FOR years now, Springfield local Isaiah Tuinona has been making great video content. But now, thanks to Carers Queensland’s Be Your Own Boss microbusiness program, he’s also going to break out as an apparel designer.
His business Silent Threads is going to get a boost from the program, which will help him use his talent as a content maker to grow his business. But Isaiah is not your average content maker – he is deaf and nonverbal and communicates via AUSLAN. It doesn’t stop him from making top-quality content that he hopes has genuine appeal to youth, particularly those with a disability such as a hearing loss.
Speaking through his interpreter, 20-year-old Isaiah said thanks to strong community connections to his local church, a fellow churchgoer was mentoring him.
“He is mentoring me to learn to do it properly, so when it comes time for me to do interviews, I can do these confidently without having to rely on others to help work the equipment,” Isaiah said.
“I’m going to be interviewing famous sport celebrities, and different people. Just through a friend of mine, he’s going to come and do all the technical side of things and get that happening for me.”
Isaiah’s mother Lesley said her son, who is also a huge sports fan, had always liked creating media so the next logical step was figuring out a way to monetise his ideas in a space where he felt comfortable.
“There isn’t a lot of deaf influencers here in Australia and particularly in his age group, so he is going to be a pioneer in this space.”
