Monkey Marc has worked with Indigenous youth and elders in remote communities around Australia for over 20 years, producing music, mentoring bands and training youth.

The young people participating in video production workshops learn skills around putting a video together from start to finish: from story-boarding and how to portray the story in a video, to filming, directing and editing the footage. Sometimes the people who get involved in making the video aren't the ones who made the track, which widens the reach of the workshops.

Only a small portion of the music from these community projects gets made into music videos, but it is an important part of the process. Locally made music is popular, but when the music is made into videos, it garners even more community interest and is shared more widely.

YouTube views don’t always represent how popular the videos are within the local communities. Some of the communities are too remote for mobile phone reception, but a lot of people still have mobile phones. Instead of sharing via the internet, the video files often spread rapidly by sharing via Bluetooth from phone to phone to become a local community hit.

The music videos can have a huge impact on the communities by promoting positive role models and spreading positive messages of youth and culture.

Community programs

The following videos are a selection of the many videos have been produced for different indigenous community projects over the past five to ten years.

Some were created as part of the Barkly Regional Council's youth diversion program, Barkly Desert Culture, which is a music mentoring and multimedia program with young people across the Barkly region of the Northern Territory in Australia.

Other clips have been produced through NARIS (National Association of Remote Indigenous Schools), InCite Youth Arts, the Mt Theo Program, and Blaktraks, an urban indigenous youth arts project.

Where you going

This film clip is from Ali Curung, also from the Barkly Desert Cultures program. Monkey Marc trained and mentored the young men on music production and recording techniques for eight weeks in Ali Curung. Leo Ortega worked as the film producer and mentor on this film clip.

Bikey boys from Nyirripi

Filmed in Nyirripi, Northern Territory. Workshops with Monkey Marc and Elf Tranzporter in March 2011. Funded by InCite Youth Arts & Mt. Theo. Our most viral video to date.

Kids on the run

This film clip is from Ali Curung, also from the Barkly Desert Cultures program. Monkey Marc trained and mentored the young men on music production and recording techniques for eight weeks in Ali Curung. Leo Ortega worked as the film producer and mentor on this film clip.

It's your turn

This song was produced by Monkey Marc and Elf Tranzporter with students from five indigenous schools around Australia: Arlparra (NT), Mimili (SA), Yarrabah (QLD), Wilcannia (NSW) and Nullagine (WA).

It was commissioned by NARIS (the National Association of Remote Indigenous Schools) and InCite Youth Arts, to encourage young indigenous students to consider teaching as a career. With the guidance of the elders in the community, the song incorporates five native languages from these communities.

Go to school

This clip was made with the young fellas from Elliott School. Thanks to the school for all the support on this one. Produced for the Barkly Desert Cultures program. Monkey Marc trained and mentored the young men on music production and recording techniques. Video clip by Sean Spencer.

Goanna dreaming

A short film from the Barkly Desert Cultures project of a Goanna Dreaming story from the Elliott region in the NT. Music by Marc Peckham, film by Sean Spencer.

Grandfather, teach me more dreaming

This music video was the result of a workshop in Punmu community with Monkey Marc, Ozi Batla (Shannon Kennedy), and Enda Murray (Virus Media).