From meeting our community to celebrating our team’s successes, I had the great pleasure of being part of the University of Queensland’s Ventures Showcase with the Flashback team. For me this was a highly anticipated day – my first opportunity to officially represent Flashback! With Kelric, Mack, and the rest of the team working overseas, it was up to Abbey, Will, and me to represent Flashback. Taking place on World Entrepreneurship Day on 21st August, we joined the rest of the UQ Ventures’ cohort of businesses to showcase our brands and products to the university.
Had the pleasure of meeting Wilbur, a long-term follower of Flashback who was completely unaware of our connection to his university
The occasion was significant for many great reasons, firstly for the presentation of the UQ Entrepreneur and Innovation Awards. Flashback is very proud to share that our co-founder and lead engineer, Mackenzie Salisbury, was awarded the 2024 UQ Student Entrepreneur of the Year! With what started as dismantling countless film and digital cameras in a garage with Kelric just a few years ago, to now leading an international team in product development, it was so inspiring to see Mack be awarded! Now please don’t tell him that the intern is getting all soppy about his achievement…
Shoutout to Will O’Meara (third from the left) for accepting the award on Mack’s behalf
Despite over ten thousand cameras sold online, the showcase saw us sell cameras in-person for the first time ever! As the team newbie, it meant a lot to play a part in a huge milestone for the company. It was extra sentimental to know that these first sales happened on the same campus where our founders first became friends at Cromwell College in 2017.
Our community really appreciated being able to hold the Flashback ONE35 cameras, take their own photos, and get their hands on our photo album featuring the team’s favourite digital film photographs. I may have stolen a few photos from Kelric’s personal drive, and I definitely made a fuss to tell everyone this on the day. Sorry, Kelric.
Getting to speak with students and hear their experiences, their highs and lows with film photography, and their support of the Flashback mission was so valuable. One student I met could not believe that she had stumbled across a great alternative to a disposable film camera that could satisfy her love for the film experience but also save her bank account!
I believe that another student I met, Patrick, truly embodies the Flashback mission. Patrick is studying on exchange to UQ from London, and he told me he only started to use a phone again since arriving in Australia this semester. After being lost in the over-digitalisation of his world, Patrick took control and went old school, living without a phone and even investing in a Sony Walkman, to feel more engaged in his present moment. With this in mind, it was no surprise Patrick loved the vintage yet digital experience that Flashback has created. Abbey and I were so grateful that Patrick happened to be the lucky winner of our camera giveaway, and we hope that since winning his own Flashback camera that Patrick can keep capturing a little bit of wonder in the everyday.
Thank you once again to UQ Ventures for hosting us at their amazing event, and to the students who came to hear all about Flashback! A special thank you to Nimrod Klayman, Veronica Nolan, Beth Lawrence, Tyson Jennings, and the rest of the UQ Ventures team for their ongoing support through the iLab Accelerator Program and beyond. Flashback is extremely grateful for the work the university is doing to support young entrepreneurs in making a real difference in our world.
Stay candid,
Logan Stansfield
Flashback Intern
2 comments
Great concept. Informative article!
Love the concept and a great read thank you.
Great job Flashback!