Magenta Porter (2015) on Life, Career, and Santa Maria’s Impact

Meet Magenta Porter, a Santa Maria College alumni from the Class of 2015. Magenta has charted an impressive path in the world of media strategy and content creation. Since graduating, Magenta’s journey has taken her across disciplines, countries, and career roles, each step marked by a pursuit of passion and personal growth. In this Q&A, she shares insights from her career, advice for young graduates, and memories from her time at Santa Maria that continue to shape her journey.

What did your journey look like after graduating from Santa Maria College?

I went straight to university and started off studying a double degree in Law & Arts (Journalism) at Curtin. However, I quickly realised that Law wasn’t the path for me, so I transferred to UWA to study a Bachelor of Arts majoring in History of Art and Political Science & International Relations. This was a great decision, despite it being difficult to make at the time, as it allowed me to study what I was most passionate about.

Following the completion of my undergrad in 2018, I took a gap year, where I worked full-time before travelling around Europe for three months. I look back on this year fondly – travelling, both with friends and solo, allowed me to be truly independent for the first time and empowered me to take the next step – which was moving interstate to study a Master of Publishing at the University of Sydney.

Did you have any favourite subjects or staff during your time at Santa Maria?

Yes! I was very much a Humanities student, and it would be hard to pick a favourite out of Politics & Law (P&L) and Visual Art. P&L was undoubtedly the hardest subject on my list. It required a lot of writing and research, not to mention memorising what felt like half the Constitution! But it fueled my love for Australian politics in particular and, without a doubt, has shaped my continuing interest in the political landscape today.

Visual Art was my time to unwind. I wasn’t too shabby at the actual art side of things, but I loved the writing element of the subject. Learning about history through the lens of art was enlightening, and I was inspired to continue this area of study at university. Visual Art was often the best period of the day – popping in your headphones to draw/paint/create was like meditation, and helped me get through the (often stressful) times of Years 11 and 12 – even if I wasn’t the best artist!

I must also mention my lovely homeroom teacher, Ms Anderson, and the Head of House at the time, Mrs Holden. They both offered fantastic support and guidance throughout my high school years.

What inspired you to relocate to NSW?

I am originally from Sydney, and I think the allure of the big city was always bubbling beneath the surface. As mentioned, I originally moved over there to study, but I knew this was simply a stepping stone to being there more permanently, to ultimately work in media. It’s not impossible to work in media in Perth, but there are a lot more opportunities in Sydney, and I knew it would be the perfect launchpad for my career.

Can you tell us about your current role as Client Solutions – Strategy Lead at Nine? What does a typical day look like for you?

In my current role, I help deliver creative cross-platform solutions for clients across the Nine ecosystem. What that means is that I work with a lot of different people to lead campaigns that sweep across TV, publishing and audio. Day-to-day, I’ll be running brainstorming sessions and working with the broader creative team, Powered by Nine, to come up with awesome, exciting ideas to help solve client challenges and bring their briefs to life. A big part of my role is presenting, think Emily in Paris but without the on-the-spot ideas, lack of preparation and designer wardrobe (haha).