Screen Queensland lays down new pathways for early career practitioners

Screen Queensland today unveiled its revitalised early career screen program constructed to build meaningful career pathways for emerging practitioners and industry workers seeking to develop and acquire new skills.

“As part of our commitment to foster a viable, strong and sustainable screen industry in Queensland and to ensure our Australian voices are kept on screen, we are focusing our early career screen program on screenwriting, multiplatform and digital storytelling as well as enabling greater accessibility for regional and Indigenous Queenslanders,” said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.

“Emerging practitioners are talented professionals who have already achieved some success in the industry through writing or producing material that has been made.

“This program will create vital pathways to take these professionals from the early stages of their development and grow their careers rapidly over the next few years which will result in more Queensland stories on screen.”

In 2014-2015, Screen Queensland will partner with Queensland-based New York Film Academy, Hoodlum, Bacon Factory Films and the Queensland Writers Centre to boost skills, lay the groundwork for job creation, and ensure Queensland practitioners are competitive in a global market.

$435,000 will be allocated to the early career screen program comprising $240,000 from Screen Queensland and $195,000 from Screen Australia and includes a diverse range of new and innovative programs.

The suite of programs will include:

New York Film Academy will present exclusive access to an international Showrunner through a master class and workshops;
Hoodlum, an internationally recognised and award-winning multiplatform entertainment company, will present a mentoring program to develop participants’ television or multiplatform projects to a market-ready stage;
Bacon Factory Films will offer a specifically-designed film and television program focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with one project to be produced in a regional location; and
Queensland Writers Centre will run three targeted programs including a creative development program, a professional and business development program and a professional and community networking opportunity.

“The early career screen program design follows years of extensive industry consultation with the screen guilds and professional organisations plus Screen Australia, as well as individual producers with extensive experience working with the emerging sector,” said Ms Vieira.

“The program will provide real outcomes and aims to elevate Queensland above the competition, open our doors to interstate and global business and take our stories out to the world.

“We believe our program will set the benchmark for emerging programs across the country.”

In the last few months Screen Queensland has worked swiftly to ensure that programs are being offered to emerging practitioners including initiatives with NITV, SBS and the Raw Nerve program, an initiative of Screen Queensland in collaboration with Screen Australia and ABCTV that supports the production of short films by new and emerging practitioners.

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For media enquiries, please contact:
Angela Samut
Communications and Marketing Manager | Screen Queensland
T +61 7 3248 0500 | M 0405 536 548
E asamut@screenqld.com.au