Hot on the heels of announcing the move of its Screen Forever event to Queensland in 2020, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has announced the members of the Screen Forever Advisory Board for the coming year.
Comprised of twelve leading luminaries from across the Australian screen sector, including Jennifer Collins (Director of Content, Fremantle), Caroline Pitcher (CEO, Film Victoria)and Kylie Munnich (Scripted Sales & Co-Production Executive for Seven Studios), and chaired by creative force Sophia Zachariou(CEO, Bunya Productions), the Board will help to set the strategic direction for Australia’s premier screen industry event, and aid in the creation of an engaging, inspirational and business-focused program that reflects the broad spectrum of modern Australian screen content in a time when the industry is in a state of flux.
The Board members include:
- Chair: Sophia Zachariou, CEO, Bunya Productions
- Bernadine Lim, Head of Documentary, Screen Australia
- Caroline Pitcher, CEO, Film Victoria
- Cody Greenwood, Producer, Rush Films
- Deirdre Brennan, Formerly Executive, NBCUniversal
- Elmar Trefz VR/AR Creative Strategist, Antler
- Jennifer Collins, Director of Content, Fremantle
- Kylie Munnich, Scripted Sales & Co-Production Executive for Seven Studios
- Larissa Behrendt, Academic/Writer/Director – UTS/Lavarch Productions
- Nick O’Donnell, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Netflix (AU & NZ)
- Penny Smallacombe, Head of Indigenous Department, Screen Australia
- Que Minh Luu, Executive Producer, ABC
- Tracey Vieira, CEO, Screen Queensland
“Each year around 850 delegates travel from over a dozen countries to do business on the Screen Forever floor. In the current regulatory and economic climate, the importance of an event that allows the industry to meet and dissect current trends and innovations in film, television and emerging platforms, and to explore how to turn market threats into opportunities, cannot be overstated,” said SPA CEO, Matthew Deaner.
“From experts in documentary and kids content, to international streamers and a VR/AR Strategist, I’m excited by the fresh ideas and dynamic perspectives our Board members will bring to the program this year, and have no doubt that our delegates will benefit from their combined skill, experience and passion.”
Working closely with the Board will be SPA’s newly appointed Content and Event Curation Manager, Melanie Horkan, who brings to the event her experience working for TEDx Sydney and the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) 2019.
The Board held their first meeting this week, with the next scheduled in the lead up to Screen Forever 2019 (12 – 14 November, Melbourne).