Tig Terera: From a $5 Camera to Directing Heartbreak High

At 16, Tig Terera handwrote his first television series while grounded for the summer. Years later, that idea would help inspire Swift Street, the acclaimed SBS series that was greenlit within one business day. In this episode of A Different Lens, Tig joins Kate Cornish and Wil Calabio to share the unconventional journey that took himfrom buying a $5 point-and-shoot camera and making music videos for friends to directing shows including Heartbreak High. Tig opens up about finding his creative voice throughstories of identity and belonging, turning limitations into creative opportunities, and why naivety became one of his greatest strengths as a filmmaker. He also reflects on the teacher who first believed in his writing, the importance of preparation, and his mission to make Australian film andtelevision look more like the Australia he sees every day.