Julia Truong (also known as JT) has been event managing since the age of 14. With a large portfolio of experiences in conferences, exhibitions, awards, theatre, festivals, activations, and corporate events, Julia is a meticulous planner who leaves no stone unturned. Through her passion for live experiences and high customer service, it was a natural progression for Julia to establish her own business.
In 2016, Julia was recognised for her work in business and the community with the prestigious Victorian Young Achiever Award. In. the same year, she was appointed by the government to join the Multicultural Small Business Ministerial Council.
As the enthusiastic Creative Director of her company, Julia likes to encourage the combination of creativity and precision in detail when it comes to the planning of events within her team. She brings the can-do mindset and sharp business attitude to every project.
Julia believes that every young person has the potential to succeed if they choose to hold onto every opportunity with both hands. Given the help and support Julia had received when she was facing adversity, Julia likes to give back to her community where possible and hope to inspire other young people to follow their dreams.
JT. Production Management (JTPM) now in its sixth year of business, is a creative events and activation agency based in North Melbourne, servicing Australia-wide. JTPM’s purpose is to deliver meaningful end-to-end live experiences, through providing detailed planning and event management. It has been working with a wide range of clients in the corporate, not-for-profit, education and government sector. JTPM is made up of a team of eight creatives, producing anything from galas, exhibitions, activations, awards, competitions, to festivals and conferences.
What’s your favourite part about what you do?
As an events manager – I love being able to creatively design an event and help my client realise the potentially of a live experience. I absolutely enjoy the detailed planning process that goes into an event, the logistics and operations involved in making it a seamless process. Each event detail is like a piece of a puzzle, and my role as an event manager is to oversee all the pieces come together to form the bigger picture.
As a businesswoman, the favourite part of my role is being able to create job opportunities for my community. I am extremely proud that with my small business, we’ve been able to not only create jobs but also inspire others to pursue their passion in events and in business.
Do you have a favourite app?
iCal (calendar), despite being someone who likes to hand write notes, I realise that I absolutely am obsessed with my calendar, allowing me to colour code all my projects, business and personal life matters. Plus, it syncs to my laptop, phone and watch!
What’s a quote you live by?
“To hold every opportunity with both hands”
When I was in Year 10, I attended a Student Youth Leadership Summit, where I heard from a speaker the saying ‘to hold every opportunity with both hands’ – I’ve been applying this saying to my own life ever since. Despite my adversity, I have never let an opportunity go as I believe that through every experience, there will always be something to learn and gain. I feel like my achievements should be credited to the experiences I’ve been able to take on board.
Who is the wisest woman you know?
My mum! A little Vietnamese woman who left her family and her support network behind to travel to Australia in hope of a better life for her children. Mum has always been an incredibly hard-working person, who juggled multiple jobs to try and make ends meet. Despite never completing her own education, and not being able to string together fluent English, her life experience has made the strongest woman I know.
What have you learnt from her?
Mum has taught me to be resilient at a young age, and that through hard work and determination, I can achieve anything I set my mind to. She’s shown me how to ignore people’s perception and focus my time and energy on what I think is important. When I started JT. Production Management at the age of 20, it was definitely not a easy process. My mum continued to teach me to remain strong and keep pushing through the challenges.
