Brisbane-based filmmaker Rae Choi has taken a significant step forward in her creative career after being selected as one of eight Australian writers for Netflix’s The Next Brilliant Career initiative. The program, aimed at spotlighting emerging screen storytellers, enabled Choi to pitch her original work directly to executives at Netflix’s Australian headquarters this week.

Choi’s journey marks a notable transition from a former legal career to the arts. Previously working as a lawyer in Queensland, she found the profession unfulfilling despite the potential for advancement. Reflecting on her previous role, Choi recounted how she often spent work hours disengaged and contemplating a change. Her decision to leave was sparked during a rare lunch break when, while eating sushi, she read an essay by poet Mary Oliver about the regret that comes from ignoring creative impulses. Within a week, she had resigned from her legal job.

The shift from a stable career to the uncertainties of filmmaking was met with mixed reactions. While her friends expressed little surprise at her move, Choi’s parents initially struggled to adjust. “For a few years they didn’t know how to talk about me to their friends,” she said, noting that she was long identified by her previous legal profession.

Now representing Queensland in a national initiative designed to cultivate new voices in the screen industry, Choi acknowledges the challenges of pursuing creative work outside the major production hubs in Australia. She described a sense of isolation that sometimes accompanies working in Queensland, where the screen industry’s concentration in other states can make it harder to gain traction.

Despite years of dedicated effort, Choi admitted she had recently felt a sense of stagnation before receiving the invitation from Netflix. The opportunity to present her work to the streaming platform’s executives has renewed her confidence, providing what she described as “the face-slap I needed” to believe in her own ideas.

Choi’s story highlights the increasing recognition of emerging talent from Queensland and underscores the importance of initiatives aimed at broadening opportunities for creative professionals across Australia.