Secret Creative Life

Adam Rainford
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  • Arts
  • Biweekly

Secret Creative Life is a podcast about the lives behind the work. Hosted by award-winning screen editor and writer Adam Rainford, each episode is an in-depth conversation with people working across live-action film, animation, writing, illustration, design, photography, music, games and the arts. We talk about careers, process, doubt, breakthroughs, the people who shape us and the quiet persistence behind making things. Because pursuing a life in the arts can sometimes be a lonely experience, these conversations are about sharing what that creative life really looks like.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Josh Hogan: The Story Behind The Music

    What does it take to build a creative life around music, and how do you keep that creativity alive when it becomes your profession? In this episode of Secret Creative Life, Adam Rainford talks with Australian screen composer, musician and sound designer Josh Hogan, one half of Fremantle-based music and sound studio Envelope Audio, alongside Ned Beckley. Since recording this conversation, Josh and Ned have won four awards at the 2026 Screen Music Awards, presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), for their work on the acclaimed ABC animated series Tales from Outer Suburbia, adapted from Shaun Tan's book. Their wins include Best Music for Children's Programming, Best Opening Title Television Theme and Best Soundtrack Album, along with Best Original Song Composed for the Screen, shared with Josh's sister, Joni Hogan, for Nothing Stays the Same. From his early training as a classical percussionist to composing music for film, television and animation, Josh reflects on the experiences that shaped his creative career, including his time at Fabrica in Italy. Adam and Josh explore the relationship between music and storytelling, the importance of trust between composers and filmmakers, and the challenges of maintaining your own creative voice while working professionally. They also discuss creative ambition, the pressure to finish what you start, and why the music we make for ourselves can sometimes be the hardest to complete. An engaging conversation about finding your sound, building a career in screen music and remembering why you wanted to create in the first place. Discover the story behind the music with Josh Hogan on Secret Creative Life.

    Josh Hogan: The Story Behind The Music

  2. Oct 28

    Tess Meyer: What Does It Take To Get An Idea Made?

    What Does It Take to Get an Idea Made? | Tess Meyer What does it really take to turn an idea into something that makes it onto the screen? In this episode of Secret Creative Life, Adam Rainford sits down with screenwriter Tess Meyer, whose career spans creative development, children's animation and horror. From working on projects including 100% Wolf and Maya the Bee to helping bring the Australian horror-thriller Skinford to life, Tess knows the challenges of getting stories made. We explore her journey into screenwriting, the complexities of adapting existing intellectual property (IP), and the realities of developing and pitching original ideas. Tess shares her experiences of working collaboratively, navigating creative feedback and discovering how a story can evolve through production. We also discuss the challenges facing Australian screenwriters, why chasing industry trends isn't always the answer, and the importance of finding people who believe in your ideas. And, of course, we discover Tess's own secret creative life, including a creative pursuit she keeps almost entirely to herself. Secret Creative Life explores the careers, creative processes and personal passions of the people who make things.

    Tess Meyer: What Does It Take To Get An Idea Made?

  3. Oct 14

    Tim Probert: What If You Created What You Wanted?

    What If You Created What You Wanted? | Tim Probert What happens when you stop trying to create what you think others want and start trusting your own creative instincts? Tim Probert is an illustrator, animator and graphic novelist, best known as the creator of Lightfall, the acclaimed fantasy graphic novel series. But building a creative career wasn't something Tim always believed was possible. From struggling to find work in New York to finding his voice as an artist, his journey has been shaped by rejection, self-doubt, persistence and a willingness to start again. In this episode of Secret Creative Life, Tim joins Adam Rainford to discuss his journey through illustration and animation, how Lightfall began as an animated project before finding its home as a graphic novel series, and what it takes to create something that feels genuinely your own. We explore the challenges of making a living as a creative, the importance of trusting your instincts, overcoming creative expectations, and the surprising ways a story can find its audience. A conversation about creativity, storytelling, finding your own voice, and building a career you once thought was impossible.

    Tim Probert: What If You Created What You Wanted?

  4. Sep 28

    Nick Bolton: How To Earn Psychic Income

    Nick Bolton is an actor, writer, director and producer whose creative career has rarely followed a straight line. In this episode of Secret Creative Life, Nick talks about wishing he’d had the confidence to go freelance earlier, building Ten Alphas with his wife Jess, and balancing the work that pays the bills with the creative work that matters. We talk about the months of rejection before his short film Mate won the International Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand and was later longlisted for an Academy Award, the challenge of breaking into feature films, mentorship, putting your work out into the world, and why you only get better by doing. Nick also introduces us to the idea of “psychic income” — the rewards of a creative life that have nothing to do with money. And as Chair of Screen Illawarra, we talk about building a screen career outside Sydney and what the future could hold for filmmaking in the Illawarra. LinksTen AlphasScreen Illawarra

    Nick Bolton: How To Earn Psychic Income

  5. Sep 15

    Favel Parrett: My Super Power Is Day Dreaming

    Favel Parrett is the award-winning Australian author of Past the Shallows, When the Night Comes, There Was Still Love, Wandi and Kimmi. In this episode, Favel talks about daydreaming as her creative superpower, becoming a writer, dealing with rejection, drafting again and again, and learning to trust a creative process that doesn’t always make sense while you’re inside it. We talk about the extraordinary journey of Past the Shallows, the role sensitivity plays in Favel’s work, writing scenes out of order, finding stories through memory, and the realities of building and sustaining a life as a writer. Favel also shares the simple question from her brother that helped change the direction of her career: “Somebody gets published, like, why not you?” We also hear about her new novel, One for Sorrow, coming in November through Hachette Australia — and discover the slightly unexpected creative pursuit Favel keeps just for herself. Secret Creative Life is a podcast about the lives behind the work. Mentioned in this episode: Men Without Women (1927) — Ernest Hemingway #FavelParrett #PastTheShallows #SecretCreativeLife #AustralianAuthor #AustralianLiterature #WritingProcess #CreativeProcess #OneForSorrow

    Favel Parrett: My Super Power Is Day Dreaming

  6. Sep 4

    Kelly Baigent: You Can’t Hold Back the Tide

    Kelly Baigent has spent more than three decades working across animation and live-action filmmaking, with a career that has taken him from Walt Disney and Anastasia to Animal Logic, The Lego Batman Movie and the Peter Rabbit films. In this episode, Kelly talks about the people who shaped him, learning to deal with criticism, adapting as the industry changes, and what happened when he found himself directing on a live-action film set for the first time. We also talk about collaboration, Tales from Outer Suburbia, the value of the creative process itself, and the creative passion Kelly has quietly maintained outside his professional work. If you love animation, filmmaking, or simply hearing about the life behind the creative process, this is an in-depth conversation about more than 30 years spent making things — and what keeps a creative person making them.

    Kelly Baigent: You Can’t Hold Back the Tide
  • 6 Episodes

About

Secret Creative Life is a podcast about the lives behind the work. Hosted by award-winning screen editor and writer Adam Rainford, each episode is an in-depth conversation with people working across live-action film, animation, writing, illustration, design, photography, music, games and the arts. We talk about careers, process, doubt, breakthroughs, the people who shape us and the quiet persistence behind making things. Because pursuing a life in the arts can sometimes be a lonely experience, these conversations are about sharing what that creative life really looks like.

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Rainford
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Adam Rainford
  • Show Website
    Secret Creative Life

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