After decades of dedicated service to the Australian screen and education industries, long-serving staff member Steve (Stephen) Murphy has announced his retirement from AFTRS.
Steve has been an integral and valued part of the AFTRS community for many years – first as a student and then as a member of staff. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at AFTRS, Steve embarked on a long and successful career spanning commercials, telemovies, mini-series and feature films, followed by a 16-year tenure at Dolby Laboratories as a sound consultant. He also served as President of the Australian Screen Sound Guild for eight years, cementing his influence and leadership within the industry.
Throughout his career, Steve maintained strong connections with fellow graduates and industry peers, creating opportunities to bring his networks back to AFTRS to support students and foster the alumni cycle.
Steve’s passion for sound has always been matched by his commitment to education. From 1988 to 1995, he served as Head of Sound at AFTRS, delivering standout initiatives such as a one-week training workshop in sound recording and engineering at CAAMA in December 1991. His teaching journey continued at TAFE NSW, as Head of Teaching and Post-Production at International Film School Sydney, and Head of Film and Animation at International Screen Academy, before returning to AFTRS in 2016 as Head of Sound, later becoming Discipline Lead, Sound.
Steve also stepped up to several acting leadership roles during his time at AFTRS, most recently as Acting Director, Teaching and Learning, where CEO Dr Nell Greenwood said he demonstrated calm dedication and a deep commitment to student experience.
“As everyone who has taught alongside Steve knows, he is a thoughtful and skilled educator who has been exceptionally generous in sharing his ideas, curiosity and reflections with his students and colleagues,” Nell said.
“As a deep-thinking leader, a generous and committed collaborator, and an inspiring educator, Steve’s impact is profound, and he will be missed.”
Steve’s fascination with creative technologies began early – sparked by winning a small reel-to-reel tape recorder in a competition – and that curiosity has remained a hallmark of his career. In 2016, Steve was sound supervisor on Precipice, an AFTRS innovation project using binaural recording technology, presented at Vivid Sydney 2017. He has been a passionate advocate for creative practice pedagogies and research, supporting numerous Master’s students to embrace reflective curiosity in their professional lives.
Reflecting on his career, Steve said: “It’s one of the happiest accidents of my life that AFTRS has bookended my career – from the learning that kicked off my industry journey to being able to give something back over these past few years.”
