Grant Hardie, a RMIT film graduate, has worked within the Australian film industry for over twenty years in roles ranging from production through distribution. Since Monster Pictures’ inception in 2010, Grant has worked in various capacities within the company and is now Business Manager and Head of Sales. Grant’s passion for film harks back to late nights as a child, waiting for his parents to fall asleep before he would sneak out to the living room to catch a Hammer Horror film on television. This enthusiasm for genre cinema carried through Grant’s adult life and has proved a driving force behind co-founding Monster Pictures. In addition to being the financial manager for the annual Monster Fest in Melbourne, Grant also oversees coordination of year-round Monster Fest Presents satellite events. 

Sandra Sciberras is a screenwriter, director and producer currently in post-production on the action sniper feature film Seven Snipers starring Radha Mitchell, Tim Roth, Ioan Gruffudd and Ryan Kwanten. Under the banner of her production company, Sandy Pictures, Sandra recently completed post-production feature fantasy horror Dusk and online sci-fi series Silence. Previously, Sandra wrote and directed the award-winning drama The Caterpillar Wish, working alongside world-renowned cinematographer Grieg Fraser and editor Jason Ballantine, and the romantic drama Surviving Georgia.

Mitch Stanley is a Wiradjuri producer who started his producing career with ABC3 Kid’s show, Move It Mob Style, then four series of Colour Theory with Richard Bell and Tony Albert. He wrote and produced Servant or Slave, produced Warwick Thornton’s documentary television series The Beach, and produced the first Indigenous official co production between Australia and New Zealand We Are Still Here, which opened the Sydney Film Festival, was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win the Best Narrative Feature film at ImagineNative Film Festival. Mitch recently produced societal thriller and psychological horror The Moogai with Director Jon Bell and Causeway Films (The Babadook, Talk To Me) which was officially selected for competition in the Midnight Section of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival for 2024, and won the audience award for Best Australian Feature at the Sydney Film Festival in 2024 and CinefestOz’s Best Australian Feature Film with a $100k cash prize. 

After over 25 years in distribution with 20th Century Fox, Marc Wooldridge founded Maslow Entertainment in October 2020. Combining studio experience with a start-up mindset, the Sydney based distribution and production development company encourages new business models and smart strategic partnerships to help champion distinctive and commercially orientated filmed entertainment in an increasingly dynamic market. As well as acquiring and distributing a range of local and international features for the Australian market, Maslow also provides a number of talented local filmmakers with creative and commercial advice to help bring their projects to the screen.  As Managing Director of 20th Century Fox Film Distribution across Australasia for over ten years, Marc gained extensive industry knowledge, trusted relationships and a strong reputation for innovation and performance. Prior to that, he held various positions within Fox in Australia, UK and Japan, including Vice President of Marketing for Japan and Asia Pacific for nearly six years while living in Tokyo.  

Lana Greenhalgh began working with Foxtel in 2015 after leaving a career in the talent management industry to pursue her passion for television drama. She began as Scripted Production Coordinator working across Foxtel’s scripted production and development slate including Wentworth, A Place To Call Home, Picnic At Hanging Rock, Australia Day, Secret City: Under the Eagle, Lambs of God, The End and Upright. Lana was promoted to Director of Scripted Originals for the Foxtel Group in 2025 where she works on the strategy and execution of all Foxtel Group scripted commissions. She served as Executive Producer on Love Me Season 1 and 2, Upright Season 2, High Country, How To Make Gravy, Strife Season 1 and 2, The Twelve Season 1, 2 and 3, Colin From Accounts Season 1 and 2, The Last Anniversary, Mix Tape, upcoming series RUN, and most recently, a documentary on the late Brian Walsh. 

Nakul Legha comes to SBS after over three years as Content Executive at Netflix, where he helped develop and grow Netflix’s local content strategy in Australia & New Zealand. Nakul was a Creative Executive across Netflix’s pipeline of scripted and unscripted Australian Originals, including Boy Swallows Universe, Wellmania, Surviving Summer, Love is in the Air, Irreverent and ONEFOUR: Against All Odds. Nakul also led all local film and television licensing and co-productions for the global platform, which saw Australian content become top 10 hits globally such as Last Stop Larrimah, Run Rabbit Run, The Stranger, Fisk and Superwog. He made an historic co-commission with NITV for Eddie’s Lil’ Homies, an animated series based on children’s books by AFL legend Eddie Betts. Before Netflix, Nakul was an entertainment lawyer, most recently as Business and Legal Affairs manager at the ABC where he negotiated deals and distribution strategies for its original commissions, acquisitions and talent deals. Nakul’s work also focussed on industry initiatives for emerging and diverse talent, including At Home Alone Together, Fresh Blood and the ABC’s Inclusion and Diversity guidelines for commissioning. Nakul currently serves on the board of the Griffin Theatre Company, the only theatre company exclusively devoted to the development and staging of new Australian writing. He is a former member of the ABC Advisory Council. 

Katherine Brown is the Scripted Slate Manager for the ABC, helping to curate the broadcaster’s scripted slate. Katherine is an experienced media professional with a background in production, acquisitions, and development across major industry players, including the BBC, Universal Pictures and Stan.

Sophia Mogford is Head of Scripted and Comedy at Paramount Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), overseeing acclaimed titles including The Amazing Race Australia, The List, Fake, One Night, Playing Gracie Darling and other premium content across Network 10 and Paramount+ platforms. Since joining Paramount ANZ in October 2022 as Executive Producer for Drama and Comedy, Sophia has built an impressive portfolio featuring Ghosts Australia, Appleton Ladies Potato Race, Paper Dolls, the soon-to-be released Two Years Later, and comedies Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Gen and Sam Pang Tonight. She has also pioneered innovative partnership productions including Betoota Advocate Presents and The Inspired Unemployed [Impractical] Jokers. Prior to Paramount, Sophia served as Head of Entertainment at Eureka Productions for seven years, where she was the leading creative executive. Throughout her career, Sophia has demonstrated expertise across the complete television production spectrum—from development to delivery—spanning scripted series and features, unscripted comedy, international formats, music and chat shows, travel and adventure programming, formatted studio shows, live programming and event television across both Australian and UK markets. Her work has earned multiple prestigious accolades, including BAFTA, Telly Awards, AACTA and Logie wins and nominations. Sophia has managed projects across all major programming platforms and genres. She has overseen ratings and award winners across streaming services and free to air networks including, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Little Big Shots, Luxe Listings, Australian Ninja Warrior, It Takes Two, Australia’s Got Talent, Hamish & Andy, as well as collaboratively developing and creatively executing The Project. Prior to her Australian escapades Sophia had a successful 10-year career in the UK, spanning a diverse slate of projects across multiple genres and award-winning formats including the likes of The Big Breakfast, TFI Friday, Big Brother, and CBBC. 

Jason Behan is a senior media executive with over 20 years’ experience in content acquisition, international distribution, strategic partnerships and monetisation. He has worked across the full media spectrum—from theatrical, television, streaming and home entertainment to AVOD, FAST and social media platforms—helping creators unlock commercial value from their content. Jason held senior acquisition roles at Beyond and Universal Pictures Australia, where he served as Vice President of Acquisitions and led the commissioning of films, documentaries and series across multiple platforms. His work has spanned feature films, factual, children’s content and genre labels across anime, live comedy and sport. In 2022, he joined Totem Network as Director of Strategic Partnerships, developing global monetisation strategies for digital and social platforms. He later founded Summer Star Creative before launching his most ambitious venture: Apocalypso. Apocalypso, a joint venture with Like A Photon, is a media monetisation and distribution advisory built for the new era. It helps producers navigate today’s complex content landscape with smart strategy, global experience and a no-nonsense approach—ensuring content doesn’t just get seen but gets paid. 

Farhad Merher-Jomji is the Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at Changer, where he leads the development and execution of the company’s global programs in collaboration with partners like YouTube.  He has worked with some of the world’s most successful creators, helping them accelerate channel growth, diversify revenue streams and unlock the full potential of their audiences.  

Rakel Tansley is Head of Market at Screen Australia, where she provides analysis and works with producers to make sure they are getting the best commercial terms for their projects, and in turn, the best possible return for themselves and their investors. Rakel’s experience in the film and television industry spans for more than 30 years in various roles in production, postproduction, marketing and sales agents at companies including Seven Network, Global Television, TVSN, CTC Productions, Zealot Productions and Arclight Films.  

Kate Armstrong-Smith is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Othelia Technologies, a narrative design and management platform that assists content creators working across film, television, social and gaming in the curation and control of story-driven IP throughout the content development and production process. In her role, she is responsible for running the company’s operations in Sydney, Australia. Othelia’s flagship tool, Storykeeper, is scheduled to launch in beta this spring. Prior to Othelia, Armstrong-Smith was an award-winning creative producer/dramaturg with two decades of experience in cultural strategy and media asset management. Her career spans film, television, theatre and digital media, during which she has pioneered new formats of content storytelling working with international institutions, including the Sydney Festival, National Opera de France, Adelaide Arts Festival, TEDxSydney, Sydney Opera House and the ABC. Her audience development programs won the Ruby Award and earned her a Churchill Fellowship from The Winston Churchill Trust, which led her to devise cultural programs with National Theatre of Britain, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Gare des Mines Paris, St. Ann’s Warehouse and LACMA.  Armstrong-Smith holds an MBA in Screen Business from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), where she developed her thesis on the protection and valuation of cultural IP. 

Arul Baskaran is a media and innovation leader with a career spanning screen production, digital transformation and emerging technology.  As a founder of ABC iview, Arul helped shape Australia’s first major streaming service, redefining how audiences engage with public broadcasting. Most recently, Arul led the ABC Innovation Lab, a cross-disciplinary team dedicated to exploring the future of storytelling and audience engagement.  His work blends experimentation with impact—exploring new content formats, audience engagement strategies and editorial tools that deliver public value. As part of ABC’s AI working group, Arul spearheaded applied AI initiatives and developed organisation-wide principles and resources to guide responsible, values-driven adoption in content making. Previously, Arul has held leadership roles in product management and digital strategy across the media and cultural sector.  He holds a Master’s degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and is passionate about building ecosystems that empower creativity, foster collaboration and ensure technology serves the public good.  

Alex Flamsteed is the Co-Founder and CEO of Taste, an AI infrastructure company that protects and ignites the world’s most iconic IP through AI-powered gamification and hyper-personalised experiences. As a producer, he has shot a wide range of projects including over 50 music videos and commercials and a 20-episode online series Up in the Airlock starring Ian Haug (Powderfinger, The Church). Alex’s past is deeply rooted in the music industry, where he was the Co-Founder and agent at New Noise Agency, drummer for US band Guttermouth (2009–2016) and drummer for Bam Margera’s FFU (2013–2016).

Claire Pullen is Executive Director of the Australian Writers’ Guild and Group CEO of the Guild’s group of companies, including AWGACS. AWGACS is the collecting society for royalties for Australian and New Zealand screen authors, which distributes millions every year to writers. Her members’ work has been stolen by AI. Prior to working at the Guild, Claire was a Director at several large trade unions, both private and public sector. She led communications, media and campaign teams in unions and NGOs. She began her career as a union organiser, becoming an Industrial Officer and then senior Industrial Officer ensuring fair treatment for workers including paramedics, teachers’ aides, waitresses, morticians and firefighters. Claire drafted the landmark firefighter occupational cancer list now in place in every state and territory in Australia while completing her Masters of Labour Law from Sydney University. She has begun her Masters of Copyright Law, but as yet there are no signs of her finishing it.