First published 7 November 2025
Award-winning television executive and producer Jo Porter has been named a 2025 QUT Outstanding Alumnus, recognising her influential role in shaping Australia’s screen industry and taking its storytelling global.
The honour was announced last night at the annual QUT Outstanding Alumni Awards held at the university’s Gardens Point campus in Brisbane.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil said Ms Porter’s extraordinary career was a testament to the power of bold storytelling and visionary leadership.
“Her work has consistently elevated the standard of television production and redefined Australian drama – the recognition of the Outstanding Alumnus Award is a fitting tribute to a trailblazer whose work continues to inspire audiences and creators alike,” Professor Sheil said.
Ms Porter graduated from QUT in 1989 with a Bachelor of Business (Communication) (Journalism) and has since become one of Australia’s most respected creative leaders, responsible for many of the nation’s most successful and acclaimed drama series.
Currently she is Managing Director of Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures, where she is also Executive Producer on their productions.
In the past three years since establishing the business, Ms Porter has overseen recent productions including The Narrow Road to the Deep North, The Artful Dodger, High Country and Playing Gracie Darling. All series have been critical and popular successes both locally and globally, finding prestigious homes in the UK, US and in over 200 territories around the world.
She was previously Director of Drama at Fremantle Media, where she developed and served as executive producer during the entire run of global phenomenon Wentworth, Foxtel’s highest-rating drama series.
Prior to that, she worked with the Seven Network drama department, producing All Saints, Always Greener, Headland and Packed to the Rafters.
“QUT always appealed to me because it had a focus on both the practical and the theoretical,” Ms Porter said.
“Like many people leaving school, I didn't know exactly where I wanted to end up so I loved the communications degree because it gave me exposure across many different disciplines.”
She credits a QUT lecturer, the late Ridley Williams, with helping launch her career, and points to the opportunities she embraced at university in helping to her develop confidence and leadership skills.
“Aside from the actual course itself, it was the extracurricular activities I was involved in at QUT,” Ms Porter said.
“I was editor of the student newspaper, I was elected as activities director, I was the president of the campus club, and I was a student representative on the university's council. All of these opportunities over the four years that I was studying really gave me a chance to learn, fail and stretch my skills in an absolutely safe way.”
Reflecting on the recognition, Ms Porter said it was an incredible honour.
“It's been a really beautiful process,” she said.
“You never get time to stop to reflect on how you got to where you are today. It really did all begin in Queensland and through QUT, very, very directly.”
Learn more about the 2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards winners.
Information about studying communication at QUT can be found online.
Media contact:
Lauren Baxter
QUT Media
media@qut.edu.au
07 3138 2361 / 0407 585 901 (After Hours)
