ABC and Create NSW announce winners of $445k screen initiatives
The ABC and Create NSW are proud to announce the recipients of more than $400k funding to support diverse and innovative storytellers across the state.
The $445,000 investment will support over 530 NSW-based screen production jobs across three initiatives, with funding for Western Sydney-based creatives to produce digital comedy shorts for young audiences, plus funding for four new character-driven half-hour dramas and four immersive virtual reality (VR) projects.
Michael Carrington, ABC Acting Director Entertainment & Specialist, said: “As the nation’s largest creative employer the ABC, in collaboration with Create NSW, is proud to support Australian creatives in bringing their bold content to life. The richness and diversity of these projects across comedy, drama and VR technologies will showcase homegrown talent and stories for our audiences across the country.”
Sally Regan, Create NSW Acting Director Screen Investment, Engagement and Attraction, said: “From vampire slayers in Parramatta, destigmatising mental illness in regional towns and a VR haunting experience, this funding is enabling local employment through the creation and development of a series of intriguing and important stories for NSW and beyond. We’re extremely proud to be able to encourage such diversity and excited about seeing these stories reach a broad range of Australian audiences through our collaboration with the ABC.”
John Kirkman, Information + Cultural Exchange (I.C.E.) Executive Director, said: “I.C.E. is pleased to be partnering with Create NSW and the ABC on the Digital First Comedy Initiative. Stories from Western Sydney-based creatives are universal, unique, funny and well able to resonate with local and global audiences and communities.”
The $445k investment in screen content covers:
Digital First Comedy Initiative ($225k): The ABC and Create NSW with I.C.E. will fund three shorts with $75k each across teams that include a Western Sydney-based key creative, to be broadcast on ABC iview in 2019. The recipients are Bistro, In-Between Pictures and Fideo Films.
Half-hour Drama Development Initiative ($100k): Funding of $20k each to four NSW-based teams to develop 30-minute drama series, plus funding for a Masterclass workshop. The recipients are Brooke Goldfinch and Corrie Chen, Typing Pool Productions, Endemol Shine Banks and Scorpio Media.
360 Vision VR Development Initiative ($120k ): Funding of $30k each to four teams to develop content across VR and AR technologies. The recipients are Last Frame Productions, Dreamr Studios, Paper Moose and Yaara Bou Melham.
I needed a good laugh today. That article did the trick.
A wonder if all the ABC staff will be required to bow & curtsy
in her majesty’s presence as she enters the ABC front entrance & makes her way to her
office each morning.
This year’s ABC Regional Storyteller Scholarship has been awarded to two content makers with disability from regional NSW and Queensland. Catherine Mahony of Newcastle and Marlena Katene of the Gold Coast won their scholarships ahead of a strong pool of applicants nationally.
The scholarship provides an opportunity to showcase the talent and creativity of emerging content makers with disability in regional and rural Australia.
Now in its second year, it has been expanded to two awards per year thanks to the Australian Government matching the ABC’s funding commitment, announced in December last year as part of celebrations to mark International Day of People with Disability.
Catherine Mahoney said the scholarship would enable her to explore and share the social issues facing people with disability from an authentic perspective. Marlena Katene said she hoped to develop a series about accessibility at music festivals and gigs for people with a disability. “I love telling stories. I am keen to highlight how easy it can be for us all to develop more inclusive and accessible venues for people with disability,” she said.
Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services, Sarah Henderson, said: “The talent displayed has been outstanding. Both winners are passionate storytellers, sharing powerful and positive stories.”
Acting Director of ABC Regional & Local, Judith Whelan, said the scholarship had an important place in the hearts and minds of our regional team. “Through the wonderful contributions of our first scholarship recipient in 2018, Eliza Hull, we have been able to bring audiences stories about disability, produced by people with disability. Stories that would otherwise not have been told.”
Both recipients will spend three months working with ABC content makers in a regional ABC bureau to help develop their storytelling and content-making skills.
You can check out 2018 Scholarship winner, Eliza Hull’s eight-part RN series here and her online ABC Life articles here and here.
In its report, the committee conceded the decision to fire Guthrie was not due to political interference but was astounded by the board’s failure to investigate when she presented a dossier describing her deteriorating relationship with Milne that included allegations of attempted political interference.
Some comments on Twitter wrongly thinking this was the ABC’s archives, when it was actually commercially produced music and publications. No different really to when the ABC long ago disposed of their commercial 78 rpm disc libraries, and later their commercial 7", 10" and LP disc libraries. As one pointed out:
