Wayne Denning facts for kids
Wayne Denning is an amazing Indigenous Australian businessman. He is from the Birri Gubba community and is the boss of a company called Carbon Creative. This company helps share the stories and culture of Australia's First Nations people.
About Wayne
Wayne Denning grew up in a place called Blackwater in Queensland, Australia. This is where his family, the Birri Gubba First Nations community, lives. His sister, Tanya Denning-Orman, is also very important in media. She helps lead Indigenous content at SBS Australia and manages NITV.
His Education
Wayne studied at university to learn many things. In 1992, he earned a degree called a Bachelor of Arts from Central Queensland University. He focused on how people live in groups (sociology), how our minds work (psychology), and how places affect people (political geography). Later, in 2006, he got an advanced business degree called an MBA from Queensland University of Technology.
What He Does
Wayne Denning started his own company, Carbon Media, in 2006. It was later renamed Carbon Creative. He wanted to create a business that would show off the amazing arts and culture of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His goal was to help more people see positive stories about First Nations people in the media. Even though it's a business, Wayne wanted it to have a special purpose: to give back to the First Nations community. This is called "social entrepreneurship".
Wayne also helped launch NITV in 2007, which is a TV channel for Indigenous Australians. He worked on this project with his sister, Tanya.
In 2017, Wayne started a cool program called STEM.I.Am. This program works with Geek Girl Academy to encourage Indigenous children to get involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Wayne has received some important awards for his work. In 2017, he won the Indigenous Digital Excellence Award for Learnings and Education. Queensland University of Technology also gave him an award for his great achievements and contributions to Indigenous communities.
He was also part of the "Game Changers" series at the State Library of Queensland in 2017, where he shared his story. In 2018, he was featured in an exhibition called "Magnificent Makers" at the same library.
From 2011 to 2021, Wayne was the Deputy Chair on the Board of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. This place keeps Australia's movies and sounds safe.
In 2021, a newspaper called The Australian named him one of Australia's top 100 innovators. This shows how much he has helped create new and exciting things!
