Alumni and Supporters

Cassie Silver

Bachelor of Communications, 2009
Graduate Diploma of Broadcasting, 2010

When Cassie Silver, multitalented Journalist, Producer, and Advocate, steps out onto the stage to Emcee our highly-anticipated Aluminate event, she'll be returning to her roots as a proud ECU alum of not one but two ECU courses!

As a natural-born storyteller, Cassie is drawn to making connections through public speaking and writing. She credits her time at ECU for igniting her 'passion to learn and connect with people', which paved the way into the varied and interesting career she now cherishes.

It’s surprising to think that teenage Cassie didn't plan a career in front of the camera. As a self-confessed 'band-camp nerd', Cassie envisaged herself as a psychologist or music teacher. But in a lesson in treading your own path and pivoting when something doesn't feel right, Cassie walked away from our prestigious WAAPA Jazz course after a semester and thus discovered her true calling in broadcast journalism.

Under the guidance of veteran journalist Peter Holland and her mentor Jo McManus, Cassie describes her time at ECU as transformative. She recounts the hours lost in the editing suite, headphones on, doing exactly what she loved – as day turned into night:

"University wasn't just about learning; it was about connection. Unlike school, where you'd watch the clock waiting for the bell, at ECU you never wanted to leave. You'd lose track of time because you were exactly where you wanted to be."

She recalls how ECU nurtured individual talents and strengths, never taking a 'cookie-cutter' approach, with her postgraduate year preparing her ‘to walk straight into a newsroom.'

And that's precisely what she did – stepping off the ECU grounds and into the Today Tonight Studio first as a Producer, then Journalist, and finally Senior Journalist. Cassie hit the ground running, building her love of storytelling and making connections with people into an impressive career. After seven rewarding years at Today Tonight, Cassie was keen to embrace new challenges; using her knowledge, training and industry contacts to set up her own production company, Silver Lining & Co Pty Ltd, specialising in telling engaging, powerful and authentic stories.

"Every frame, every wave, every word—it's all authentic storytelling. It's about how you make people feel. If the audience feels nothing, I haven't done my job."

Her drive to connect and communicate remains unabated. As a passionate advocate for mental health, well-being, and infertility support, Cassie recognised the need to establish a podcast to support those navigating infertility, What To Expect When You're Injecting. This podcast offers a lifeline to many during heartbreaking, challenging times, and has built a devoted community around it, which evolved into a social enterprise with events, a website, a blog, coaching support, and partnerships with five fertility clinics. For this contribution, Cassie earned the 2024 40 Under 40 Business News Award for the Community, Social Enterprise or Not For Profit category.

Even as her career evolved, Cassie remained steadfastly connected to her ECU roots – she regularly hires recent ECU graduates and works frequently with the friends she made here. Crediting ECU with an 'unseen reputation' for nurturing graduates to be workplace ready, confident in the skills they have from the moment they leave university:

"ECU produces A+ humans—well-rounded people whether they're mentors, teachers, or students. You know they have the skills to deliver work that exceeds industry standards. For them, it's a complete passion, not just a job."

"You celebrate your fellow alumni and lift them up. I love seeing their wins because when one of us succeeds, we all do."

Join Cassie and your fellow alumni at Aluminate. Book your ticket now!