Creative Industries student brings passion to festival Internship

Since his first year of uni, Richard Ayat has been part of our Opening Night celebrations, volunteering front-of-house to help welcome audiences through the doors.

Three years on, as part of his professional industry placement, Richard had the chance to join our team as an Event Management intern and he jumped at the chance. The role meant that he could work with us from September through to November in the lead-up to the festival, learning the ins and outs of festival coordination.

Richard is a third-year student studying a Bachelor of Communications & Creative Industries at Western Sydney University, majoring in Screen Media and Creative Writing.

“My internship with Made in the West was genuinely one of the highlights of my year,” said Richard.

“I got to work across communications, festival planning, front of house operations, audience briefs, VIP comms, blog writing, ticketing systems, and even the Summer Series pop-up screenings.”

Richard's experience on the front-of-house team was valuable from the start, informing his suggestions in team meetings and helping shape how we handled the audience flow at the festival.

“I wasn’t just observing, I was contributing to materials and shaping audience experience. That was incredibly rewarding,” he said.

Richard joined us during preparations for the September #WesternSydneyFilm Online Networking Event (WSF ONE). From there, he was immediately immersed in festival planning.

“It was exciting, intense, and honestly pretty special. WSFONE and Opening Night are big community-facing events, and working on them gave me a real sense of responsibility.”

He quickly discovered how much work sits behind a single screening.

“Seeing behind the scenes of how a Western Sydney festival actually functions — and how much work goes into making it look effortless on the night”

Richard’s interest in media comes from storytelling, but also from community.

“I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, whether it be on screen, in a book, musically or verbally. I love discussing ideas and theories, talking to people and about people, about cultures.”

His motivation is deeply connected to his involvement with Sudanese Youth Rising and the South Sudanese community.

“My main motive is my position in the South Sudanese community… helping youths navigate their lives is what fulfills my life, and I believe the best way I can do that is through storytelling.”

Throughout the placement he worked on front-of-house briefs, volunteer communications and audience guides, rewriting information so it was clear and easy to follow on event day. 

“I enjoyed the mix of creativity and logistics, drafting comms, preparing documents, coordinating volunteers, and helping make the festival run smoothly.”

The biggest lesson came from speed.

“One of the biggest challenges was balancing speed with precision. Festival comms need to be timely, accurate, and clear.”

“I learned how to take large amounts of information and turn them into clean, structured documents that are easy for volunteers, audiences, VIPs, and hosts to use.”

And of course, as the Opening Night of the festival approached, the pace accelerated.

“Handling Opening Night requires flexibility, confidence, and problem-solving on the spot. I definitely grew in terms of communication, teamwork, and staying calm under pressure.”

When the night finally arrived, months of preparation culminated in a few intensely fun hours.

“On the opening night, I felt the sense of rush, excitement, joy and growing pressure all in my heart. I was so happy to finally contribute to the festival after working for months to help organise and prepare for it.”

He supported front-of-house operations, moving throughout the cinema and assisting wherever needed.

“I loved how I was able to float around the cinema, checking in and helping any of the crew or guests in need.”

“It really exposed me to certain issues or developments that I wouldn’t have caught and fixed if I stood in one place.”

Opening Night finishes with the announcement of the festival's Jury Awards, but for Richard, seeing audiences respond to the films was the most memorable part.

“Seeing it all come together felt like watching a group project come alive on a huge scale. There’s nothing like seeing the crowd come in, watching the energy build, and knowing you helped make that happen.”

When the night ended, he finally had a moment to reflect.

“After the night ended, I was pleased with how the event ran. It made me feel complete how much investment I’ve put into networking, taking job opportunities, internships and work placements.”

We love hearing this result and we couldn't be prouder of Richard and all he has contributed to the festival over the years.

Made in the West internships are designed to give students genuine, hands-on experience. Participants in our programs don’t just watch the festival happen, we show them how to help deliver it.

You can read more about how Made in the West supports emerging creatives through placements in our article about building industry careers through internships.

Our ongoing partnership with Western Sydney University allows students to step into real-world production and event environments while still studying, building confidence, contacts and practical skills along the way.

For Richard, the experience changed how he sees his future.

“By far, Made in the West has been the best internship or job I’ve had… I would work with them again in the future.”

He hopes to stay within creative industries and community storytelling.

“My career goal is to work in media communications, screen production, or creative event coordination, ideally roles that let me work with local creatives, community storytelling, or cultural organisations.”

“I want to develop my skills in producing, writing, and digital content, and eventually I’d love to contribute to larger productions or festivals that platform diverse voices the same way Made in the West does.”

And, like many filmmakers, he already has ideas waiting.

“I have some cool ideas I want to turn into feature films… playing with my sci-fi, action and thriller themes with a classic crime tale. One day…”

Richard’s journey from volunteer to intern captures exactly what the festival is about — community, opportunity and local creatives growing into industry professionals.

We’re incredibly grateful for the work he contributed to the 2025 festival.

And we're excited to see where he goes next! We’ll certainly be cheering him on as he works toward his debut feature film.