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Byron Shire
July 15, 2026

Getting the creative and biz balance right

Latest News

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Cinema: Look who’s come down for dinner

Failed musician Joe arrives home from work to discover his stay-at-home wife Angela has invited their upstairs neighbours, divorcee Pína and her partner, widower Hawk, over for dinner at their apartment.

Sign up for Mullum’s Chinny Charge race

Ready to race up the mountain? That’s right, the Chinny Charge is open for registration for runners and walkers who want to take the once a year chance to race and stroll up the mountain.

Bringing the creative to business and vice-versa is the aim of the Compton School’s Graduate Certificate in Creative Business.

With stiff competition from around the country for the 12 funded positions in the course, four locals were thrilled to be offered places.

‘There were several rounds of pitching, and it is very much around how your business idea can be developed, supported and scaled’, said one of the successful local candidates and Byron Youth Theatre director, Lisa Apostolides.

The positions were on offer thanks to Aus Industry funding.

One course leader, Kylee Ingram, told The Echo, ‘Byron ended up being well represented. They are an amazing bunch of people in the course, and we are all looking forward to seeing their businesses flourish across the course of the year,’ she said.

The aim of the course is to give creative people the skills to further develop their business ideas successfully with the right balance between business and creativity.

Right blanace

‘Too much attention to business can swamp creativity, while too much focus on creativity can leave the business elements undeveloped or even bring a business undone’.

The course outline says, ‘What we’re going to be doing in this course is working on the balance; helping you to get it right’.

‘I am very excited to be taking part in Tenacity Labs with my professional partner, Di Robertson,’ says Louise Hodgson, who has also secured a spot on the course.

She told The Echo, ‘Between us, we have a wealth of production experience and a love of all screen stories. We are only too aware of the financial backing and professional support that filmmakers need to be able to bring their stories to our screens. We look forward to spending our time in Tenacity Labs interrogating ideas and considering innovative business models to support this region’s talented filmmakers. We want to help these creatives tell their stories without having to solely rely on the decreasing pots of money from oversubscribed arts funding bodies.’



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Tennis comp returns to Northern Rivers at Mullum and Bangalow

One of the Northern Rivers’ biggest tennis events is set to return later this month, with the 2026 Mullumbimby Community Open taking place on Saturday, 25 and Sunday, 26 July across Mullumbimby and Bangalow tennis clubs.

Cinema: Look who’s come down for dinner

Failed musician Joe arrives home from work to discover his stay-at-home wife Angela has invited their upstairs neighbours, divorcee Pína and her partner, widower Hawk, over for dinner at their apartment.

Art exhibition inspired by nature

Elemental: Conversations with Nature is an exhibition bringing together a group of local artists who present their work for community enjoyment in one of the Shire’s many local halls – Coorabell Hall.

Tonight’s The Night – actually, it’s Thursday night

Rob Caudill, renowned for his uncanny resemblance to the legendary Rod Stewart, continues to captivate audiences worldwide – whether he’s stopped in airports for autographs or turning heads in restaurants, Caudill’s presence is unmistakable.