The SMART Program Cohort of 2024
Announcing the SMART Program cohort of 2024! These 6 emerging creatives will be embarking on a 12-week intensive journey that will equip them with the skills needed for a successful career in game development.
The SMART Program is a games career accelerator that was only made possible through the generous support of both the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne. The program includes professional development workshops, career coaching, mentoring by industry leaders, and networking and upskilling events.
I’d like to firstly say just how incredibly grateful I am for the generous support that City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip have provided, this increased support will allow the 2024 program to deliver a bespoke line-up of content that is sure to have a huge impact on this year’s immensely talented cohort.
The 2024 Program’s offering includes a private office inside the Collins Street Studios a creative co-working space operated by City of Melbourne initiative, Creative Spaces. This brand-new offering will allow for this year’s cohort to rapidly prototype new ideas and build out portfolio pieces in a welcoming and inclusive community made up of professional game developers and creative practitioners.
We’re proud to accommodate the 2024 SMART Program cohort at our new Collins Street Studios – a hub bringing pioneering creatives together in a welcoming place where they can grow and learn from likeminded professionals.”
City of Melbourne Lord Mayor, Nick Reece
City of Melbourne Lord Mayor, Nick Reece commented on the importance of supporting creatives in the tech and gaming sectors:
“Melbourne is a city of innovation – and we’re supporting local talent to contribute to our growing tech sectors. We’re backing the industries of the future, with $500,000 in this year’s budget for the gaming and tech sectors, including accelerator programs, gaming studios and industry events.”
“On top of that, we’re proud to accommodate the 2024 SMART Program cohort at our new Collins Street Studios – a hub bringing pioneering creatives together in a welcoming place where they can grow and learn from likeminded professionals.”
The SMART Program was built from the ground up with the goal of creating career pathways for aspiring game developers and providing equitable access to those currently underrepresented in the Australian game development community.
Under the guidance of the SMART Program, previous graduates have been able find their place in the games industry, bolster their confidence in their creative practice, land their first full-time games job and secure funding for their own game projects.
This year there were an overwhelming and record-breaking number of high-quality applicants. This highlights just how important mentorship and accelerator programs like this are. There are so many amazing creatives out there who will go on to be great leaders of industry, but only if they are given the support that they need now.
There are so many amazing creatives out there who will go on to be great leaders of industry, but only if they are given the support that they need now.
SMART Program Director & Founder, Ceri Hutton
Now for the third year in a row, City of Port Phillip will be supporting the SMART Program’s vision of creating opportunities for emerging creatives and championing aspiring game developers to confidently express themselves through their work.
In addition to the core mentorship program, the 2024 SMART Program will also be hosting Games Career Pathways, a free industry upskilling & networking event that the entire game development community can enjoy and use as an opportunity to connect.
Taking place on Sep 26th at the Victorian Pride Centre in St. Kilda, Games Career Pathways is a catered networking event featuring a panel discussion about the journey and hardships of being an independent studio leader, freelancer and artist during a turbulent and yet somehow hopeful time for the Australian games industry.
You can register your free ticket to the Games Career Pathways event here and learn more about the SMART Program here.
The SMART Program 2024 Recipients:
Althea Francisco
Althea Francisco (She/Her) is a Filipino 2D and Concept artist based in Naarm. She is also a teacher, a baker and a strange world maker. Thea’s love of learning and supporting others can be seen in her work teaching design workshops for RMIT as well as her efforts in tutoring the local community.
Thea graduated from RMIT’s Game Design course in 2023 and was awarded the 2023-2024 ACMI + RMIT Games Prize for her work as Creative Director and Producer on her group capstone project REAPRIEVE. Thea and the REAPRIEVE team were recently selected to be recipients of VicScreen’s incredibly competitive Originate Games Fund.
REAPRIEVE is an existential 3D adventure game where you work a simple office job: reap a soul’s desires in record time or suffer a deadly cost - your break, your sanity, or worse, Employee-of-the-Year. REAPRIEVE blends fast-paced semi-monotonous gameplay together with a narrative about the consequences of losing yourself. Inspired by a Filipino superstition in which the dead manifest as butterflies to watch over their loved ones.
Ben Koder
Ben Koder (He/They) is a queer experimental games developer who seamlessly bridges the worlds of technology and art. With a diverse background in digital media, computer science, and game design, Koder integrates niche hardware and software into his work to create groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind experiences.
His projects have been celebrated for their innovation and creativity. Among his most notable works is Beyond The Lens, a surreal photography game praised as ‘the only good use of AI art,’ which has been featured at ACMI, Sabby Gallery, and the Powerhouse Museum, and was named one of SUPERJUMP’s best games of 2022.
Koder also presented Beyond The Lens at Freeplay Parallels in 2023, further solidifying its impact within the indie game development community. Another highlight is Massage Maestro, a game where players knead the pressure-sensitive keys of a digital piano to relieve virtual patients’ pain, showcased at PAX Australia. Koder’s vision is to foster a more inclusive and innovative videogame landscape, where technology acts as a catalyst for creative empowerment.
Cristina Murphy
Cristina Murphy (She/Her) is a freelance 2D illustrator, designer and merchandise maker. She is able to not only design unique and memorable characters but also produce visually distinctive physical merchandise such as coasters, stickers and even trading cards, all custom made in her home studio.
Cristina is always looking for new forms of media to create and explore and is currently focusing on building upon the animation and 3D Modelling skills she acquired through JMC’s Associate Degree of Animation programme. Cristina is also a mentee of the ARC TTRPG Mentorship 2024 program and is currently designing her first TTRPG, which will be debuting at PAX later this year.
Cristina is at her best when she is sparking creativity and generating excitement in others through contributing to the design process with her unique artistic perspective, her passion for all things gaming and her authentic love of the craft.
Fitriani Revanda
Fitriani Revanda (They/Them) is a 2D animator, game artist, and storyteller whose work focuses in combining fantasy and the banalities of life. Originally, starting out as an animator for TV and web series such as DC Super Hero Girls, Belle and Sebastian, and Pencilmation. Fitri has now continued to expand their wonderfully playful yet bizarre creative practice through video games and interactive media that explore aspects of the human condition that are not often spoken about.
Fitri’s current project The Worm’s Memoirs is a 2D point-and-click game based on their experience with childhood trauma, contrasting playfulness and horror to visualise the unsettling sensation and showing the hope that lies beyond it.
Fitri is passionate about experimenting with values-based games that are able to not only deliver value as a unique form of entertainment but are also able to impact the lives of those playing the game by emulating real emotions that will move people’s heart.
Logan Urlichs
Logan Urlichs (He/They) is a designer, programmer and rapid prototyping specialist. Since graduating JMC in 2022, Logan has been sure to compete in every game jam he can get his hands on and has built an impressive portfolio of games in that time, many of which have been enjoyed by the local community when they were exhibited at the local IGDAM meet-ups.
Logan is multi-disciplinary game developer who isn’t afraid to experiment with unfamiliar software and skillsets in the pursuit of learning something new, challenge themselves or simply for the joy of doing something innovative. This unique approach to game development has allowed for Logan’s skillset to span from making UI assets in Photoshop to shader rendering in Unity to creating detailed game design documents.
Logan’s love of collaboration and experimentation has led him to form a small team of like-minded developers known as Suspicious Jam who are currently putting the finishing touches on the fast-paced arcade-fighter stylised Table tennis game, King of Ping-Pong Megamix, which is due to release later in the year on steam.
Natalie Raskin
Natalie Raskin (She/Her) is a UX specialist, events manager and games producer currently in her final year of Swinburne University, studying a Bachelor of Design, co-majoring in UX Design and Games & Interactivity.
Natalie’s passion for accessibility, usability and interactivity has led her to pursue how the physical and digital world can be blended to create unique tactile interfaces. Alongside her Swinburne team-mates she is currently developing Block Buddies, a co-op puzzle platformer that utilises a custom controller with an interesting twist that has to be seen to be believed.
Natalie personally champions, supports and leads a number of events and initiatives focused on creating welcoming and inclusive communities for game developers to grow in. She is secretary of the Swinburne game makers club, the program coordinator for IGDAM, and the creator and director of the inaugural student showcase, GamesPond. If you’ve attended a Melbourne games industry event that showcases talent, provides useful insights or uplifts the local community in the last year, odds are that Natalie was behind it.
About City of Port Philip:
City of Port Phillip’s vision is to be the Games Capital of Victoria. Delivering on this vision means that the broad range of creative businesses, players, artists, and creative producers find a home in Port Phillip, and that Council’s priorities, resources, and programs support their activities.
For more information visit:
About City of Melbourne:
The City of Melbourne is the capital city council of Victoria and stands proudly on the lands of the Wurundjeri-woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin.
The municipality spans more than 37 km2, comprising 14 suburbs, which are governed by the Melbourne City Council. Guided by its four-year Council Plan, the City of Melbourne strives to be a city of possibility, where the world meets and the extraordinary happens.
As a local government, the City of Melbourne is the level of government closest to the everyday lives of its community – delivering essential services, as well as key community infrastructure.
About Collins Street Studios:
The City of Melbourne has recently partnered with the Victorian Government to transform an inner-city office floor into a vibrant collection of workspaces for more than 100 creatives, to support and showcase their talents.
Collins Street Studios is the latest of eight spaces to join Council’s Creative Spaces program, which connects creatives with affordable, well-located venues to help them thrive.
For more information visit:
https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/news/gamingsector
https://www.creativespaces.net.au/about-us
About the Victorian Pride Centre:
The Victorian Pride Centre is a place of belonging, support and pride for diverse LGBTIQ+ communities.
The Pride Centre is home to important resident organisations, engaging cultural programs, vital health services and inspiring social spaces.
For more information visit:
https://pridecentre.org.au/about/
About Ceri Hutton:
Ceri is the director of the SMART Program as well as a game designer and business consultant for the creative industries specialising in culture transformation, human-centric design and marketing strategy. He has 15+ years’ games industry experience, holds an executive level MBA from Monash University and is passionate about building inclusive work environments that foster innovation and facilitate the growth of emerging leaders.
Ceri is the director of CH Consulting & Management Services, a management consulting management consulting and business coaching services company that work with start-ups in the creative technology sector and game development studios to build a successful commercialisation strategy that will attract investment and improve audience engagement.
For more information visit: