribunal’s decision that MONA would need to either close the lounge or allow male entry, Kaechele could only find the decision beneficial. After all, it highlighted the many challenges women continue to face in the world, with the gender pay gap and barriers of entry brought to the fore.

If there’s one thing Kaechele cemented to the audience gathered at Sunrise Australia 2024, it’s that playfulness remains at the heart of her work. Whether that’s tackling ecological issues with a tequila-fuelled dinner, hosting a ceremonial gun buy-back experience in New Orleans, or fighting for the survival of the Ladies Lounge, she approaches each with levity, understanding, and a desire to connect with others, regardless of the perceived distance in values that may exist between them.

Skye Riggs on How to Find Meaning in Your Career

As an Obama Foundation Leader and co-founder of Ripple Opportunities, Skye Riggs knows a thing or two about combining your passion with purpose. She now helps social innovators future-proof their work and land careers that are purpose-driven and empowering. As Riggs noted during the talk, we’re currently living at a time of overwhelming conflict, the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II. It begs the question, what is all this for? What am I working towards? And what’s my purpose?

If you’ve grappled with the question of late, you’re not alone. But with a third of our lives devoted to work, it’s a question that deserves careful and considered attention. As Riggs suggest, this time shouldn’t be something we consider daunting but rather considered an invaluable resource. With that many hours, consider just how great our impact can be on the world and those causes we deem important.

In an inspiring keynote, Riggs detailed the importance of finding work that aligns with your values, as it’s in this key framework that you’ll find fulfilment. However, don’t send in that resignation letter just yet. As Riggs suggests, consider what your skills are and where they could be best applied.

Research has increasingly shown that when you take something you’re good at and apply it to your work, you’ll find value in what you can give to the world and your line of work. It might not be a conversation you’ll solve overnight, but with these practical tips, you’re sure to find a sense of purpose within the workplace.

Breathwork Specialist Dave Murphy on Enhancing Your Creativity

With competing deadlines, endless work calls, and back-to-back meetings, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed. In fact, as Flow State founder Dave Murphy would argue, most of us operate with a level of perpetual underlying stress that colours our daily lives.

While a little bit of adrenaline can be beneficial when it comes to tackling several work tasks, operating under constant stress means finding yourself at greater risk of burnout, damaging not only your mental health but also your creative potential. If you find it hard to quiet the voices in your head alerting you to all the things you have to check off your task list, you’re not alone.

It’s here that breathwork comes in, as the altered state it allows our bodies to enter can greatly improve cognitive functioning, unlock our creative potential, and allow us to focus on what’s important while also coming up with fresh ideas and innovative solutions.

In an incredible immersive workshop, Murphy led us through a breathwork session that left everyone feeling rejuvenated. While maintaining our breathing, Murphy had us envision scenarios where we felt stuck, then those where we were thriving, found a state of flow, and existed as our best selves. It was a powerful lesson, and the techniques we came away with are certain to propel us towards a state of greater excellence and flow.

Sunroom’s Co-Founder Lucy Mort on the Power of Resilience

If there’s one thing you need to know about Lucy Mort, it’s that she’s a risk-taker who isn’t content to sit on her laurels. Having made the decision to move to New York City with no job offer or prospects, she joined a (then) little-known start-up called Hinge as their Junior Marketing Designer.

If you’ve used the app at all in recent years, you would have seen Lucy’s legacy at play. Having gone on to become the Director of Design, she led the dating app through its 2016 redesign, which saw them adopt prompts that inspire connection instead of superficial swipes that often prioritise validation over real-world interaction.

With an incredible resume and skillset, Lucy could have sat back and basked in her success at Hinge. Instead, she chose to take the leap and found her own company, Sunroom, alongside Bumble alumni Michelle Battersby. The app seeks to empower women and non-binary creators to make money online.

Since its launch, Lucy has seen creators generate incredible earnings, allowing them to quit unfulfilling jobs, pay off debts, and spend more time with family. But while it’s easy to focus on the snapshot of success, Lucy instead presented a candid insight into the challenges and pitfalls that many a founder can relate to.

A key takeaway from Lucy’s vulnerable presentation is the importance of surrounding yourself with colleagues who don’t just match the skillset but also click with your own personality. While especially important for those seeking co-founders, it can be applied to any aspect of a workplace as you seek to surround yourself with staff who share your own values and the mission of the company. For Lucy and Michelle, this looks like attending weekly co-founder therapy sessions, allowing them to take pause, tune into what one another needs, and ensure they aren’t just solely focused on the trajectory of the company but their business partnership, too.

And if ever there was a mantra that can summarise the wealth of information, personal experience, and inspiring stories shared at Sunrise Australia 2024, it’s Lucy’s belief that it’s “great for the plot.” No matter what curveballs life may throw at you - both personally and professionally - it’s important to remember that no success story is ever linear. These bumps along the road are merely temporary, but when you finally overcome them and reach The Promised Land, they’ll make for a great tale.

And that’s a wrap.

Did you attend Sunrise Australia 2024? We’d love to hear your top takeaways and favourite moments!