Jessie Hughes

Jessie Hughes is an internationally-recognised Australian new media artist, technologist and screenwriter, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Cannes and the Tate Modern. Hughes has been named one of Australia’s Future Changers for her commitment to using digital innovation for positive social impact, and was awarded the title of a Sir John Monash Scholar to support her Masters in Screenwriting. Hughes has designed and implemented solutions for tech-giants such as Oculus, Facebook, and Adobe, and has been featured in over 100+ media articles across radio, newspaper and TV. She is an American Australian Association Arts Scholar, Winston Churchill Fellow, Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artist Fellow and a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Innovation Ambassador. Professionally, Jessie works as a Creative Technologist for Josephmark, toying at the intersection of design, technology, art, research and strategy for social innovation. Identified as one of Australia's emerging screenwriters of 2021, Hughes was mentored under Ron Howard's Impact Australia accelerator to advance her adult-animated comedy TV series Head Above Water. She has received ongoing support from Screen Queensland and Arts Queensland to bring her series to screen, and has recently attached an awarded Brisbane studio as her production partners. Hughes’ whip-smart, provocative, millennial perspective sparks humour with chaos, and her distinctive edgy voice places her among the fresh voices of 2022. Hughes will be presenting at SXSW in 2022, educating industry on the Future of Story, and how the intersection of technology and entertainment are inviting new storytelling opportunities, supported by the Regional Arts and Development Fund (RADF) a partnership between the Queensland Government and Sunshine Coast Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.