THE RUSHED BEHIND
ABOUT
The Rushed Behind is an independently run AFL news company which was founded in 2017 by Nick D'Urbano, Athos Sirianos, Chris Nice and Brooke Varney.
All aspiring sports journalists from RMIT University, the group have endeavoured to make their mark on the industry through the show that does just enough to get over the line.
Beginning as a small podcast between friends to gain some experience, the project soon cobbled together a small following on Facebook, with the team producing 10 episodes alongside a live video in its first six months.
At the commencement of the 2018 AFLW season, the group leapt back into action, building a website to house hundreds of self-written articles and showcase their journalistic abilities.
With more exposure came a larger audience, and with their fan base slowing getting a bit more traction, much more ambitious schemes came to the fore.
The team's promotional video - produced in April 2018 - saw The Rushed Behind evolve into more than just a name.
But no one could predict that the small podcast run out of RMIT University an a weekday in-between tutorials would become a live, weekly television show airing on Channel 31.
The brief season produced seven half-hour episodes, inclusive of a live Grand Final special which was filmed in front of a studio audience.
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In 2019, the show expanded again, with The Rushed Behind airing one-hour episodes every Thursday night at 6:30pm on Channel 31.
It wouldn't have been remotely possible without the expertise of RMIT's Luke Raisbeck, long-time collaborator and director Will Watson, mentor Phil Kafcaloudes and the dedicated crew who invested so many hours to get the show up and running each week.
It was largely through Watson's incomparable commitment, vision and directorial skill that The Rushed Behind was able to keep its head above water during such a huge shift from a casual podcast to a weekly television show.
That jam-packed year was full of many memorable moments.
The introduction of Athos' fan-favourite segment I Could Have Done That was a highlight of every episode, while Brooke dabbled in virtual reality in the VAR-ney. Chris was fortunate enough to interview legendary football figures Nick Riewoldt and Brett Ratten for the show, while Nick's energetic hosting saw him take out the Channel 31 Antenna Award for Youth Personality of the Year.
The season concluded with another live Grand Final special - this time airing for an hour-and-a-half in front of another sold-out studio audience.
Now in 2020, the Federal Government’s announcement to cut funding to Channel 31 threatens to replace the vibrant community network with white noise.
Channel 31 - and community television in general - gives so many opportunities for young and aspiring talents both in front of and behind the camera to gain experience and play a part in the media landscape.
Even though the threat of closure is very real and closing in fast, The Rushed Behind is ready to put up a fight.
Now heading into its third season of television, the reinvigorated panel is intent on doing anything and everything possible to keep community television on air.
Our backs may be up against the wall, but in true Channel 31 spirit, we’re going to keep on fighting and rally the network together to show how important this is to us, the media landscape and the community.
Because only together can we #SaveLocalTV.
THE RUSHED BEHIND FAMILY:
Daniel Miranda
Celine Farah
Victoria Raptis
Bethany Hayes
Sarah Booth
Luke Raisbeck
Anna McGuinness
Jack Alfonso
Conor Morrissey
Zac Standish
Isabel Quinlan
James Gormley
Melissa Arul
Alex Russell
Ned O'Bryan
Sean Mortell
Joe Arthur
Matt Dunham
Nick D'Urbano
Chris Nice
Athos Sirianos
Brooke Varney
Will Watson
Phil Kafcaloudes
