by FIlmInk Staff
The NSW Government’s trailblazing Createability program has selected 16 talented interns to embark on paid internship roles with 14 arts, screen and music industry organisations – the largest cohort of interns and host organisations the program has ever seen.
The Createability Internship Program opens doors for creative practitioners with disability or who are d/Deaf into the creative industries, achieving career-enhancing results.
In 2026, the initiative has been expanded with increased investment, longer internships, more opportunities, and broader geographic reach. Six interns have been matched with leading arts and cultural organisations, five with screen industry organisations and five interns have been matched with new music industry hosts.
More than half of the 14 host organisations are new to the program, including six located in either regional NSW or Western Sydney. For the first time, interns will be placed with Yours & Owls Events in Wollongong, Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Western Sydney organisations CuriousWorks, PYT Fairfield, Campbelltown Arts Centre and WestWords, as well as Mushroom Group and national broadcaster triple j.
Increased investment in 2026 has enabled four interns to be placed in 8-week internships, in addition to 12 four-week equivalent roles.
Interns will gain experience through hands-on roles and build the networks and skills they need to pursue long-term professional careers. Meanwhile, host organisations benefit from increased workforce capacity and insight around the small workplace adjustments that make a big difference in accessibility.
Each role is designed to accommodate flexibility and individually tailored adjustments to enable interns to develop valuable skills and make a meaningful contribution to each organisation.
This long-running initiative has delivered profound outcomes for the NSW creative industries. Many alumni interns have realised significant career outcomes, while host organisations gained new perspectives around employing creative practitioners with disability. Research by Create NSW conducted from 2022 to 2024 revealed almost two thirds of interns found work in the industry as a direct result of the internship.
The 2026 intake received the strongest response from organisations and the highest number of intern applications to date. This high demand reveals the significant untapped potential in NSW of talented and motivated practitioners with disability or who are d/Deaf.
The 2026 Createability Internship Program is delivered with a co-funded investment of $150,000 from Create NSW, Screen NSW and Sound NSW, in partnership with disability advocacy organisation Accessible Arts NSW.
“Create NSW is proud to be a part of the transformative Createability program, now in its fifth year. The initiative demonstrates the simple ways organisations can remove invisible workplace barriers for artists with disability or who are d/Deaf.
“Our goal is to increase access, inclusion and representation for creatives with disability, especially in Western Sydney and regional NSW. We’re excited to welcome the largest ever number of organisations and interns for this year’s program and see the significant expansion with more opportunities, wider geographic reach, and longer internships.”
Screen NSW Executive Director, Kylie Munnich, said: “Createability continues to deliver real and significant outcomes for participants, many of whom have gone on to work in the screen industry, and it’s great to see the program welcome its largest cohort in 2026, including five screen interns. For the local screen industry to thrive, it needs to be genuinely inclusive and ensure participation and access are possible for all screen practitioners, which is why Screen NSW is thrilled to support Createability for another year.”
Emily Collins, Head of Sound NSW said: “Music thrives when we open the doors wider so more people can step into the industry and be supported to succeed. Createability is creating paid, hands-on pathways for interns who are d/Deaf or have disability, and we’re thrilled to partner with music hosts like Mushroom Group, triple j and Yours & Owls Events.
These placements don’t just support emerging talent, they strengthen the music industry by building a bigger pipeline of skilled workers and helping organisations make practical changes that remove barriers, making our industry better for everyone.”
Liz Martin, Accessible Arts CEO said: “Accessible Arts is proud to partner with Create NSW, Screen NSW and Sound NSW to deliver the biggest Createability program yet. I congratulate these 16 impressive interns, who are a testament to the depth of talent among NSW’s creative practitioners with disability. It’s wonderful to welcome so many new arts, screen and music industry host organisations to be our latest champions for access and inclusion in the creative industries.”
Campbelltown Arts Centre Director, Mouna Zaylah said: “Campbelltown Arts Centre is proud to be a Createability host in 2026. We are very excited to welcome Cassandra to the team and are committed to providing a rich, industry-focused experience that showcases the diverse pathways shaping today’s creative sector.”
ABC Director Screen, Jennifer Collins said: “Congratulations to all four interns joining the ABC, and a warm welcome to Greyson and Kelly, who will be part of the ABC Screen division in our Children’s and Family and Documentary and Specialist teams. The Createability Internship Program offers emerging creatives meaningful, hands-on opportunities to build their careers, and we hope they both enjoy their time with us and gain some valuable experience.”
Head of triple j and Double J, Lachlan Macara said: “triple j is proud to link up with Sound NSW as part of this year’s Createability Internship program. The initiative offers first-hand experience across some of triple j’s biggest moments, and I’m excited to see our interns kick off their careers in music and media, while contributing to some iconic events.”
The 2026 Createability Host Organisations and Interns are:
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) – Children’s and Family – Intern: Greyson Kennedy for a 4-week internship
• ABC – Compass – Intern: Kelly Leong for a 4-week internship
• Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre – Intern: Denley Hulands for a 4-week internship
• Bus Stop Films Ltd – Intern: Natasha Reynolds for an 8-week internship
• Campbelltown Arts Centre – Intern: Cassandra Li for an 8-week internship
• CuriousWorks – Intern: William Le for a 4-week internship
• Endemol Shine Australia Pty Ltd, a Banijay Entertainment company – Intern: Nicole Scharf for a 4-week internship
• Erth Visual & Physical Theatre Inc – Intern: Adrian Buntin for 4-week internship
• Mushroom Group Pty Ltd – Intern: Lucius Brand for a 4-week internship
• PYT Fairfield – Intern: Thomas North for a 4-week internship
• Special Broadcasting Service (SBS)- Intern: Sevgi Murphy for an 8-week internship
• triple j – Interns: Byron Smith and Eleanor Violet, both for 4-week internships
• WestWords Ltd – Intern: Alya Egoz for an 8-week internship
• Yours & Owls Events Pty Ltd – Interns: Tara Duncan and name withheld, each for 4 weeks
About the Createability Internship Program
The Createability Internship Program is delivered by Create NSW, Sound NSW and Screen NSW, in partnership with Accessible Arts.
Paid professional development internships in hands-on roles give creative practitioners with disability or who are d/Deaf experience with leading arts, screen, music and creative industries organisations.
Successful interns with suitable skills, interests and experience are carefully matched to each role to ensure the opportunity is valuable for interns and host organisations alike.
All interns and organisations will receive support and training from Accessible Arts to ensure they get the most out of the program to remove any barriers to access and inclusion in the workplace.
To date, the program has resulted in many long-term positive outcomes, including ongoing employment. Following the 2024 program intern feedback survey, all respondents agreed that Createability had a positive impact on their career and two-thirds reported finding further work as a direct result of the internship.
Image: Createability 2026 Screen interns and hosts with Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich
