From HMD to the Logies

In 1994, as Performing Arts Captain, Mimi Butler and her fellow prefects, championed by Mrs Rhonda Miller, instigated House Music Drama. Fast forward to 2025, when Mimi’s daughter, Quillia, started Year 7 at Roseville College. Her first report from the playground? “HMD is happening!”

“I couldn’t believe it had continued,” Mimi laughs. “It’s pretty much the same format, just with a groovier abbreviation.” For Mimi, seeing her daughter thrown into the “fun and chaos” of the event she helped create was the ultimate testament to the Roseville spirit. It wasn’t just about the performance; it was about the organic mentoring and the instant sense of belonging that comes when you’re “all in” together.

Mimi’s career has followed a similarly high-octane creative trajectory. With 25 years of industry experience, she has become an award-winning Executive Producer, delivering over 200 hours of television for global streamers and broadcasters. Her resume reads like a “must-watch” list: she was the force behind the AACTA award-winning mini-series Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War, and the high-stakes police drama Rush, which earned her both an AFI and a Logie. Her talent even caught the eye of the International Emmy Foundation, who awarded her a prestigious producer fellowship.

More recently, Mimi produced the Amazon Prime hit Class of ’07, a comedy about an all-girls school reunion. While the show is an extreme, apocalyptic version of a reunion, (“not like the wonderful Roseville reunions”, she says), it explores the themes Mimi finds universal: the power of female friendships and constant opportunities for reinvention.

Despite the accolades, Mimi remains humble attributing her success in part to Roseville’s culture of participation. Whether it was joining a sports team in Year 10 despite having never played, or having an orchestra part simplified so she could participate, Roseville’s “have a go” mentality gave her the confidence to grab opportunities. Her advice to current students? “If a great opportunity happens, you’ve got to take it. Contacts and experience give you career momentum.”

Today, while still steering various TV projects, Mimi has returned to university to study Psychology, aiming to work in youth mental health and positive psychology. It has led to a new kind of connection: sharing weekend assignment sessions on the couch with Quillia.

Mimi’s journey is a masterclass in the Roseville way. Whether she is on a film set, in the saddle of a horse, or listening to lectures, her secret is simple: she never stopped showing up. In Mimi’s world, belonging isn’t something you wait for – it’s something you build by diving in.