At the NFSA, Loader will lead a team of curators in the ongoing development of the national audiovisual collection. Based in the NFSA’s Sydney office, she will direct the NFSA’s collecting activities and advance the institution’s strategy for collection interpretation, programming and research. She will join the NFSA Executive and report to its CEO Patrick McIntyre.
Loader’s extensive broadcasting experience includes more than a decade at the ABC, where she worked in roles encompassing editorial leadership and content strategy, and talent management and development. Her most recent role was Head of Music & Young Audiences in which she oversaw digital, radio, podcast and TV content across networks including triple j, Double J, rage, ABC Classic, ABC Country, and ABC Jazz. She developed the ABC’s first On-Air Talent Strategy and launched its Digital Talent Fund. Loader was also the founding Station Director of independent youth broadcaster FBI Radio when the network launched in 2003.
Australia’s audiovisual archive includes podcasts, virtual reality, web and social content alongside recorded music, television, cinema, news and current affairs, home movies, sporting, scientific and artistic recordings across a range of formats, and physical artefacts such as costumes, posters and ephemera. Items in the collection date from the 1890s to materials created last week.
‘Replacing outgoing Chief Curator Gayle Lake, who retires in June, was always going to be a tall order. We couldn’t be more delighted that Meagan has chosen to join the NFSA team,’ said Patrick McIntyre. ‘Her extensive career in executive leadership, program direction and content creation in cross-platform audiovisual environments makes her exceptionally suited to the role. I’m really excited to work with Meagan as the institution continues to adapt to the ever-evolving changes in audiovisual production and consumption driven by digital innovation, while maintaining our long-established strengths in analogue and physical preservation.’
‘Joining the talented, passionate team of curators, hunters and collectors at the NFSA is such a privilege. Contributing to the world-leading work being done to preserve, digitise and make accessible the stories, ideas and always evolving expressions of Australian identity is a great honour and I can’t wait to get in there,’ said Meagan Loader. ‘The NFSA is a truly dynamic cultural leader, and the opportunity to bring my passion for Australian audiences, community-building, culture, music, podcasts, radio, gaming, video, film and TV together in the role of Chief Curator is beyond exciting.’
Loader will start at the NFSA on May 14.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE OF AUSTRALIA
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is the national audiovisual cultural institution. From the earliest recordings of the 1890s to the latest games and immersive digital productions, the collection comprises video and audio recordings, and contextual materials such as costumes, scripts, props, photographs and promotional materials. It ranges from items inducted into the UNESCO Memory of the World register to sporting matches, game shows and advertising jingles. Originally known as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library and operating under the auspices of the Commonwealth National Library, the collection dates back to 1935, making it one of the first audiovisual archives in the world. The NFSA became an independent cultural organisation in 1984. As well as preserving these items for future generations, NFSA curators continue to add to the collection, ensuring it provides an unbroken record of life in Australia, and of Australian creativity.
