John Paul College is delighted to congratulate Claire Mooney (Class of 2014), on her recent appointment as the first female Director of Music with Triple J.
Claire has built an impressive career in the Australian music industry, progressing through roles as an executive producer and radio programmer, and most recently achieving the position of music director.
Claire discusses her journey since graduating from John Paul College, reflecting on her time at the College, her passion for music and media, the steps in her career path so far and what this exciting new role means to her, as she helps influence the sound of Australian radio.
I am so thrilled and proud to be the first female Music Director for Triple J. It really is a pinch me moment. I love everything this role encompasses and the community we get to connect with each day.Music is everything to so many of us. It’s what brings us to life and shapes us as we grow, soundtracking the moments when we’re happy, sad and everything in between.
Making that first discovery of your new favourite artist or song has to be one of the most exciting things we can experience. The endless possibility for creativity, authentic connection and moments that stay with us is so special.
My radio journey has always felt really special too. I discovered my love for radio when I was 16 during my time at John Paul College, I completed my radio training with Student Youth Network (SYN), a community radio station in Melbourne where anyone between 12 and 25 can sign up, do radio training, and get involved. When I was in Year 12, I did film and TV training with SYN too and then two years out of school I accepted my first job in the Triple J Unearthed team as our Australian Music Producer.
My day-to-day can change each week. It usually involves making playlists and programming the music you hear across Triple J. I present and look after our guitar show on Triple J Unearthed called DRIFT too and sometimes, I backfill as a presenter. I look after our music meetings and servicing sessions and our music team. The best part is that I get to usually listen to my favourite artists and songs before they release into the world and I feel very lucky that I get to form beautiful connections with hundreds of artists and their teams each year too.
When it came to the music side of things, I had no idea what that involved, didn’t understand what it meant to work in the music industry or that an artist needed a manager, publicist, or all the moving parts that bring a band and their music to life.
What John Paul College did give me was confidence, creativity, and the drive to go after things.
In Year 9 I attended a University RMIT media open day with Fuzzy and Dylan, who were presenters on Video Hits at the time and they came in and spoke about getting into radio and TV. That’s how I found out about Student Youth Network. From there, I went and did my training and got involved. The best part is I now work with Dylan who is a presenter on Double J.
I was lucky I got to explore radio and music outside of John Paul College too. In Year 9 I was asked to interview one of my favourite bands at the time, and one of the biggest – The 1975, I will never forget that day!
I’m so lucky to have felt so guided during my secondary school years not only my gorgeous friends around me, but also my teachers. Mr Egan, Mrs Sutton and Mrs Middlebrook always believed in me.
I genuinely loved my experience at John Paul College. Our year level was so lovely, everyone was kind. It always was such a warm, comforting environment and I have great memories of spending lunch and recess in the art room, making things, and hanging out with friends.
Overall, the culture of the school felt safe and supportive. I genuinely had the best time, it was such a positive experience, and I feel grateful for that because it shaped who I am and gave me a lot of confidence.
Having opportunities as House Captain in Year 9 and Year 12 were so cool and one of my favourite moments at John Paul College was being a part of the Companion Van, were we helped give out food to those who were struggling.
The biggest thing is staying authentic to what you feel called to do. Genuine passion will always prevail and help you get to your dream place. Having the courage to follow what feels right, what makes you happy and being open to other ways of getting where you want to go is so important too. My pathway has been unique, I've always stayed open minded to every opportunity that came my way and always looked at everything as a learning experience.
While I was at John Paul College, I reached out to a lot of people, volunteered at festivals and record labels, and worked a few different jobs at once. I said yes to a lot of opportunities, partly to figure out what I enjoyed and what I didn’t. I definitely worked hard but worked hard because this work genuinely lit my spirit on fire. Working in radio and music spaces takes courage to find your voice, hard work, commitment, genuine passion and usually some form of volunteering.
There are opportunities around to help you get started by doing radio or media training through Student Youth Network and also getting involved with The Push. If you aspire to be a radio presenter you could even start recording demos or if you want to be a band manager one day, you could always start reaching out to the manager of your favourite band now and ask for advice.
So far it’s been amazing and I feel really lucky. I would say back yourself 100%, even when you still have things to learn. You will always grow into roles; you don’t need to know everything before you step into them. Women can be hard on themselves and struggle with imposter syndrome, so it is important to be kind to yourself and not get too caught up in self-judgment. Having a supportive community and network around you is important. Reaching out to women who inspire you, whether it’s for mentorship or advice, can make such a difference too.
Keep listening to yourself, keep learning and being open minded, be kind, back your worth and surround yourself with people who support you.
Most recently, In the last couple of months, we’ve stepped into a brand-new era of triple j Unearthed – our digital radio station and platform where we play nothing but Australian music for 24 hours a day, every day.
This new era was a 6-to-9-month work in progress and has seen us launch 9 new curated shows on Unearthed Radio, each show is carefully curated and looked after by a member of the team who genuinely adores Australian music. Having these shows curated and led by real people, especially in an industry that is becoming more algorithm driven and influenced by AI, has felt important. It is about bringing back the art of curation and genuinely supporting artists at the forefront.
Over the summer I also got to be our new presenter and host for our Hottest 100 show called The Tally Room too, which was a huge highlight!
Being mentored by Richard Kingsmill (previous Triple J Music Director), Nick Findlay (previous Triple J Music Director) and Emma Gibbs (Triple J Digital Manager) has meant a lot in my career too. Also seeing artists from the Mornington Peninsula area take over Triple J too like Teenage Dads, The Grogans, The Belair Lip Bombs and most recently The Gnomes has meant so much to me too.