When Sarah Price launched her casting business, Castaway NT, in Darwin in 2018, she faced a challenge: how to make it financially sustainable in a small, remote market.
“I was really struggling to create a financially sustainable business model out of it. And it was almost like it was a riddle that had to be solved,” Sarah recalls. “I didn’t quite know how to find those answers.”
That search led Sarah to AFTRS and the Master of Arts Screen: Business (MASB): “I discovered an ad online for the master’s course … I looked at the curriculum, put in an expression of interest, applied, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Sarah began the course in 2021 while running Castaway NT – the flexibility of the program made it possible.
“One of the things that drew me to the course was the degree of flexibility … it was delivered both online and on campus. Coming from Darwin, it meant that I didn’t have to be here all the time, but I also had that flexibility to attend and be on campus if I wanted to.”
Sarah said the online classes were delivered in an engaging way and she never felt disadvantaged by distance.
“Essentially it’s a group Zoom call, but it’s still highly interactive … there’s usually a mix of lectures, tutorials and workshops, lots of group discussions, and it’s actually a lot of fun.”
Sarah decided to start her business to fill the void of casting directors in the NT, hoping it was a service that was actually needed. She said she used her capstone project to help her solve the riddle of how to make her business work.
“While I didn’t get a nice answer wrapped in a shiny box, I did very much learn the tools, the resources, and ultimately the confidence to figure out how to bring that forward,” she said.
“I did my capstone on the whole reason why I decided to do the course. From that research, I discovered that my business was a really vital part of the sector … the answer was a resounding yes, that you are valued and needed and necessary up here.”
Since completing the MASB, Sarah has seen Castaway NT thrive alongside the Northern Territory’s booming screen sector.
“When I started Castaway in 2018, the Northern Territory screen industry was really just a fledgling, almost a cottage industry. In the subsequent six years, it’s grown 386 per cent,” she said.
“Reflecting back, I’ve seen that Castaway has played a really valuable role in actually contributing to that growth. And yeah, that journey through this course actually made me realise that there is scope for a business such as mine and there is scope for me to be in this industry and I can contribute in a really meaningful way. And since I’ve done the course that’s been validated again and again and again.
“It’s now a highly desirable destination for productions to shoot up here, which makes it a really exciting time to be in the Northern Territory and to be working in the sector.”
Sarah’s work has also been recognised nationally, receiving a Casting Guild of Australia Award for Best Casting in a TVC – Community (2024) and Best Casting in a Short Film (2025). And she was recognised as a Rising Talent by Inside Film Magazine in 2025.
In 2025 Sarah also launched a new business, inspired by her MASB capstone. Co-founded with Larrakia filmmaker Cian Mccue, Damulgurra Stories is a practice architecture for telling First Nations stories authentically and centring First Nations leadership.
“Damulgurra is the Larrakia word for heart,” Sarah said. “We work with producers holistically across development, production and legacy, providing training, resources and protocols focused on cultural integrity, collaboration and empowerment.”
Like many MASB graduates, Sarah says the people – fellow students, lecturers and guest industry lecturers – were the best part of the AFTRS course.
“When I first started the course, I felt a little bit like a fish out of water… but as we connected and supported each other, it was this constant touchpoint of validation that I really did belong here,” she said.
“It also afforded me connection to a really expansive network … that was something I would not have gotten had I just stayed in Darwin.”
Sarah recommends people considering the course, to “just do it”.
“It’s a transformative experience. If there’s something you’re trying to figure out, I would absolutely say do it – because you will get back so much.”
Master of Arts Screen: Business
Master of Arts Screen: Business (Mid-Year)
Designed for a new generation of screen leaders, AFTRS’ Master of Arts Screen: Business is Australia’s foremost creative screen business course.