Desert Pea Media: Amplifying Indigenous voices through storytelling

Across Australia, Indigenous voices are too often excluded from the platforms that shape public conversation. This is especially true for those in remote and regional communities. Desert Pea Media (DPM) works with Indigenous communities to change that, delivering community media projects that give people the tools and space to tell their own stories.

Since 2002, DPM has worked with around 100 remote and regional Indigenous communities across Australia. Their co-designed projects include songs, music videos, short films & documentaries, performances, events and more. Through collaborative storytelling, they’re not only empowering Indigenous young people, communities and creatives, but creating a living cultural archive of media.

We sat down with Toby Finlayson, CEO/Creative Director, and Scott Large, General Manager, to learn more about DPM’s approach, mission and impact.

Blending culture, creativity and conversation

DPM creates opportunities for Indigenous stories, perspectives and lived experience to be heard. Their projects bring together knowledge holders, Elders, young people, local services and support agencies, opening up conversations that might otherwise be difficult to have.

“We use creative processes to create conversation around social change.”

DPM’s unique approach weaves Indigenous cultural practices, such as yarning, with contemporary creative forms that resonate with young people today. Toby said this idea came from a collaboration between himself and Co-founder Uncle Matthew (Maf) Priestley - a Mehi Murri man from Moree, NSW, and a member of the Terry Hie Hie clan of the Gomilaroi Nation.

“Those contemporary forms of creativity - hip-hop and rap and poetry and music and film - that’s all about languages… these are languages that young people speak in their contemporary world.”

DPM sees culture as a ‘living, breathing, evolving thing’. It’s a perspective that allows storytelling to become not just expressive, but transformative.

Image: Desert Pea Media

The method

While DPM’s projects are diverse, they all start with bringing people together. A big yarning circle invites the community to join the conversation, because everyone’s story matters.

“We invite knowledge holders, Elders, services… staff from the school, obviously young people - whoever’s got an interest in the wellbeing of the community,” said Toby.

From there, DPM facilitates collaborative storytelling where everyone’s voice is included. At the centre of this process is DPM’s signature framework, which features ‘The Real, The Ideal, and The Bridge’.

‘The Real’ is about truth telling and shared understanding. It’s a chance to acknowledge both what people are proud of, and what they wish were different.

‘The Ideal’ focuses on possibility. Participants are asked to imagine the future they want, helping shape a shared vision grounded in community hopes and values.

‘The Bridge’ is about action. Community members explore how to move from where they are now to where they want to be - identifying the barriers in their way and the tools they need to move forward together.

DPM’s relationship-first process is central to how they work with communities and partners on the ground.

Image: Desert Pea Media

Partnerships for change 

DPM doesn’t arrive in communities with a fixed agenda. Instead, their work is built on trust, culturally safe spaces and strong relationships - often developed over many years. 

Programs are delivered in partnership with organisations already embedded in community life, including schools, government departments, Indigenous Organisations and local services and Aboriginal Land Councils. Rather than replacing existing work, DPM is designed to strengthen it.

“People sometimes refer to our work as like a fertiliser for things that are already happening in community,” Toby explained.

“We bring this storm of creativity and momentum, and organisations and services can leverage that engagement to deepen their existing programs.”

Projects are led locally, with community leaders guiding protocols, participation and project design. Toby explained how this supports cultural safety when working with a diverse range of communities. 

“We’re very aware that we don’t come from those communities and we don’t live there and we are often only there for a short period of time.”

Over two decades, DPM has proven the power of consistency. They’ve built a trusted reputation amongst that helps them engage more young people and expand the reach of their projects. 

Image: Desert Pea Media

Reflecting on 2025

Coming out of another year of impact, Toby and Scott recalled the achievements that remain close to their hearts.  

One was DPM’s growing momentum in North Queensland. The team returned to communities like Wujal Wujal and Mossman to strengthen long-term relationships.

Another standout was DPM Futures - a more tailored program supporting a small group of emerging creatives, with a strong focus on wellbeing, confidence and sustainable pathways. 

For Toby and Scott, though, the real reward goes beyond any single project.

“It’s when participants realise what they’re capable of,” Scott said. “That shift, and the ripple effect it has in communities, is incredibly powerful.”

Becoming a Friendship Tree partner 

With a small team focused on work in the community, Friendship Tree became a natural way for DPM to support the work happening behind the scenes.

“It’s been an honour to be invited to be part of the network,” Toby said. “We spend a lot of time out on the front lines doing the work, and the support structures Friendship Tree enables aren’t always easy for us to build ourselves.”

Scott agreed, adding that the alignment was immediate. “The way Friendship Tree works and communicates feels like a nice fit for us.”

Donations through Friendship Tree help fund the parts of DPM’s work that are hardest to cover through traditional funding - from equipment and creative opportunities to pathways into employment for community creatives.

At its heart, DPM’s work is about trust. Trust in community knowledge. Trust in creative expression. Trust in the power of people to shape their own stories when given the space to do so.

Your support helps ensure DPM can continue returning to remote and regional communities and amplifying Indigenous voices. Click here to donate.