Let’s talk all things Adventure with Film Festival Founder and Adventure Mum: Jemima Robinson
With Mother’s Day fast approaching we thought it would be awesome to shine the spotlight on our festival founder and ultimate Adventure Mum- Jemima Robinson!
We sat down with Jemima and asked her all about being a busy entrepreneurial mum as well as an avid adventurer.
A little background
Image: Jemima enjoying home in the Northern Beaches of Sydney
Jemima Robinson is the Founder and CEO of Adventure Reels (AR), bringing leading film festivals to audiences across Australia and New Zealand. 13 years ago Adventure Reels was born when Jemima acquired licensing rights for Banff Mountain Film Festival. Now, Jemima also curates the Radical Reels Film Festival, Ocean Film Festival, Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour, Top Dog Film Tour, She Surfs Film Tour.
Growing up in balmy Townsville was where Jemima’s love of the great outdoors began. After completing a Bachelor of International Business at Griffith University, she travelled to Banff, Canada. There, she attended her first Banff Mountain Film Festival and was instantly hooked on the adventurous tales it told.
The team here at AR were stoked with the idea to pick Jemima’s brains about her favourite adventures, bucket list trips, and tips and tricks for adventuring with a family.
So without further ado, enjoy this raw and real interview with the one and only: Jemima Robinson.
Image: Jemima on the slopes in Whistler, Canada. Photo by Mike Crane
Let’s Get Reel
- What’s it like being a mum of two boys, a dog mum, an entrepreneur/ business owner, wife and of course a super adventure woman? How do you balance all of this and still have time for yourself?
Haha the juggle is real. It definitely helps that I love what I do but I won’t lie, there have been times when it has been overwhelming. Thankfully the kids also love what I do and have been to the film festival screenings enough times to understand why I am travelling or not home for dinner. With so much on the go, I am a master scheduler and have a very detailed calendar to keep track of who needs to be where, when, and with what gear…. Including Luna the dog. I also have a great husband who is a super hands on dad and we work well as a team to keep all the balls in the air. We schedule in regular adventures to give us all something to look forward to and my husband and I also take time out to pursue our own personal adventure goals that aren’t kid friendly.
- Tell us about your favourite family friendly adventure go-to? and one of your fave all time adventures (if you could pick one 😉
Honestly, it’s so hard to pick one, so I have narrowed it down to 2. Swimming with the Humpback Whales in Tonga was an unforgettable experience. We went when my eldest was 8 years old and every time he was in the water with us, we had incredible interactions with the whales. The whales seemed genuinely curious about this small human floating in the water.
The other winning experience was our recent snow trip to Canada. It is both inspiring and terrifying seeing your 7 year old, whose legs are the width of a rolling pin fly down the hill and hitting jumps. Finding an adventure that we are all equally passionate about has taken some time, so it is great when you finally find your groove.
Image: Jemima and her family swimming with Humpback Whales in Tonga
- What drove you to start the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour?
For a long time I had hoped to share more films about women in adventure on the big screen. I knew plenty of awesome adventurous women personally, but so few were having their stories shared on the big screen. The women were out there but the films weren’t being made about them. I feel like this was a result of historically more men in the filmmaking industry. As that changed and more talented female filmmakers started making films about people who inspired them, I started seeing more great films featuring women. When I saw the film ‘Operation Moffat’ by filmmaker Jen Randall, I knew I had to start Gutsy Girls and share these stories with other women like myself. It was such an awesome and inspiring film that spoke directly to women and I wanted to create a festival that shared that sentiment with others.
- What inspires you?
Wild places, wild stories and wild people. I love change so I am always looking for a new place to visit or a new adventure. Obviously watching countless films of inspiring adventure stories has made my bucket list of adventures absolutely endless. Seeing the transformation and elation in the people in these stories inspires me to go and chase that same feeling.
5. Your top camping spots Or hiking trails Or slopes for snowboarding?
Let’s do hiking trails:
- Walls of Jerusalem in Tasmania really delivers on all fronts: it is absolutely stunning, offers beautiful and unique landscapes, great camp sites, breathtaking views and quolls. Need I say more.
- Hinchinbrook Island’s Thorsborne Track. Any track that you get to by boat and get to swim in secluded waterfall pools on an uninhabited tropical island has to be a winner.
- Maria Island offers so many stunning hikes to rugged peaks and endless views. Staying in the old convict quarters surrounded by wombats and Cape Barren Geese is an added bonus – oh and you get to this one by boat too!
- Blue Gum Forest in the Blue Mountains is my favourite local escape. Just a few hours from home and you really feel like you are immersed in the wilderness.
- Gokyo Ri in Nepal offered some truly spectacular views and challenging conditions. Being surrounded by stunning lakes and the world’s largest peaks is a breathtaking experience.
- What do you never leave home without when you are going on an adventure?
Hikers wool. There is nothing more painful than a blister and they only get worse the longer you are on the trail. Hikers wool is the unsung hero of blister prevention. Never leave home for a hike without it!
Oh and sudocrem. All the mum’s out there will vouch for the fact that this cure- all skin balm is the go to solution for any type of skin abrasion.
- Do you have a favourite adventure novel? Or an inspiration/ self help book?
BeWILDered by Laura Waters is a great read. It documents Laura’s traverse of New Zealand and is both inspirational and relatable.
I also loved the Sparta Chick’s podcast series which interviews inspiring Aussie adventure women and The Dirtbag Diaries.
8. Your perfect mothers day gift for an adventure mum?
Time spent outdoors together (where you’re not the one organising the calendar and packing the snacks). Also, I personally can’t get enough Buffs (mostly because my kids steal mine), or a good daypack and of course- a massage!!! Down time and post adventure muscle relief is always a winning combination.
- Your perfect mothers day activity for the adventure mum?Well obviously, tickets to the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour 😉 or time together outdoors, whether it be hiking, a beach swim or a bike. Really anything that I don’t have to plan, pack for or clean up after is a win!
- An adventure on your bucket list?
Swimming with the Orca in Norway and a multi-day dog sled backcountry trip in the Northwest Territories in Canada. There is this great trip I’ve read about where you travel for 7 days by dog sled and learn how to drive your own team of dogs. Kids have to be 10 and older to learn to drive their own team.
Image: Jemima and Emmett hiking to Blue Lake
