Community
28 November, 2025
Young entrepreneur shines
THE future certainly looks bright for lighting technician, sound engineer and photographer Rory Batten.
The 17 year-old Brauer College student was one of 21 young entrepreneurs to take part in the Warrnambool and Moyne Young Business Leaders Program.
Over three months, participants learned how to build, brand and launch their very own business with support from the industry mentors at BOP Industries.
To date, this start-up has worked with over 100,000 young people around the world.
The program culminated in a pitch night, with Rory’s winning presentation netting him $1,000 in prize money.
Rory’s business, Bat’s Media, specialises in lighting, sound and photography services for events, festivals and gigs.
He said that while the prize money might go towards a new sound desk in the future, the real value came from the program itself.
“I already had my business going, so I wanted to jump into the program and learn how to grow,” he said.
“I learnt how to build a good client base and how to get people’s attention to get my business going.
“The best way for me is social media and word of mouth.
“I liked it because you got to see what other people were thinking of and we could come together.
“Everyone was supportive of each other and it was like one big happy family.”
His advice to other young people thinking of setting up a business was to just get started, however they can, and then improve as they go.
“If you don’t have a lot of money to start, just start small like I did and look to grow,” he said.
“I started with a used camera, then after a couple of gigs I could upgrade.”
To stay in the loop about upcoming programs for young entrepreneurs, visit www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/business and sign up to the Economic Development newsletter.
