ACMI, AFTRS, Film Victoria and Media Mentors Australia present
Step Away from The Telly: Making Scripted Online
Looking for a home for your short, scripted project – outside of just popping it on your personal YouTube channel and hoping it will find an audience? Then you won't want to miss this session.
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia launch the second Digital Originals initiative in 2022 – following the success of The Tailings and Iggy and Ace 5eva. Five online original projects will share $1.3million to foster new talent with projects reaching a substantial audience on SBS On Demand. Get the inside scoop on what they are looking for.
The company behind the massive online success Aunty Donna, Haven’t You Done Well Productions, have launched Grouse House – a new home for web comedy and a supported Channel on YouTube. Its first original show Hug the Sun launched the Channel and amassed 30,000 subscribers on debut and more than half a million views so far. It was funded by Screen Australia and Screen West.
Join our guests to find out more:
- Donna Chang oversees the development and production of SBS’s short form and feature initiatives.
- Louise Cocks is Screen Australia’s newly appointed Investment and Development Manager, Online.
- Max Miller is a Melbourne based director most known for his work in Aunty Donna.
- Richard Kelly manages development and production of Scripted Comedy, Short Form and Digital formats for recently established independent production company 2 Jons.
Join us to learn more about short scripted content with MC Denise Eriksen of Media Mentors Australia on a panel livestreamed on ACMI’s YouTube Channel, with the opportunity to speak directly to the panelists at an online Q&A at the end of the discussion.
Presented by
More about the panelists
Donna Chang
Donna Chang joined SBS in October 2020 as a Development Executive in the SBS Scripted team, which oversees and develops SBS’s pipeline of original scripted fiction projects, including drama and comedy. She became Commissioning Editor in June 2021. As well as working across long form event series, Donna oversees the development and production of SBS’s short form and feature initiatives which provide opportunities for emerging talent from often underrepresented backgrounds, to share their unique stories of contemporary Australia.
Louise Cocks
Louise Cocks is Screen Australia’s newly appointed Investment and Development Manager, Online. She joined the Online team in 2019 having previously worked as a Film Programmer for Village Cinemas Australia and as an actor in touring shows. She assesses and manages applications for Production and Development, from approval through to release and delivery. She has worked across the inaugural Digital Originals workshops, TikTok’s Every Voice Initiative, Skip Ahead with YouTube and organised a digital Online Roadshow last year for emerging Australian creators, offering bespoke advice.
Max Miller
Max Miller is a Melbourne based director most known for his work in Aunty Donna. In 2020 the group saw the release of their first TV series, Aunty Donna’s Big ol’ House of Fun (Netflix). Their YouTube channel has 85 million+ views and 450,000+ subscribers. Max and Aunty Donna have also started their own production company, Haven’t You Done Well Productions, as well as a new YouTube channel, Grouse House – both of which aim to grow the Australian comedy landscape, online. Their first show, Hug the Sun, also saw the launch of the channel amassing 30k subscribers on debut and over half a million views.
Richard Kelly
Richard Kelly manages development and production of Scripted Comedy, Short Form and Digital formats for the independent production company The 2 Jons, a joint venture between executive producer John Molloy and investment banker Jon Adgemis. Richard has been a producer on the drama series The Gloaming, which premiered on Stan in early 2020. In 2020 he co-produced the digital short form drama The Tailings, which launched on SBS On Demand in April 2021 and on US platform Topic in September 2021. The 2 Jons is currently in post-production on the drama series Barons which will premiere on ABC Television in 2022. Prior to The 2 Jons, Richard was a freelance TV producer. His credits include seven series of Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell (ITV Studios/ABC), comedy panel quiz Dirty Laundry Live (ABC) and John Safran’s Race Relations (ABC). In 2014 Richard created, wrote and co-produced the factual series Hipsters for SBS Television.
Events at AFTRS
9 Mar 2021: Celebrating Women
with Corrie Chen, Debbie Cuell, Leah Purcell, Laurie Critchley and Samantha Strauss
13 Apr 2021: From Concept to Broadcast
with Rikkie Proost, Deb Spinocchia and Majella Wiemers
8 June 2021: Te Ao Maori: Making 'Cousins'
with Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace-Smith and Amy Thunig
10 August 2021: Passion Projects
with Annabel Crabb, Stamatia Maroupas, Jane Castle ACS, Tiriki Onus and Alec Morgan
14 Sept 2021: Podcasting Powerhouses
with Marc Fennell, Jesse Klass, Marlee Silva and Alex Mitchell
19 Ocyt 2021: The Female Frame
with Gillian Armstrong, Samantha Lang, Vanessa Gazy, Unjoo Moon and Hattie Archibald
Meet the Creators @ AFTRS & ACMI
Join us for a series of free, in-person and live-streamed events for the screen and broadcast industry presented by AFTRS, ACMI, Film Victoria and Media Mentors Australia.
