September 20, 2023 • 17 mins
You know Dylan from his time as Australian of the year and for his sporting achievements. Now he’s working to change the way people with disabilities are featured on screen. Despite the fact that almost 20% of Australians live with a disability, only 1% of advertising campaigns globally feature people with a disability. Now Dylan Alcott is launching the Shift 20 Initiative to try and change that. In the deep dive Dylan talks with Sam about what he wishes was different when he was growing up and why he’s passionate about changing things for future generations.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bunjelung Calcottin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Thursday,
the twenty first of September. I'm Sam, I'm Zara. You
know Dylan Orcott from his time as Australian of the
Year and for his sporting achievements. Now he's working to
change the way people with disabilities are featured on screen
and in particular in mainstream advertising.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Probably the thing I struggled with the most, outside of
getting bulluted when I was a young kid, was when
I turned on the TV, newspaper radio, I never saw
anybody like me and I saw people like you.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Dylan's going to join me in the deep dive to
talk about the launch of a new campaign to try
and change things up. It's called Shift twenty but FIRS
Era another airline update goodness, another one they love a headline.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Now Quantus will enter negotiations with the Transport Workers' Union
to come up with a payout figure after the airline's
defeat in the High Court earlier this month, the union
successfully argued the Quantus unlawfully sacked seventeen hundred baggage handlers
during the pandemic. They will now enter mediation to agree
on a compensation package to be paid to those affected workers.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
A Victorian fugitive has been shot dead by police. It
brings to end a three day manhunt. Police found Stanley
Turvey near the northern Victorian town of Shepperton on Wednesday
morning after receiving a tip off about his whereabouts. Turvey,
who police say was armed, died at the scene. Earlier
this week, Turvey shot at police before authorities lost track
(01:48):
of him, and he'd also been accused of assault and
stealing a car.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
New online safety laws have passed in the UK aimed
at banning miners from accessing pawn. Mandatory age life elements
will be rolled out which could require users to verify
their age and block under eighteens from seeing age inappropriate content,
but the specifics around the actual technology yet to be specified.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
And today's good news is snow small feat The number
of snow leopards in Bhutan has increased by forty percent
in the last seven years. Three hundred and ten cameras
surveyed over nine thousand kilometers of snow leopard happitat across
the country and ever revealed numbers of the vulnerable listed
species are improving. Wilderness preservation advocates said the results should
(02:33):
act as continued inspiration for the protection of this elusive species. Dylan,
thanks for joining us at the Tdaight offices this morning.
Really appreciate you coming in.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Great to be here and from Afar for a while.
You know, I love the PDA, so dashould come in
and say good eight. Everyone's cool.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
We had this period early on when every post we
did about you winning a tennis tournament would just do
better than every other post.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
You didn't get on the bandwag and you OG's getting
around me, which I was very great.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Yeah it was true though.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So I've got this theory about you, and I want
you to tell me if it's right or wrong.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
My theory is that you've got a mental pie chart
in your brain of different parts of society and you
systematically go through one by one trying to figure out
how to make it better for people with a disability.
And you started with sport, and then you moved into
politics and healthcare and now you're onto representation. Is that
how you're thinking about your career?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
You give me too much credit, brother, I know this
sounds simplified. I just wake up every day and try
and be myself and in doing that try and change
perceptions around disability. I don't actually wake up to be
a role more or an advocate. But what I will
say is that I just try to come up with
innovative ways to change perceptions around disability.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
And I'm so lucky that people back me and we
were able to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
But yes, there's multiple industries that I really want to
try and have an impact in. Obviously sport was one
of them. Employment is a big one. Healthcare was another one,
with endias media representation, and then I'm just going to
retire and do nothing.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
That story around.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But I don't know, there's no kind of there's no
order in your brain of how to go about this, not.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Really, but I want to do lots of different things
all at the same time, and I think just a
testament of having a crack and being bold and having
ideas and putting them out there, and things happen across
and you'll be surprised.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
And you know this as a young entrepreneur.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
People back here, people really do get around you sometimes
and it can be scary, and things will fail and
you'll get things wrong, but you know, as long as
you do it with the right mindset. But also my
purpose is that is the change those perceptions. I don't
care how many likes to get or followers or any
of that crap. I couldn't kill less, and obviously having
a platform helps with that stuff. But the reason I
(04:46):
get out of bed it is that every day it's
never been windbed and it's never to win gold medals.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
It has been to support my community.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And when you care about something that's bigger like that,
you end up winning more gold medals and grants because
you don't care as much. But the fact that we
keep doing these things and the public keeps backing us, man,
I'm very grateful for it.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And so now the latest one in your Sam Kozlowski
appointed checklist is media representation. I want you to talk
me through what it was like growing up in terms
of what you were seeing in media and television.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It was really hard, I'm honest. Probably the thing I
struggled with the most, outside of getting bullited when I
was a young kid was when I turned on the TV, newspaper, radio,
I never saw anybody like me. I saw people like you.
And when I did see someone like me, it was
an item of pity. For example, a road safety ad
where someone speeds as a car accident. The next scene
is someone like me in tears because their life's over.
(05:35):
What does that tell our society about disability, That it's
this negative, bad thing you don't want to have. So
I believe that, and that sucked. And the fact that
when I found out the real stats that twenty percent,
nearly twenty percent of the strained population, nearly twenty percent
of the world's population has some form of visible or
invisible disability, yet less than one percent or on our
(05:56):
screens globally. I just wanted to change that straightaway from
when I found that out when I was fifteen years old.
And I've been able to do it personally by being
on the Triple j's and the TVs or whatever.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
But it's not just about me or a select few.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
It's about all of us getting represented doing normal things
because we are normal. We eat, we eat food, we travel,
we bank, we read the daily ohs, we wear consumers,
but we often don't see ourselves represented and especially in
traditional forms of media, and hence why we wanted to
make an impact with the Shift twenty initiative around advertising.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Did you articulate that you weren't seeing anybody like you
on television when you were actually growing up as a
teen or is this kind of a reflection now looking back.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I didn't articulate it because I was embarrassed about my
disability too. My biggest regret ever in my life is
for two years that I had got bullied about my disability.
I had no representation, I didn't want to be here anymore,
and I didn't tell anybody, and that was a big
regret I overhead. I wasn't vulnble enough because I felt
like a burden and an embarrassment. And if I then
went by the way I want to say, you know,
(06:54):
like I was just lucky to get out of it
every day. But then when I really came started talking
about it and really going to terms of my mental health,
and started being the happy guy that I am today.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Bloody oath mate.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I wanted to make my life mission to get representation
because the best way to get social change is mainstream representation.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
If you have mainstream representation, it effects mainstream schools at
effects employment and inflex leadership, positions in employment and effects sport,
and effects being on our screens, and effects going on
a date and effects a massive podcast.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Wanted to talk about it. You know what I mean?
See how I see how the flow on effect? Did
I think what happened?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Absolutely not. I never thought any of this crap would happen.
I never thought, I mean Australia, what the hell like?
As if I ever thought that would happen. But the
reason it did is not because of me. It's because
of the people disability that came before me, but also
everybody getting around this journey for some reason, and we're
not able to do it together.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
So let's say I'm a major bank and I want
to sign on to the SHIFT twenty initiative. How does
that work? What are my obligations and where do I
go from here?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
You know the fact that we went to thirty of the
biggest brands and we're talking big, big brands like as
you said, A and z Amy Macks, Uber Tourism Australia,
Virgin Pantean or be I've Forgot an ib I forgot,
like the biggest brand. And they're all like, yeah, we're
already doing stuff. We just want to get better, right
and it's what's expected then yeah, so they want to
All these coalition of brands have made a commitment not
(08:15):
to fix it overnight, but to eventually get to twenty
percent representation in all their marketing materials of people with disability,
because we are twenty percent of the population. The reason
they should do it first and foremost is not just
to be social responsible. It's good business because if you
see yourself someone like you know, you see yourself in
an ads and you go, oh, I might go buy that,
you know, that's the whole point or point of advertising.
That's why they should do it first and foremost because
(08:37):
that the fact that it is good business. But it's
it's not a commitment to fix it overnight, but it's
a commitment to listen, to live, experience, to learn and
do better. That's all we want, and that's all these
brands are committed to doing and the flow and effect
of that. If it's not just in advertising, it might
flow onto We wanted to flow onto employment. We wanted
to flow into education. We wanted to flow onto people
(08:57):
being more accessible in environments so socially we can go
on more dates and go to more events and you know,
go to more sporting things or whatever it is. You
see how it's like, oh, the web is all connected.
And you said at the start, you know, deally do
all these things.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
It's all kind of connected.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
It's just we've got to figure out ways to make
disability cool and sexy. And the way that you know
the fact that Buddy almost cried yesterday. One of the
young women in our EVA, she's thirty and she's the
new week Bix kid.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
She got signed for twelve months. Like I almost cried
when I saw that, because.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
If I'd seen that as that's such like an iconic mate.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I won eight weeks every day and as a kid too,
did the Weebix Triathon when I was a kid, but
there was no represented like the Weebix kids in a
wheelchair that he is huge.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Yeah, the Amy woman Lara, she's blind.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
He's also singing the jingle seeing Nathan borg do the
Bonds AD's I was landing in his underwear. His mission
is to make his disability sexy. Well, he's in underwear
on TV. But that ad is just cool seeing someone
you know communicating and I was on TV.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
It's pretty sick man.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
And I don't want, I mean, none of these ads,
and I don't want to be in ads, and I
want any credit because I've done nothing. You know, it's
so many people who've been involved in this. And we also,
we don't own this idea. We don't own the idea
of putting people disability in ads. You don't need to
join this year twenty in this shy if you can
just do it right. We want everyone worldwide to copy
us because it's what should happen. And my friend Bloody
(10:19):
blowing up mate, and all the I can't read the
comments because I get a bit like he called this
is probably my favorite comment. The person who designed our
website has disability, and he had some he said. He
wrote an email saying, I've had all my friends in
the disabled community message me today and they're also in
the same thing that they've never felt so seen, loved
and worthy.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
That's why we're doing it, you know what I.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Mean, Which is funny that that self worth comes from,
of all places, advertising.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Just by seeing yourself one just by seeing yourself doing
normal things, not pretty carcroash victim or not hospital bed
to podium gold medalists, because they're just too unrealistic. There's
two You can't just have those things. You just need
us to do normal, ordinary things of us being normal people.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Because I get it.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Not everybody can be a Paralympian gold medal Australia, and
that's true. We need all kinds of different representation. And
that's my mission always to amplify the voices of more
people disability, especially when I was Astrainer of the Year
and that's when this idea was created in the way
that when I was Australian iist wanted to empower more people.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
With disability to get out there.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
And you partner with the special group who came up
with the idea over eight months to do something like
this in the y.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Westn So when you're working with these brands in terms
of guiding them through how to be part of the initiative,
have they learned anything surprising?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
I think they have the things they've learned is one.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
They couldn't believe that four and a half minion sstrants
have disability they even know exists.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
That's one thing, so their consumer base is bigger.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Two, how great talent we can be in front and
behind the camera people with disability weren't just in front
of it.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
People with visible and invisible disabilities made the commercials tell right.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
And the fact that some people that worked on set
have now got jobs out of it, more jobs. Our
lighting guy was deaf and he was nervous how communicate
with people on set. He bought an interpreted day one,
but he lipbreads. He was so comfortable in day one,
didn't He goes, I don't have any interpretedorrow. I felt
safe here. How awesome is that we were more people
to follow that kind of stuff? And you know, the
(12:18):
third thing is like that the fact that they in
the past, and a lot of people say this, have
been too scared to engage because they don't want to
get it wrong. You are going to get this wrong,
and that's okay. I get things wrong all the time.
I know you do too. That's natural, right. You don't
need to know everything, but it's about listening to lived
experience and just trying to do better. And I think
they've realized it's probably easier than they thought and they
(12:38):
might have overcomplicated it. And we've been launched for what
a little while now, and I think we've had seventeen
brands set us up to Joan.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Already And what are you hoping that people who are
sitting on their lounge is watching maths? You know? And
then they say that had come up from amy with
people with the disability fronting that. What are you hoping
that they take out of that?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
I think that's just normal.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Actually haven't told anyone this, but we released the ads
last week and no one ever noticed. That's the point. Wow, yeah, see,
so they've been out for a week and I didn't
really tell that in the media, these little scoop for you.
They've been out, but it is cool and people were like, oh,
I did notice that the A and Z every Woman
was a double ambto and now they've noted.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
But that is the whole point.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
We just want to be normalized and it's normal to
see yourself and it's not It doesn't have to be
this big song and dance. And obviously now we've released
it and I was like, Wow, that's really cool and
we appreciate that. But it's just about normalizing it in
that way.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
So let's just sit on that for a sec. So
you've you released the ads before, you've made the official before,
and you didn't see that ground swell of congratulations and support.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
That was the point, right, that was the point. We
wanted to show people that it's just normal. We didn't
want hoopler and like, look what we've done. We don't care.
It's about just normalizing the people. And you know what
normal shows that it's normal, that it was just on
and you know what people were thinking. They went like, wow,
I've noticed lots of disability. They were like, wow, that's cool.
That's a cool add So I saw it's a line
around Wow anyone was mine. But it wasn't like no
(14:03):
one realized it was all happening. They just noticed it
because it was different and cool, and for the organizations
that did it, it just sold more product, like any attitude.
But then when you realize they're all there together, you're like, wow,
that actually is a sicknessaive in that way. But the
fact that we you know, could take over Australian TV
and do that like, you can do it, and the
way that you can do it is just by asking
(14:25):
the people disability how they want to be viewed. You know,
do you are you safe on this set whatever it is?
And then what is good talent? That's why the addicle
just because they're good talent.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Last question from me talking to the Times in this
chat that you've said that you've got emotional reading people's
comments and all that kind of thing. Is it emotionally
exhausting leading such an initiative and then seeing it received
in the wider're Australian public.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Great question.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
I am good at operating at a high level, I
would say, but you saw met there the last year
when I was astrainder of the year and I did
two hundred and forty five days on play A, three
hundred plus engagements, and I had nothing left to give
and I was struggling. Wasn't it I were mates met
I just couldn't even talk to people. I learned a
very valuable lesson There's no point getting out there and
(15:13):
trying to do things if you don't look after yourself.
And I forgot about that last year because I was
so enamored of supporting my community and making the most
out of the opportunity of being as trainer of the
Year because I just wanted to support so much.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
But you can't support anybody if you don't look support yourself.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
So I'm in a good spot at the moment, and
I am looking after my physical and mental health a
lot better, and even little things, just trying to see
my partner more and in Ocetown, we didn't see it
tell enough faster and that was hard. And even you
and I having a beer, just doing normal things where
you can be yourself. But yes, it's been a big
week getting it out there, and then I'll recharge in
the weeks to come and then and then get back
in there. But mate, don't feel sorry for me one bit.
(15:52):
I'm so grateful for I'm so grateful my life, and
I will forever get out of bed and try and
support my community.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Well, what I actually take from that is that if
you're being more selective, we should be looking at things
that you're doing now as of particular importance to you.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Yeah, I appreciate that, mate, and it's pretty it's nice
to you notice that, And thanks for asking, because I've
got to do a better job. I ask checking in
with my mates as well and things like that. But
you know, this year and the public eye. You see
people the public, they're killing it, they're happy, everything's great.
And last year I was struggling at the end and
again I had to check myself because I wasn't vulnerable.
I have to tell anybody because I was like, and
then I remember I talked to you about I'm pretty
sure we spoke about at the end of the year
(16:27):
and things that I was like, man, I'm just cool,
and I just felt so much better as soon as
I didn't want to pooh pooh the award and the opportunity,
so I tried it and then I was like, no,
I'm just going to say honestly, and I'm I felt
better soon as I did. And yeah, I was very
grateful to be straining the year, but also grateful to
passing on the next person who deserves their opportunity.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Well, we're grateful for you, We're grateful for Shift twenty
Thanks so much for joining us on the pod.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Thanks so much, mate, And yeah, anybody wants to get
in touch and get involved, you hit a sub at
the Shift twenty dot or the Dealing or Gone Foundation.
Everyone is welcome, including you.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Thanks for joining us today on the Daily Oz. If
you enjoyed this episode, I know I did, why not
share it with a friend. Recommendations from you are one
of the best ways that you can support us and
help us grow. We'll be back again tomorrow, but until then,
have a fabulous Thursday.
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bunjelung Calcottin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Thursday,
the twenty first of September. I'm Sam, I'm Zara. You
know Dylan Orcott from his time as Australian of the
Year and for his sporting achievements. Now he's working to
change the way people with disabilities are featured on screen
and in particular in mainstream advertising.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Probably the thing I struggled with the most, outside of
getting bulluted when I was a young kid, was when
I turned on the TV, newspaper radio, I never saw
anybody like me and I saw people like you.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Dylan's going to join me in the deep dive to
talk about the launch of a new campaign to try
and change things up. It's called Shift twenty but FIRS
Era another airline update goodness, another one they love a headline.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Now Quantus will enter negotiations with the Transport Workers' Union
to come up with a payout figure after the airline's
defeat in the High Court earlier this month, the union
successfully argued the Quantus unlawfully sacked seventeen hundred baggage handlers
during the pandemic. They will now enter mediation to agree
on a compensation package to be paid to those affected workers.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
A Victorian fugitive has been shot dead by police. It
brings to end a three day manhunt. Police found Stanley
Turvey near the northern Victorian town of Shepperton on Wednesday
morning after receiving a tip off about his whereabouts. Turvey,
who police say was armed, died at the scene. Earlier
this week, Turvey shot at police before authorities lost track
(01:48):
of him, and he'd also been accused of assault and
stealing a car.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
New online safety laws have passed in the UK aimed
at banning miners from accessing pawn. Mandatory age life elements
will be rolled out which could require users to verify
their age and block under eighteens from seeing age inappropriate content,
but the specifics around the actual technology yet to be specified.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
And today's good news is snow small feat The number
of snow leopards in Bhutan has increased by forty percent
in the last seven years. Three hundred and ten cameras
surveyed over nine thousand kilometers of snow leopard happitat across
the country and ever revealed numbers of the vulnerable listed
species are improving. Wilderness preservation advocates said the results should
(02:33):
act as continued inspiration for the protection of this elusive species. Dylan,
thanks for joining us at the Tdaight offices this morning.
Really appreciate you coming in.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Great to be here and from Afar for a while.
You know, I love the PDA, so dashould come in
and say good eight. Everyone's cool.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
We had this period early on when every post we
did about you winning a tennis tournament would just do
better than every other post.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
You didn't get on the bandwag and you OG's getting
around me, which I was very great.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Yeah it was true though.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So I've got this theory about you, and I want
you to tell me if it's right or wrong.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
My theory is that you've got a mental pie chart
in your brain of different parts of society and you
systematically go through one by one trying to figure out
how to make it better for people with a disability.
And you started with sport, and then you moved into
politics and healthcare and now you're onto representation. Is that
how you're thinking about your career?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
You give me too much credit, brother, I know this
sounds simplified. I just wake up every day and try
and be myself and in doing that try and change
perceptions around disability. I don't actually wake up to be
a role more or an advocate. But what I will
say is that I just try to come up with
innovative ways to change perceptions around disability.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
And I'm so lucky that people back me and we
were able to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
But yes, there's multiple industries that I really want to
try and have an impact in. Obviously sport was one
of them. Employment is a big one. Healthcare was another one,
with endias media representation, and then I'm just going to
retire and do nothing.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
That story around.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
But I don't know, there's no kind of there's no
order in your brain of how to go about this, not.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Really, but I want to do lots of different things
all at the same time, and I think just a
testament of having a crack and being bold and having
ideas and putting them out there, and things happen across
and you'll be surprised.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
And you know this as a young entrepreneur.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
People back here, people really do get around you sometimes
and it can be scary, and things will fail and
you'll get things wrong, but you know, as long as
you do it with the right mindset. But also my
purpose is that is the change those perceptions. I don't
care how many likes to get or followers or any
of that crap. I couldn't kill less, and obviously having
a platform helps with that stuff. But the reason I
(04:46):
get out of bed it is that every day it's
never been windbed and it's never to win gold medals.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
It has been to support my community.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And when you care about something that's bigger like that,
you end up winning more gold medals and grants because
you don't care as much. But the fact that we
keep doing these things and the public keeps backing us, man,
I'm very grateful for it.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And so now the latest one in your Sam Kozlowski
appointed checklist is media representation. I want you to talk
me through what it was like growing up in terms
of what you were seeing in media and television.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
It was really hard, I'm honest. Probably the thing I
struggled with the most, outside of getting bullited when I
was a young kid was when I turned on the TV, newspaper, radio,
I never saw anybody like me. I saw people like you.
And when I did see someone like me, it was
an item of pity. For example, a road safety ad
where someone speeds as a car accident. The next scene
is someone like me in tears because their life's over.
(05:35):
What does that tell our society about disability, That it's
this negative, bad thing you don't want to have. So
I believe that, and that sucked. And the fact that
when I found out the real stats that twenty percent,
nearly twenty percent of the strained population, nearly twenty percent
of the world's population has some form of visible or
invisible disability, yet less than one percent or on our
(05:56):
screens globally. I just wanted to change that straightaway from
when I found that out when I was fifteen years old.
And I've been able to do it personally by being
on the Triple j's and the TVs or whatever.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
But it's not just about me or a select few.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
It's about all of us getting represented doing normal things
because we are normal. We eat, we eat food, we travel,
we bank, we read the daily ohs, we wear consumers,
but we often don't see ourselves represented and especially in
traditional forms of media, and hence why we wanted to
make an impact with the Shift twenty initiative around advertising.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Did you articulate that you weren't seeing anybody like you
on television when you were actually growing up as a
teen or is this kind of a reflection now looking back.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I didn't articulate it because I was embarrassed about my
disability too. My biggest regret ever in my life is
for two years that I had got bullied about my disability.
I had no representation, I didn't want to be here anymore,
and I didn't tell anybody, and that was a big
regret I overhead. I wasn't vulnble enough because I felt
like a burden and an embarrassment. And if I then
went by the way I want to say, you know,
(06:54):
like I was just lucky to get out of it
every day. But then when I really came started talking
about it and really going to terms of my mental health,
and started being the happy guy that I am today.
Speaker 5 (07:04):
Bloody oath mate.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I wanted to make my life mission to get representation
because the best way to get social change is mainstream representation.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
If you have mainstream representation, it effects mainstream schools at
effects employment and inflex leadership, positions in employment and effects sport,
and effects being on our screens, and effects going on
a date and effects a massive podcast.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Wanted to talk about it. You know what I mean?
See how I see how the flow on effect? Did
I think what happened?
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Absolutely not. I never thought any of this crap would happen.
I never thought, I mean Australia, what the hell like?
As if I ever thought that would happen. But the
reason it did is not because of me. It's because
of the people disability that came before me, but also
everybody getting around this journey for some reason, and we're
not able to do it together.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
So let's say I'm a major bank and I want
to sign on to the SHIFT twenty initiative. How does
that work? What are my obligations and where do I
go from here?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
You know the fact that we went to thirty of the
biggest brands and we're talking big, big brands like as
you said, A and z Amy Macks, Uber Tourism Australia,
Virgin Pantean or be I've Forgot an ib I forgot,
like the biggest brand. And they're all like, yeah, we're
already doing stuff. We just want to get better, right
and it's what's expected then yeah, so they want to
All these coalition of brands have made a commitment not
(08:15):
to fix it overnight, but to eventually get to twenty
percent representation in all their marketing materials of people with disability,
because we are twenty percent of the population. The reason
they should do it first and foremost is not just
to be social responsible. It's good business because if you
see yourself someone like you know, you see yourself in
an ads and you go, oh, I might go buy that,
you know, that's the whole point or point of advertising.
That's why they should do it first and foremost because
(08:37):
that the fact that it is good business. But it's
it's not a commitment to fix it overnight, but it's
a commitment to listen, to live, experience, to learn and
do better. That's all we want, and that's all these
brands are committed to doing and the flow and effect
of that. If it's not just in advertising, it might
flow onto We wanted to flow onto employment. We wanted
to flow into education. We wanted to flow onto people
(08:57):
being more accessible in environments so socially we can go
on more dates and go to more events and you know,
go to more sporting things or whatever it is. You
see how it's like, oh, the web is all connected.
And you said at the start, you know, deally do
all these things.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
It's all kind of connected.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
It's just we've got to figure out ways to make
disability cool and sexy. And the way that you know
the fact that Buddy almost cried yesterday. One of the
young women in our EVA, she's thirty and she's the
new week Bix kid.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
She got signed for twelve months. Like I almost cried
when I saw that, because.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
If I'd seen that as that's such like an iconic mate.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I won eight weeks every day and as a kid too,
did the Weebix Triathon when I was a kid, but
there was no represented like the Weebix kids in a
wheelchair that he is huge.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Yeah, the Amy woman Lara, she's blind.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
He's also singing the jingle seeing Nathan borg do the
Bonds AD's I was landing in his underwear. His mission
is to make his disability sexy. Well, he's in underwear
on TV. But that ad is just cool seeing someone
you know communicating and I was on TV.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
It's pretty sick man.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
And I don't want, I mean, none of these ads,
and I don't want to be in ads, and I
want any credit because I've done nothing. You know, it's
so many people who've been involved in this. And we also,
we don't own this idea. We don't own the idea
of putting people disability in ads. You don't need to
join this year twenty in this shy if you can
just do it right. We want everyone worldwide to copy
us because it's what should happen. And my friend Bloody
(10:19):
blowing up mate, and all the I can't read the
comments because I get a bit like he called this
is probably my favorite comment. The person who designed our
website has disability, and he had some he said. He
wrote an email saying, I've had all my friends in
the disabled community message me today and they're also in
the same thing that they've never felt so seen, loved
and worthy.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
That's why we're doing it, you know what I.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Mean, Which is funny that that self worth comes from,
of all places, advertising.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Just by seeing yourself one just by seeing yourself doing
normal things, not pretty carcroash victim or not hospital bed
to podium gold medalists, because they're just too unrealistic. There's
two You can't just have those things. You just need
us to do normal, ordinary things of us being normal people.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Because I get it.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Not everybody can be a Paralympian gold medal Australia, and
that's true. We need all kinds of different representation. And
that's my mission always to amplify the voices of more
people disability, especially when I was Astrainer of the Year
and that's when this idea was created in the way
that when I was Australian iist wanted to empower more people.
Speaker 5 (11:23):
With disability to get out there.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
And you partner with the special group who came up
with the idea over eight months to do something like
this in the y.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Westn So when you're working with these brands in terms
of guiding them through how to be part of the initiative,
have they learned anything surprising?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
I think they have the things they've learned is one.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
They couldn't believe that four and a half minion sstrants
have disability they even know exists.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
That's one thing, so their consumer base is bigger.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Two, how great talent we can be in front and
behind the camera people with disability weren't just in front
of it.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
People with visible and invisible disabilities made the commercials tell right.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
And the fact that some people that worked on set
have now got jobs out of it, more jobs. Our
lighting guy was deaf and he was nervous how communicate
with people on set. He bought an interpreted day one,
but he lipbreads. He was so comfortable in day one,
didn't He goes, I don't have any interpretedorrow. I felt
safe here. How awesome is that we were more people
to follow that kind of stuff? And you know, the
(12:18):
third thing is like that the fact that they in
the past, and a lot of people say this, have
been too scared to engage because they don't want to
get it wrong. You are going to get this wrong,
and that's okay. I get things wrong all the time.
I know you do too. That's natural, right. You don't
need to know everything, but it's about listening to lived
experience and just trying to do better. And I think
they've realized it's probably easier than they thought and they
(12:38):
might have overcomplicated it. And we've been launched for what
a little while now, and I think we've had seventeen
brands set us up to Joan.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Already And what are you hoping that people who are
sitting on their lounge is watching maths? You know? And
then they say that had come up from amy with
people with the disability fronting that. What are you hoping
that they take out of that?
Speaker 5 (12:57):
I think that's just normal.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Actually haven't told anyone this, but we released the ads
last week and no one ever noticed. That's the point. Wow, yeah, see,
so they've been out for a week and I didn't
really tell that in the media, these little scoop for you.
They've been out, but it is cool and people were like, oh,
I did notice that the A and Z every Woman
was a double ambto and now they've noted.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
But that is the whole point.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
We just want to be normalized and it's normal to
see yourself and it's not It doesn't have to be
this big song and dance. And obviously now we've released
it and I was like, Wow, that's really cool and
we appreciate that. But it's just about normalizing it in
that way.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
So let's just sit on that for a sec. So
you've you released the ads before, you've made the official before,
and you didn't see that ground swell of congratulations and support.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
That was the point, right, that was the point. We
wanted to show people that it's just normal. We didn't
want hoopler and like, look what we've done. We don't care.
It's about just normalizing the people. And you know what
normal shows that it's normal, that it was just on
and you know what people were thinking. They went like, wow,
I've noticed lots of disability. They were like, wow, that's cool.
That's a cool add So I saw it's a line
around Wow anyone was mine. But it wasn't like no
(14:03):
one realized it was all happening. They just noticed it
because it was different and cool, and for the organizations
that did it, it just sold more product, like any attitude.
But then when you realize they're all there together, you're like, wow,
that actually is a sicknessaive in that way. But the
fact that we you know, could take over Australian TV
and do that like, you can do it, and the
way that you can do it is just by asking
(14:25):
the people disability how they want to be viewed. You know,
do you are you safe on this set whatever it is?
And then what is good talent? That's why the addicle
just because they're good talent.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Last question from me talking to the Times in this
chat that you've said that you've got emotional reading people's
comments and all that kind of thing. Is it emotionally
exhausting leading such an initiative and then seeing it received
in the wider're Australian public.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Great question.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
I am good at operating at a high level, I
would say, but you saw met there the last year
when I was astrainder of the year and I did
two hundred and forty five days on play A, three
hundred plus engagements, and I had nothing left to give
and I was struggling. Wasn't it I were mates met
I just couldn't even talk to people. I learned a
very valuable lesson There's no point getting out there and
(15:13):
trying to do things if you don't look after yourself.
And I forgot about that last year because I was
so enamored of supporting my community and making the most
out of the opportunity of being as trainer of the
Year because I just wanted to support so much.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
But you can't support anybody if you don't look support yourself.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
So I'm in a good spot at the moment, and
I am looking after my physical and mental health a
lot better, and even little things, just trying to see
my partner more and in Ocetown, we didn't see it
tell enough faster and that was hard. And even you
and I having a beer, just doing normal things where
you can be yourself. But yes, it's been a big
week getting it out there, and then I'll recharge in
the weeks to come and then and then get back
in there. But mate, don't feel sorry for me one bit.
(15:52):
I'm so grateful for I'm so grateful my life, and
I will forever get out of bed and try and
support my community.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Well, what I actually take from that is that if
you're being more selective, we should be looking at things
that you're doing now as of particular importance to you.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Yeah, I appreciate that, mate, and it's pretty it's nice
to you notice that, And thanks for asking, because I've
got to do a better job. I ask checking in
with my mates as well and things like that. But
you know, this year and the public eye. You see
people the public, they're killing it, they're happy, everything's great.
And last year I was struggling at the end and
again I had to check myself because I wasn't vulnerable.
I have to tell anybody because I was like, and
then I remember I talked to you about I'm pretty
sure we spoke about at the end of the year
(16:27):
and things that I was like, man, I'm just cool,
and I just felt so much better as soon as
I didn't want to pooh pooh the award and the opportunity,
so I tried it and then I was like, no,
I'm just going to say honestly, and I'm I felt
better soon as I did. And yeah, I was very
grateful to be straining the year, but also grateful to
passing on the next person who deserves their opportunity.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Well, we're grateful for you, We're grateful for Shift twenty
Thanks so much for joining us on the pod.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
Thanks so much, mate, And yeah, anybody wants to get
in touch and get involved, you hit a sub at
the Shift twenty dot or the Dealing or Gone Foundation.
Everyone is welcome, including you.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Thanks for joining us today on the Daily Oz. If
you enjoyed this episode, I know I did, why not
share it with a friend. Recommendations from you are one
of the best ways that you can support us and
help us grow. We'll be back again tomorrow, but until then,
have a fabulous Thursday.
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