Eammon Ashton-Atkinson

Griffith alumnus Eammon Ashton-Atkinson has been many things in his post-University life—a lawyer, a journalist, a filmmaker—but above all, he has been an inspiration.

Currently working in the US as a foreign correspondent for Network 10, Eammon has truly forged a path all his own since graduating from Griffith.

Earning his double degree in law and arts in 2008—at the top of his cohort, no less—Eammon started his career at renowned firm Clayton Utz, working in international arbitration under decorated and renowned arbitrator Professor Doug Jones AM.

While there, he co-authored a chapter on Australia’s international arbitration laws with the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG. Even then, his immense potential was evident, with Justice Kirby himself commending the young lawyer’s copious talent and integrity.

Despite his natural aptitude for law, his time at Clayton Utz would be short. After enduring years of bullying at school, Eammon came out as gay in his first year at Griffith. Although his university cohort was supportive and accepting, he says, he was unable to escape the trauma of his school experiences, and soon began to battle depression.

In search of greener pastures and mental respite, Eammon quit his job and—surprising even himself—pursued a job in journalism. He leveraged the skills he had gained throughout his studies at Griffith to again excel in his new vocation.

“I knew how to analyse a problem, I could express my ideas clearly in writing, and I had the practical skills and confidence to network and build relationships,” he says.

Following a successful internship experience at Seven, he went on to spend seven years working as a reporter for the network, covering such high-profile stories as the Queen’s 2011 visit to Brisbane and the trials of Brett Peter Cowan and Gerard Baden-Clay.

However, in 2016, Eammon’s depression returned. In an effort to, in his words, “find whatever it was I was missing”, he relocated to London and started afresh. Teaching himself skills in video production, Eammon started his own business as a corporate filmmaker, going on to work with globally significant clients such as Google, Facebook, Toyota, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Lamborghini.

London would ultimately provide two more life-changing experiences for this multitalented alumnus. While living in the city, Eammon discovered 10 News was looking for a video journalist to act as their Europe Correspondent. After impressing the network in a handful of trial shifts, he was soon offered the role officially.

This opportunity ultimately set Eammon on the road to his current position with 10 as their US Correspondent. From his bases in Washington DC and New York City, Eammon has been on the frontline of some of the most globally significant events of the past two years, including Donald Trump’s impeachments, the 2020 US election, the US Capitol Insurrection, Jeffrey Epstein’s death, Black Lives Matter protests and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic—just to name a few.

But despite his significant professional successes, it was arguably his interactions and involvement with a local rugby club that has had the greatest impact and influence on Eammon in his time away from Australia.

Based in the London district of Kings Cross, the Steelers are the world’s first gay and inclusive rugby club. After being introduced to the team by his then-flatmate, Eammon quickly asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with on the field.

Beyond being a means of improving his fitness and building a social network in his new city, most importantly, he says, he had finally “found a place where I belonged”. And, in addition to rediscovering his love for the game, he also met the love of his life in teammate—and now husband—John.

As he became more involved, Eammon decided to film a documentary about this extraordinary group of people.

“I noticed the sport was having this transformative effect on nearly everyone in the club,” he writes in The Guardian. “I’d heard people talk about the power of sport before, but never believed it until now. Here, queer people were reclaiming their place on the pitch—an arena they grew up being told they didn’t belong in.”

The resulting film, Steelers: The World’s First Gay Rugby Club, was shown at festivals in 2020 to widespread critical acclaim before its general release this year. Billed as “an uplifting, heartwarming story about overcoming struggle through sport”, the documentary earned accolades including Best of Fest at last year’s British Film Institute Flare Festival in London and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at Sydney’s Queer Screen Film Festival, and has been picked up for distribution in the UK by Amazon Prime Video and on all of the major streaming platforms in Australia.

The film was clearly a labour of love for Eammon, who served not only as director but writer, editor and producer, using his broad experience behind the camera to shape and tell a story that was not only deeply personal, but deeply resonant.

Even when he was a student, it was apparent that Eammon Ashton-Atkinson was destined to do good and be great.

In the time since, he has fulfilled that promise time and time again—and that’s why he is a most worthy recipient of the Griffith University’s 2021 Outstanding Young Alumnus for the Arts Education and Law faculty.

“I often reflect back on the long and windy journey that led me here,” he says. “What I can say with certainty is that Griffith University was an essential, crucial part of the pathway here.

“And ultimately, the skills I learned there were essential for me changing careers, starting my own business and making a documentary—and having the confidence to give it all a go.”