Ms Jessie Hughes 

Master in Screenwriting

Film & Television

London Film Academy

United Kingdon

Fine Art and Music

Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Director, Creative, Emerging Technology, Innovation, Social Impact, Design Strategy, Virtual Reality, Visual Art, XR, Design, Storytelling

Jessie Hughes is an internationally-recognised Australian new media artist and creative technologist, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Tate Gallery of London, and Marche Du Film Festival De Cannes. Hughes holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interactive and Visual Design, having completed her studies at Brisbane’s Queensland University of Technology, Australia; San Diego State University, USA; Royal College of Art, UK; and Sonoda Women’s University, Japan. Jessie has developed innovative media works all over the world for the likes of Oculus, Adobe, and many international non-for-profits, to inspire and drive social change. In 2016, Hughes was named one of Australia’s Future Changers by the Foundation for Young Australians for her commitment to using digital innovation for positive social impact. She has presented on panels including Australian Centre for Moving Image Conversations, Australian Virtual Reality Film Festival, Girls for Change Leadership Summit, State Library Summer Festival, Network Ten’s Children’s TV shows, and has been featured in over 70+ media articles in radio, newspaper and TV, discussing emerging mediums. In late 2016, Jessie was invited to Facebook Headquarters by Oculus, to direct and lead the creation of a multinational virtual reality project, with her piece since having toured eminent film festivals and has been used to inform and inspire political delegates. In 2017, Hughes was supported by the Foundation for Young Australians Young Social Pioneers program to further developed her social enterprise in VR creation, specifically in the field of VR for social impact and education. In 2018, Jessie was selected to represent Australia at the United Nation’s Sustainable Developmental Goals Innovation Lab, Unleash, bringing together 1,000 innovators from 130 different countries to build lasting solutions to The Global Goals. Hughes’ solution won Gold in Singapore and was named the winning solution for SDG4 ‘Quality Education’. Hughes was also awarded the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artist Fellowship that year. In 2019, Hughes was awarded the nationally-competitive Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to investigate best practices for VR storytelling as a tool for social impact. Jessie is currently interviewing leaders at the forefront of emerging media and technology for social good, with her findings to be shared with the not-for-profit community to further advance understanding in the space of using XR for good. This year, Hughes also co-founded a ‘virality’ data-analytics product, currently under construction with intent to make waves in the music industry using patterns in digital meme culture. In addition to her work in the tech sphere, Jessie has worked in the not-for-profit sector for the past five years, driving fundraising efforts for both national and international nonprofits. Committed to education and knowledge-sharing, she regularly shares her learnings with students of ranging backgrounds, and is a loud advocate for using technology creatively for social change. Professionally, Jessie works as a Design Strategist, Interaction Designer and Creative Technology Consultant, playing at the cross-intersection of design, technology, art, research and strategy for social innovation.

http://jessiehughes.com.au

Fennel, M. (2019). Download this Show: Marc Fennell. ABC Podcast: Short Version Fennell, M. (2019). Download this Show: Marc Fennell. ABC Podcast. Feeney, K. (2019). ABC Radio 612: Jessie Hughes. ABC Radio. scimex. (2019). Churchill Fellow goes global to explore VR as tool for social good. scimex. Weaver, A. (2019). Churchill Fellow goes global to explore VR as tool for social good. QUT Media. Hughes, J. (2018). Applying for grants: Advice from an established artist. QUT NoWalls. Churchill Trust. (2018). Announcing the 2018 Churchill Fellowship Recipients. Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Ellsmoor, J. (2018). Business And Youth Unite To Unleash The Sustainable Development Goals. Forbes. QUT. (2018). Innovation for Social Good. QUT. Hughes, J. (2018). In a Valley of Silicon and AI, don’t forget people are human No Walls, QUT. Williams, W. (2017). One to Watch: Jessie Hughes. Probono Australia. Birkby, A. (2017). Reflections from the 2017 Future Founders Mission to Silicon Valley. Startup Catalyst. Courier Mail. (2017). Young Australian tech entrepreneurs kick off a 10-day tour to soak up wisdom of Silicon Valley. SCOPE. (2017). Season 4, Episode 24. Air Date: Sat 11 Nov 2017. Channel Ten. QUT. (2017). Change by Design: Grad Jessie Hughes. QUT. McPherson, S. 2017 Young Social Pioneers program accelerates 60 ideas for change. Foundation for Young Australians. FYA. A Complete List Of The 2017 Young Social Pioneers Participants. Foundation for Young Australians. Dillon, J. (2017). The Audience Enwrapped: Prototyping 360 Video as an Immersive Story Form. The Writing Platform. Smith, L. (2017). Jessie Hughes Founder of SignVR. Education Review Radio. Smith, L. (2017). Auslan gets a virtual reality check. Education Review. Byron Bay. (2017). Australian VR Talent Shines at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. QUT. (2017, July). Filmmaker shining global bright light. QUT Links Alumni Magazine, 2017 Issue 1. Sturrock, L. (2017). Orang-utan Enrichment Competition Winner. The Great Projects. EARTHxFilm. (2017). EARTHxFilm presented by Earth Day Texas Announces Full Schedule for Festival Debut. Australian Cinematographer. (2017, March). Australian Filmmaker Jessie Hughes. Australian Cinematographer Magazine, Issue 73. Skoll. (2017). 2017 Skoll World Forum: Oculus VR for Good. SXSW. (2017). SXSW Schedule: Amor de Abuela. Roberts, J. (2017). SXSW Film Festival Reveals Midnighters, Shorts, and Inaugural VR Program. SXSW. Oculus. (2017). Eight Oculus VR for Good Films Selected by SXSW Film Festival. ReelFX. (2017). Oculus VR for Good Premiere. ReelFX. Cohen, S. (2017). GBL uses virtual reality to show how solar changes lives. Global BrightLight. Oculus. (2017). VR for Good at Sundace. VR of Good. Weaver, A. (2016). Spotlight on Jessie Hughes during Sundance Film Festival. QUT CI. Howells, S. (2016). Radio Audio : Bringing Light with Virtual Reality. ABC 612 Radio. Lyons, G. (2016). Bringing Light with Virtual Reality. ABC 612 Radio. 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(Reporters). RTVC. (2016, February 5). Beunos Dias, Canarias [Television broadcast]. Canary Islands, Spain: Radio Television Canarias Broadcasting Service. Marcet, J. (Reporter). RTVE. (2016, February 5).Telecanarias [Television broadcast]. Canary Islands,Spain: Radio Television Espanola Spanish Public Radio and Television Broadcasting Service. Espino, V. (Reporter). Antena 3. (2016, January 11). Antena 3 Noticias Canarias [Television broadcast]. Canary Islands, Spain: Spanish Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Service. Sanchez, J. (Reporter). RTVC. (2016, January 11).Beunos Dias, Canarias [Television broadcast]. Canary Islands, Spain: Radio Television Canarias Broadcasting Service. Marcet, J. (Reporter). RTVE. (2016, January 11). Telecanarias [Television broadcast]. Canary Islands, Spain: Radio Television Espanola Spanish Public Radio and Television Broadcasting Service. Mendina, E. (2016). “Mi experiencia artística en El Roque de Los Muchachos es alucinante” (“My artistic experience in El Roque de los Muchachos was amazing”). Technarte. (2016). The conference ‘ Technarte Talk’ will be held at ‘La Casa Principal de Salazar’ in Santa Cruz de La Palma. El Time. (2016). ‘El Sol y el hombre’: arte, tecnológía y ciencia bajo el cielo de La Palma (‘The sun and man’: art, technology and science under the sky of La Palma). Medina, E. (2016). “Quiero captar el espíritu del Sol desde El Roque y plasmarlo en mi obra” (“I want to capture the spirit of the sun from Roque and translate it into my work “). Elapuron. (2016). Jessie Hughes estará un mes en el Roque para crear una obra de arte inspirada en el Sol (Jessie Hughes is a month in Roque to create a work of art inspired by the Sun). La Palma Ahora. (2016). La australiana Jessie Hughes gana la beca de residencia en El Roque para crear una obra que fusione arte y tecnología (Australian Jessie Hughes wins scholarship residence in the Roque to create a work that merges art and technology). La Revista de La Palma. (2016). La artista Jessie Hughes será la beneficiaria de la beca START TECHNARTE LA PALMA (The artist Jessie Hughes will be the beneficiary of the grant START TECHNARTE LA PALMA). Technarte. (2016). Jessie Hughes, beneficiary of the artist residence TECHNARTE START LA PALMA. Colossal Media. (2015). #MADETHIS WITH ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD: Adobe Case Study. Seeney, B. (2015, November 8). Loud and Proud – This Brisbane artist bravely used provocation as a tool to break into the New York art scene. Sunday Mail. U on Sunday. Page, 5. Adobe Students. (2015, October 28). Adobe x Colosaal: The World’s Biggest Student Art Show [Video file]. Adobe Students. (2015). Colossal. Study Brisbane. (2015). QUT student’s work takes New York. Weaver, A. (2015). QUT design star represents Australia in Adobe’s World’s Biggest Student Art Show. Darlington, L. (2013). Interview with Artist: Jessie Hughes. Taronga Media Centre. (2013). Wild! Rhino auction delivers great result for conversation.