It’s a chilly Melbourne morning, and Yasmin Suteja is on her daily walk around The Tan with her housemate and creative collaborator, Sophie Marsh. What starts as a conversation about modern dating quickly draws in philosophy, film and poetry; the conversation pulls in references they’ve both picked up throughout their lives – like bowerbirds collecting items for their nests.
This is how a typical conversation between the pair goes, and it’s a microcosm of how Suteja’s creative mind works. “Conversation is a real generator of ideas for me, because it helps me glue things together,” she says.
Recently, the pair discussed potential energy – a theory in physics that’s often illustrated through the example of an elastic band. The more the elastic band is stretched, the more potential energy is generated, and the further the elastic flies.
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And for over a decade, Suteja has been stretching her own “elastic band” further and further as she’s built her career in photography, influencing and directing. And since her move to Melbourne from Sydney in January, that band is ready to launch.
Suteja’s creative process carries a spirit of community and collaboration. In 2013, she established her creative services and talent agency Culture Machine. “I was working with lots of amazing freelancers,” she says. “Pretty much everyone I employed was a friend of a friend, which is a really cool ecosystem.”
But a few years ago, she sensed her career was ripe for change. “I had to reframe, and instead of being the mentor all the time, I decided I needed to actually go back to being a student and be in rooms where I was the least qualified in the room.”
This independent spirit and strive for innovation – rather than stagnation – sets Suteja apart in a crowded creative field. It’s the same deal with CUPRA, as it channels the style, passion and excitement of Barcelona into its new CUPRA Terramar, a performance medium SUV that offers ambitious creatives like Suteja with a flexibility that easily takes drivers between work, life and play – in style.
“A lot of what I have to do is just so proactive. Pretty much every day, I jot down potential clients that I could reach out to,” she says. “I’m constantly trying to create opportunity out of something, stretch it further, a little bit like that elastic band.”
As a photographer and art director on brand campaigns with the likes of Bumble, The Iconic, Champion and many more. But after many years of collaborating with an ecosystem of freelancers at Culture Machine, Suteja has started to pursue film and TV directing, which she says has always been her end goal.
In 2023, that desire for more landed Suteja a director’s attachment on season two of Netflix’s Heartbreak High, shadowing director Gracie Otto for two weeks. Days on set started in the early morning and sometimes ended as late as 11pm.
“You start to realise every single micro-decision you make is a part of the creative process, even though a lot of what a director does is delegate. But at the end of the day, it’s your final vision, you get the final say.”
After Heartbreak High, Suteja approached plenty of production companies, which eventually landed her at Exit Films. She was brought on as a production assistant and provided with the opportunity to move to Melbourne in January this year to develop her showreel.
Her documentary film Dying to Succeed was a winner of the 2023 Australian International Documentary Conference’s Fresh Cuts initiative, and is now in development.
When you’re as busy as Suteja, a car that can do it all is key; Suteja is always out and about, building creative connections and forming her new community in Melbourne. “In a week, I reckon I’m doing like, four or five coffee dates. I end up walking away from these coffee dates with something that sparked me and also a potential new friend and connection.”
And as the second half of 2025 dawns, Suteja says she’s feeling ready to step into a new era herself and put down roots in Melbourne. “It’s an interesting time because a new chapter is definitely starting.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with CUPRA. The Terramar is a stylish new medium SUV that blends striking design with dynamic performance, available in both mild-hybrid and petrol options. Learn more about the CUPRA Terramar.
Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with CUPRA
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