The Narrative:
Damulgarra Stories
A New Heart for the Screen Industry
The screen industry says it wants to do better with First Nations engagement.
But time and again, that “engagement” arrives late, feels shallow, and ends when the cameras stop rolling. The result? Cultural harm. Unsafe sets. Lost opportunity. And stories that ring hollow.
Damulgarra Stories exists to change that — permanently.
Founded by Cian Mungatj McCue, a Larrakia creative leader with deep community ties, and Sarah Price, an award-winning casting director and producer, Damulgurra Stories is a First Nations–led business from the Northern Territory working nationally and internationally to transform how the screen industry works with First Nations people.
We are not consultants.
We are system re-shapers.
Our work begins with a truth: this industry was not built for us. But the future can be.
What We Do
At the heart of our offering is a suite of resources and experience-led services designed to support culturally respectful collaboration from day one. We support the full lifecycle of production:
Early concept development and community engagement
On-Country logistics and crew relationships
Wrap, transition, and aftercare
Long-term integrity across story, people, and place
This isn’t cultural advice by checklist. It’s a new practice architecture for how stories are made — one that centres care, responsibility, and First Nations leadership.
How We Work
Damulgarra means heart in Larrakia.
For us, that means we work with:
Principle — We name harm, and build pathways forward.
Presence — We listen, guide, and stay in the work.
Cultural Time — In a world where time is money, we invite another logic: time is trust. Time is Country. Time is sacred.
We walk with productions that are ready to move beyond box-ticking and step into deep collaboration. We help reframe how the industry thinks about time, urgency, creativity, and budget — because real storytelling requires real change.
Who We Work With
We support:
Producers, broadcasters, and platforms
Government agencies and funding bodies
Community-based storytellers and screen creatives
Cast, crew, and production teams working across scale — from features and series to short-form and branded content
Our work is grounded in expertise. Our advice is relational, not generic. And our goal is not just participation—it’s self-determined First Nations leadership in the stories that shape this country.
Why It Matters
Because tokenism is still the norm.
Because harm is still being done.
Because First Nations creatives are still being pushed out of an industry they helped build.
Damulgarra Stories exists to interrupt that cycle — by embedding care, clarity, and cultural truth into the centre of the production process.
We are the new heart of this industry.
And we’re just getting started.
Interested in working together?
Click on the button below to get in touch