Screen Queensland Reveals Bigger Team To Meet Production Demand

Screen Queensland was seen as a haven for many film and TV productions during Covid. Now that restrictions are being eased around the world, the production body General manager Kylie Munnich has ambitious plans to maintain the investment momentum in the state.

One of these plans is unveiled today: to recruit staff to best respond to the increase in production activity.

“Our growing content team has gradually joined us over the past six months,” Munnich said. Media Week. “These are the content directors who deal directly with the industry when it comes to screen funding and development.

“We now have a good mix of story-and-fact skills and our new First Nations leader.”

[See below for content team details]

Munnich said the newcomers are helping the department meet growing demands for the use of state production facilities from both new domestic and international companies. “As the team grew, we wanted to make sure we were really well covered in all skills. We’ve always had a good experience in scripted, now we’ve expanded it, and in particular we now provide more support to factual producers.

“Getting back-to-back seasons of Australian survivor in Queensland last year gave us a reason to make sure we had competent people in all areas of television and film.

The Network 10 series had never before been filmed in Australia, but the conditions motivated broadcaster and production house Endemol Shine Australia to work in Queensland. “The discounts [for filming Australian Survivor] in Fiji are very compelling, but there were plenty of other good reasons to stay ashore and film in Australia and Queensland,” Munnich explained.

Increased Screen Queensland production

“We had our best production financial year in Queensland, almost double the previous year. Just under $500 million in production spending in Queensland. This made us the second state in terms of production value behind New South Wales. »

Munnich said the newcomers both shoot on location statewide and use studio facilities.

“We have long-term projects. Nautilusthe Disney+ series which is now at Village Roadshow studios, has been around for almost 12 months, giving a lot of people a lot of work to do.

“We are always busy attracting new businesses to the state. Just last week we announced the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel which will be on the Gold Coast in mid-2022.

On set with Aquaman in Queensland

Screen Queensland is working hard to maintain recent momentum. “Inquiries about working here have not slowed down. Australia lacks the scenic space to accommodate anyone who wants to come to the country.”

The state production chief has just returned from a trip to the UK where Munnich visited all the major sound stages, including Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios. “The scale of production in the UK is mind-boggling. Australia has many opportunities to increase the arrival of international productions. Of course, we always want to support local producers, but there is a great chance to capture more of the international market.

“This requires a commitment to more sound stages and a commitment from all levels of government to encourage this work.”

One of the biggest construction projects for the UK industry is Sky Studios Elstree with 13 sound stages launched this year. Munnich, who previously worked in the UK at Sky, noted that they should be the greenest studios in the world.

“Every studio complex in the UK is expanding – Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios and Warner Bros Studios Leavesden – to keep up with demand.”

Munnich noted that NBCUniversal-owned Sky has such an ambitious slate of original content that Sky will be the new facility’s biggest customer.

Roadshow Village Studios

Screen Queensland production plant expansion

“We are building a studio in Cairns and currently hope to have the site up and running later in 2022,” Munnich said of the local expansion. “The Queensland Government has also committed to constructing a production center on the Gold Coast. We have Screen Queensland studios in Brisbane which have been full for most of the pandemic.

“We have a smaller footprint than places like Village Roadshow Studios, and are targeting local production centers with the new facilities in Cairns and the Gold Coast.”

Queensland is also considering investing in an LED volume stage. Munnich explained: “We saw what they had at Warner Bros Leavesden which I believe is the biggest in the world. The Mandalorian for example was filmed on an LED stage. These are large LED screens that sit behind a stage and can project with absolute clarity, much more than a green screen, a background. It’s virtual production. AFTRS launched its own LED screen in partnership with Matchbox Pictures and federal government funding.

“We are very committed to getting one in Queensland and have been discussing with industry how we can provide it.”

Need more industry professionals

Alongside the new production facilities that we so badly need, we need more qualified personnel. “Every state and territory production agency and Screen Australia are all looking to address the skills shortage issue,” Munnich said. “We are part of a workforce capacity task force led by Ausfilm. We’re looking at building capacity across the industry skill set over the long term.

Screen Queensland’s growing content team

Screen Queensland Content Manager Mags Scholes said the new appointments give the agency in-house expertise and the ability to expand its commitment to supporting local production and developing talent across games, factual, scripted series, feature films and short films, including First Nations and diverse content.

“I am thrilled to introduce this talented group who together bring broad industry understanding and fresh ideas to a wide range of storytelling platforms,” Scholes said.

Recent appointments to Screen Queensland’s content team include:

Jed Dawson – Director of games and SQhub
Dawson began his career at Halfbrick Studios as a designer, followed by team lead and product manager roles. He then co-founded indie game studio Affable Games, where he worked for over four years. Dawson orchestrated partnerships with local and international publishers to launch games in new markets and conducted several international marketing campaigns.

Phil Enchelmaier – Content Director
Enchelmaier began his career as a freelance writer and script coordinator on series such as Mako Mermaids 2 and Wanted to. He is co-creator/co-writer of the International Emmy Award-winning mini-series Safe Harbor (Matchbox Pictures/SBS). Most recently, he served as co-creator and lead writer of the 10-part Audible audio drama shadow of the sunproduced by Hoodlum.

Ian Lynch – Content Director
Lynch joins Screen Queensland after a career in the UK that spanned over two decades, as well as projects for US and Australian broadcasters. He is an experienced producer, director and crew manager in the creative production of network, online and streaming content. Lynch’s Australian credits include the ABC Foreign correspondent and Four corners, as well as working for SBS and Audible Australia. His international credits include BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITN, Sky, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS and HGTV.

Lucy Markovitch

Lucy Markovitch – Content Director
Markovich joins Screen Queensland from Chop Shop Post where she was an EP on projects including Ludo Studios’ award-winning children’s animation Bluey. She has worked in the arts and entertainment industry in Australia and overseas as a producer, writer, director, digital art curator, event producer, marketing consultant and even as a roadie.

Joseph Meldrum – Program Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Content
Born in the Northern Territory, Meldrum grew up in rural areas around Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and Katherine and her family are Gangulu from central Queensland. He joins Screen Queensland after three years in Vancouver, Canada, working in film and television as an assistant producer, cameraman and set lighting technician. His Canadian credits include an independent feature JFC (Lionsgate), big budget reality show Gold Rush (Discovery Channel) and a major Hollywood production Peacemaker (HBO).

Destination Queensland

• In 2020-21, Screen Queensland secured 41 productions (including games) in total, injecting around $478 million into the local economy and creating around 5,500 jobs for Queenslanders.

• In the 2020-21 financial year, 8 of the 13 international productions brought to Australia through the Federal Government’s localization incentive shot in Queensland.

Recent projects include
Young Rock Filmed at Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane with some Gold Coast scenes
Joe versus Carol On screen now on Stan in Australia and Peacock in the US
Irreverent Golden Coast
Thirteen Lives Gold Coast (released November 18)
spider head – Golden Coast
The portable door – Golden Coast
Nautilus – Filming Gold Coast now
The Savages – Gold Coast (release May 6)

Godzilla vs Kong sequel is coming to Queensland