Local band Wake in Fright was presented with $20,000 in startup funds from the Helpmann Academy which will support the publicity campaign for an upcoming album.

Wake In Fight is the recipient of the Helpmann Academy’s 2024 Creative Innovator Program award, announced last night.

The program – in its fourth year – provides a group of young creatives with support to turn their ideas for a creative enterprise into reality.

But the major prize is $20,000 in startup funds, which went to art-folk band Wake In Fright.

The band will use the money to undertake an Australian and international publicity campaign to support the release of a forthcoming album called ‘The Modern Shoe Is Ruining the Foot’.

Wake In Fright says the album seeks to examine the complexities and contradictions of modern life through the sonic lens of folk music.

The band comprises Allan McBean on upright bass, Jachin Mee on drums and backing vocals, Luke Kilgariff-Johnson on electric guitar and banjo, Sam Wilson on vocals and guitar, and Thea Martin on violin.

Sam, Jachin and Thea took part in the program after graduating from the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

Sam says the mentoring opportunities afforded to the band while completing the Creative Innovator Program were “truly invaluable”.

“The most crucial thing about the Creative Innovator Program was that we had so much time to devote to thinking about our practice and how to make it viable,” Sam says.

“The mentoring element of this program is truly invaluable. To work with someone in the industry and get funding and time to understand how they could help us was amazing.”

Jachin says learning about the business side of the music industry was beneficial for the group.

“I think, as a creative, it can be very scary to learn about business, but once we got into the program, the benefits become immediately apparent.

“Sometimes you have to eat your vegetables when it comes to the creative practice.”

Wake in Fright was selected by an expert panel consisting of Jason Dunstone (Square Holes), Paul Daly (ThincLab), Peter Stevens (University of South Australia) and Verity Kingsmill (Flinders University) after participants presented their business idea in a shark tank-style pitch event.

Partner institutions also handed several participants with tailored awards.

ThincLab awarded theatre collective Rotpunkt a six-month incubator placement, while Flinders University offered two incubator spaces to art practitioner Riley Fraser-Waters and theatre group Clarice would like a word.

The Innovation & Collaboration Centre at the University of South Australia awarded videographer Aiden Van Nielen a six-month placement in the Venture Catalyst Incubator Program, while Immersive Light and Art presented motion capture performance training business Shifting Shaped Collective with office space and $10,000 in cash.

Andrew Leunig of Leunig Advisory will provide one-on-one coaching services to Sam Matthewman from Artful Installations, while State Theatre Company will support theatre company director Katherine Sortini with ongoing mentoring and access to production and artistic staff for consultation.

Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said the state government would continue to support the Helpmann Academy Creative Innovator Program into 2025.

“I’ve got the Arts hat on, but I’ve also got the Small and Family Business hat on, and to be able to see those portfolios combined to give creatives an opportunity to really set themselves up after uni life, to have a serious career I think is so important,” Michaels says.