Funding approvals 2023-24 ENTERPRISE ENTERPRISE PEOPLE Travis Akbar: Award-winning filmmaker Travis Akbar, a Wongutha man living on Peramangk country in South Australia was mentored by Steph Lady (Frankenstein, Dr. Dolittle). He was selected for prestigious programs like AFTRS 2019/20 State and National Talent Camps. He was a finalist in the 2022 AACTA Regional Landscapes competition and participated in Australians-in-Films Untapped Program and SAFC's Film Lab 2. Travis's portfolio includes documentaries, music videos, and short films. His award-winning short film Tambo premiered at SXSW Sydney 2023 and featured at the Adelaide Film Festival. Travis attended Screen Forever through Netflix and Screen Producer Australia's Broad Horizons initiative and was invited to Cannes-Film-Festival as part of AFF Goes-to-Cannes. He won Best Emerging First Nations Screen Practitioner at the 2024 South Australian Screen Awards. Travis will embark on a 12-month placement at Dicentium Films, focusing on script development, production methodology, budgeting and business management with producers Judd Tilyard and Liz Tomkins. Kacie Anning: A writer, director and executive producer. She is the creator, writer, director and executive producer of the Prime Video series Class of ’07, which was released in 2023 to critical acclaim. Kacie recently worked as set up director and executive producer on the forthcoming series Madam starring Rachel Griffiths, which won Best Comedy Series at Berlin Series Festival and Monte Carlo Television Festival. Kacie directed on the Prime comedy series Upload for showrunner Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks & Recreation), the Disney+ comedy Diary of a Future President, and was the sole director of the first season of The Other Guy for Stan. She has won two Australian Directors Guild awards. Kacie will undertake a six-month placement with US company Paper Planes, who produced Your Honour for CBS and Tehran for Apple TV, to develop her executive producer skills and develop as a creator in the one-hour drama space. Laki Baker: A respected producer and director with a 30-year career, Laki recently Series Produced and Directed Maggie Beer’s Big Mission for the ABC with Artemis Media. The breadth of her experience is vast, having worked with major production companies and networks on everything from MasterChef to Getaway, AFL and Cricket. Starting as a ‘cable hand’ for Network 10 Perth aged 17 – she was keen to learn every aspect of the industry. She spent 16 years in Sydney, working her way up and forging a name for herself. Moving back to Perth brought new opportunities - working in live sports and starting her own production company, Colour Productions. Laki’s passion for storytelling drives her career and she’s looking forward to growing her career, working with Artemis Media, under the guidance of Celia Tait where she will expand her knowledge of production company operations and gain further experience as a director and producer. Allison Brownmoore: A BAFTA nominated film maker with over 20 years’ experience working on US and UK films and episodic. She combines an eclectic background in design and animation with an unwavering passion for thoughtful storytelling. She is founder of design/animation studio Past Curfew, specialising in narrative driven design and animation. She's been on juries for D&AD, BAFTA, IFTA and animation/design panels across film festivals internationally. She has collaborated on 24 Sundance films and Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA award winners. Her awards and nominations include SXSW, BAFTA, London Film Awards, Cinema Eye Honors Awards and New York State International. Allison will undertake her placement with female helmed SAM Content (Every Little Thing, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles) where she will develop her skills as a director, with a focus on expanding her skillset into live action. Sarah Carroll: An award-winning Pasifika, queer and neurodiverse writer, performer and producer working on Dharug Land. Carroll (she/they) has two successful one woman shows under her belt, Cherry (Sydney Fringe Award Winners and Hollywood Fringe Nominee) and Unkissed (Shopfront – ArtsLab). They have participated in the AFTRS Talent Camp, Midsumma Pathways, Brand X Ground Zero, Accessible Arts NSW, Q Theatre Lab and Performing Lines Producer Platform. Carroll’s writing work has been published with ACON (Stories Out West) and they were part of Screen Australia’s inaugural Access Coordinator training program. Carroll will undertake a 12-month placement with Jessica Magro at Purple Carrot Entertainment - known for producing 'Bad Ancestors' - the first ever Pacific-Australian comedy series. Carroll will receive hands-on experience as a development producer working across a diverse slate of Pasifika, BIPOC and LGBTIQA+ led factual and scripted projects. This will fast-track her skills as an emerging screen producer and writer. Ruby Davis: Ruby graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting). During her time there, Ruby completed traineeships with Roadshow Films and was the 2019 recipient of the Australian Writers’ Guild Mentorship Award. She wrote and produced a concept pilot of her graduating script and has also worked across a variety of short films and music videos. From 2022-2023, Ruby worked on Adam Elliot’s upcoming feature Memoir of a Snail. Most recently, she has worked as the production manager on Maria Madeira’s video art installation Kiss and Don’t Tell, and the children’s feature Magic Beach. Ruby will undertake a twelve-month placement at Arenamedia where she will develop skills as a creative producer across Arenamedia projects, build her own slate and gain hands-on experience in an international market. Michael Drake: A development executive, writer and script producer, and executive producer who has managed development slates for broadcast and independent production companies. He has worked across live action and animated series including Crazy Fun Park, The PM’s Daughter, Space Nova and Strange Chores S2, the latter two of which he was the ABC’s executive producer. Michael also script produced S2 of the Logie nominated series Beep and Mort. Michael co-created, and script produced multiple series at ABC including Soundtrack to Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse, the first serialised drama produced in-house at ABC Me. Drake’s six-month placement is with BAFTA and Emmy winning Canadian production company Sinking Ship Entertainment (Odd Squad, Beyond Black Beauty, Endlings). Michael will work with Emmy Award-winning producer Carla de Jong and the executive team, where he will get hands-on experience pulling together finance, and mounting productions for the international market. Chris Eley: An award-winning documentary writer and director who has made films for broadcasters around the world including ABC, SBS, the BBC, Channel 4, Sky Arts, Arte and France Television. His most recent work is the soon to be broadcast 3-part SBS series Australia: An Unofficial History, which he created for Stranger than Fiction Films. He is the recipient of a BAFTA for best single documentary (as Producer of Chosen, 2009) and was also nominated for Best Factual Series (as the Series Producer/ Director of 15,000 Kids and Counting, 2015). He will undertake a six-month placement in Paris with premium factual producers ZED productions. Consistently ranked in the RealScreen100, ZED are one of France’s most vibrant and internationally focussed documentary producers. Chris will work with them to learn more about large scale international co-production, while further developing his own slate of ideas. Lina Foti: AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter and showrunner Lina creates, develops, and produces original IP for international audiences with partners worldwide. Among her credits, Development Artist/Producer for an upcoming Sony Pictures Television Kids production; Executive Producer of Enanimation/Gaumont kids comedy series Tiny Head, Producer/Showrunner/Writer of preschool series Nina & Olga; Script Producer/Writer of preschool global brand Pocoyo and Executive Producer/Development for Academy-award winning Lion Forge Animation. Lina co-created a primetime Sci-Fi series with 7-time Emmy winner Dan Curry, VES, DGA, ASC, ADG, noted for his work on Star Trek and over 100 feature film and television productions, and award-winning filmmaker Devin Curry. During her International placement in Los Angeles, Lina will learn the art of developing high-end IP and showrunning from Rockne O’Bannon, creator/showrunner of five highly-regarded speculative-fiction series — Alien Nation (based on his 1988 film), Farscape, SeaQuest DSV (with Steven Spielberg), Defiance, and Cult, and Executive Producer on Revolution, Constantine, and Evil. Sam Icklow: An award-winning writer, director, and development executive, Sam is a graduate of UCLA's MFA in Directing. Their recent screenwriting credits include While The Men Are Away (SBS), for which they also completed a Screen NSW supported director's attachment. Other notable projects include the queer digital comedy Apricot (Slamdance, Outfest, Nashville) and horror short The Moth, adapted from the short story by S.J. Norman. Sam will undertake a 12-month placement with Marta Dusseldorp and Ben Winspear's Archipelago Productions, the team behind ABC's hit series Bay of Fires. This placement will allow Sam to work on high-profile projects, collaborate with leading industry professionals, gain screen credits, and advance their own project development. Shelly Lauman: An award-winning writer/director. Classically trained as an actor, her filmmaking career is preceded by nearly a decade of work on Australia’s most prestigious stages. Earning her MFA at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, her multi-award-winning graduate film Woman Outside screened at numerous international film festivals. Shelly is the inaugural recipient of the Australian Directors’ Guild/Metro Screen Production Fellowship, with which she made her short film Birdie. Birdie premiered at MIFF, TIFF and was acquired by Searchlight Pictures. Shelly also received a nomination for Best Direction in a Short Film at the Australian Directors’ Guild Awards. Shelly will undertake a 12-month placement at Easy Tiger Productions. Working across development and production, she will further her skills as a creator, writer and director, building her personal slate and gaining a deeper understanding of market demands of TV formats, both creatively and from a business perspective. Isaac Coen Lindsay: Editor, director and screenwriter, Lindsay comes from the Riverland, Berri South Australia and is a member of the Ngarrindjeri Tribe. His feature film career is bookended by an attachment position on Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country, and Editor of Rolf de Heer’s Berlinale Competition, FIPRESCI-winning film The Survival of Kindness. Lindsay is a sought-after editor, and emerging writer, director and producer whose 2024 slate of work has included editing DEM MOB’s music video for DIP, webseries The Hairy Marys, three factual short films, and co-directing and editing short documentary A Blackprint to Success among others. For the next twelve months he will join We Made a Thing Studios, the Adelaide-based production company specialising in creative development, production, virtual production and multi-platform storytelling. Lindsay will be developing skills across all aspects of running a screen business, while contributing to Wemat’s slate of projects, and developing his first feature film. Courtney Mulvay: An emerging creative producer from Perth who has forged a unique path in the screen industry. After graduating from AFTRS in 2014, Courtney worked in numerous art departments on renowned Australian films and TV series before moving to the UK in 2019. There, she worked on acclaimed Scottish series Outlander and gained experience as an Assistant Producer at documentary production company Parcel of Rogues. In 2023, Courtney was selected for TRC Media's FormatLab traineeship (funded by BBC, Channel 4 and Screen Scotland) which consisted of intensive training with industry experts from across the UK, followed by a placement as a development researcher at Ricochet in Glasgow. Courtney moved back to Australia in 2024 and is excited to continue her career in factual and entertainment development back home. Courtney will be undertaking a 12-month placement with award winning director/producer Nel Minchin at her production company Wheels Rolling (The Way We Wore) where she will develop skills as a creative producer, creator and writer, develop Wheels Rolling's slate, and gain hands-on directing and producing experience. Georgia Noe: A producer currently completing her first micro-budget feature, French Girls by writer/director Hyun Lee, Georgia’s work has been acquired by the New York Times and she has produced numerous successful short films including The Dancing Girl and The Balloon Man by writer/director David Ma which has won multiple accolades, most notably Best Short at both Sydney Film Festival 2023 as well as St Kilda Film Festival 2024, and How Can I Help You by writer/director Eliza Scanlen which has reached the US festival circuit. Georgia will undertake a 12-month placement with Studiocanal Australia’s production arm Cultivator Films, under the mentorship of Marcus Gillezeau, Greg Denning and CEO Elizabeth Trotman, focusing on discovering and producing diverse stories that are commercially viable by leveraging marketplace metrics. Georgia’s placement coincides with the post production of Kangaroo, and the theatrical release of multiple blockbusters including Paddington in Peru and 200% Wolf. Nadia Townsend: A writer, director, actor, and a renowned screen dramaturg. Recent credits include Boy Swallows Universe, Black Snow, Mad Max Fury Road/Furiosa, Thor: Love and Thunder, Mortal Kombat II, Latecomers, Year Of and Critical Incident. Nadia's 12-month placement is with award-winning production company Aquarius Films; Love Me, The Unusual Suspects, The Other Guy and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated Lion. Nadia will be mentored by co-founders Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford, with a focus on long-form drama and comedy script development. She will be working across Aquarius' current development slate: training in story development, financing, writers rooms and the process of bringing a project from concept to production. Anna Vincent: A producer of scripted and documentary films, Anna’s recent credits include true crime feature The Speedway Murders (currently in release in USA) and family drama Chasing Wonders (Starz); with recent executive producer credits on Golda (starring Helen Mirren); and The Miracle Club (starring Maggie Smith). Anna will be based in the UK, under the mentorship of Chris Curling of Zephyr Films – renowned producer of over 35 features, many European co-productions, from the Oscar-nominated The Last Station to the ground-breaking and award-winning My Son the Fanatic. Anna’s six-month Enterprise placement will focus on the development and financing of larger-scale features and international co-productions. Joshua Yasserie: Josh is a Wiradjuri-Bulgundrahmine, First Nations man from diverse communities in NSW and spent most of his life in Mackay, QLD among his father's family and the ASSI/Kanakas community. Working with First Nation Creatives- NAISDA Dance, Bangarra Dance, WellMob. Mainstream Collaborations - Orana Arts, Vivid 2023, ABC - Indigenous, Sydney Museum. Josh has been creating his style and brand in design and story. Josh’s most recent work includes Kingsland a project funded through ABC and Screen Australia’s 2023 Fresh Blood that can be seen on YouTube and ABC. Josh will undertake a 12-month placement with Studio Gilay (Sydney/Gadigal), specialising in First Nations Animation. Josh will gain experience and knowledge of the day-to-day management of an Animation studio production that contains First Nations content making and collaborations. Acquiring the skills and techniques, Josh will continue to develop his animation business Catching Fire as one of Australia’s fully owned and operated First Nation Animation Studio. Debbie Zhou: A creative producer, lawyer and arts critic. Recognised as a Screen Producers Australia's Ones To Watch in 2022, she has accrued in-house experience at Matchbox Pictures, where she worked across business affairs, legal, and production. Her credits include Screen NSW Producers' Attachment on ABC drama House of Gods, Associate Producer on ABC iView online series 8 Nights Out West, and Producers’ Assistant on Here Out West. As an alum of Berlinale Talents and Melbourne International Film Festival's Critics Campus, her criticism work appears in The Guardian, The Big Issue and the ABC. Debbie will undertake a 6-month placement with Fable Pictures (Rocks, Wild Rose, Stan & Ollie) in London, where she will gain hands-on development experience across their slate of feature film and television projects. This opportunity aims to escalate her creative skills and build international industry relationships, furthering her goal of producing distinctive multicultural stories for global audiences. ENTERPRISE BUSINESS Artemis Media: Celia Tait is managing director of Artemis Media, based in Fremantle, Western Australia. Artemis produces award winning ‘stand out’ high quality factual TV and is renowned for stories that inspire, delight and inform and which have social impact. Artemis was established in 2000 with the late Brian Beaton. Celia has Executive Produced hundreds of hours including Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, Ningaloo Nyinggulu, Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, 4 seasons of Every Family has a Secret, Storm in a Teacup, New Leash on Life, Don’t Stop the Music, and 7 seasons of Who Do You Think You Are? Enterprise funding will assist in the expansion of Artemis’s company business structure to include a key strategic position to help sustain growth off the back of its continued success, and a targeted international strategy to increase sustainability including slate diversity into new platforms. Djali House: Formed in 2020 by Hunter Page-Lochard and Stephen Page, Djali House is a production company that aims to create a stomping ground for First Nations and diverse creatives to develop unique and distinctive stories. Djali House will encourage creatives to become the keepers and carers of the stories they share with the world. Enterprise will support Djali House in growing as a company, allowing First Nations and Bla(c)k creatives to feel nurtured whilst trying to navigate the global market, building commercially sustainable and creatively fulfilling pathways in the screen industry for future generations. Factor 30 Films: Headed by producer Melissa Kelly, Factor 30 Films is a production company committed to producing diverse screen content that engages, entertains, and enlightens audiences worldwide with a focus on women in the lead on and off screen. Recent credits include the 12x30 min comedy mystery series Population 11 for Stan, Lionsgate and Jungle Entertainment, the two-part documentary series Laura’s Choice for ABCTV by Sam Lara and Cathy Henkel, and the award-winning Hounds of Love by writer/ director Ben Young which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. With Enterprise funding, the company will be able to hire Development Executive, Adam Bishop, and a UK based representative to manage the growing slate of feature film and television projects. This will allow Factor 30 to expand and position itself as a viable production company that develops high-quality Western Australian stories and screen creatives. indiVisual films: Founded by Ana Tiwary on the lands of the Gadigal People, indiVisual films - international champions authentic, multicultural stories for global audiences. Collaborating with some of Australia’s most compelling and exciting new voices, the company’s rich slate includes Just Chidi Things, Brown Sheilas, One of the Good Ones, Whistle in the Mist and Writer’s Last Story. Screen Australia’s Enterprise funding will support Ana in pitching the slate at key international markets to build connections with distributors and kindle new partnerships. A special focus will be on catapulting stories that connect India to Australia and spark international co-productions. The funding will also see indiVisual films - international growing the team to welcome Katrina Irawati Graham as Development Producer. The highly experienced team will drive change by developing cultural safety, access and impact strategies that will be shared for the benefit of the wider screen community. Kapwa Studioworks: A 100% Filipino-Australian owned animation studio founded by Oscar-shortlisted writer, director and producer Robertino Zambrano, best known for the Academy Award-shortlisted animated short, Love in the Time of March Madness, the Annecy-winning poetry animation, TED-Ed: Accents and Billie Eilish’s Not My Responsibility interlude in the Grammy-nominated film Happier Than Ever (Disney+). Enterprise will support Kapwa to set up a dedicated Film and Episodic Division with the goal of developing a diverse-first slate focused on creating culturally powerful content - for and by the Filipino-Australian community. The mission is to boost Filipino representation locally and globally, on-screen, and behind the camera - particularly in business and creative leadership roles. Kapwa will expand under Enterprise to include Dulce Aguilar (Development Executive) to work in partnership with Zambrano to develop the slate in addition to the existing team. Kapwa is currently in development on their Digital Originals animated series, Fish Boi (SBS). Lantern Pictures: Newly founded by writer-showrunner Sarah Lambert (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The Messenger, Lambs of God), director-writer Jane Manning (Back to Nature, Ka-Ching! Pokie Nation) and lawyer and media executive Andrew Lambert (formerly Foxtel’s Director of Business Affairs, ABC Commercial’s General Manager, and Director of Content and Commercial at Lightbox-Neon, Sky NZ), with a mantra to produce bold, creatively ambitious shows for a local and global audience by implementing a showrunner-led model that places writers and creatives at the heart of the production process. With the Enterprise funding Lantern will be exploring innovative development models and best practises to benefit its projects (and hopefully, in time, the broader Australian industry), deepen its production slate in collaboration with other writers and producers, and create an outward-facing international strategy by applying world market rigour to distinctive, female-led, diverse premium productions. Lone Star Company: A ground-breaking 100% owned Torres Strait Islander First Nations production company with a decade-long track record in the industry. Known for their outstanding work on the landmark Torres Strait Islander documentary series Blue Water Empire and the unscripted documentary series Strait to the Plate, Lone Star Company is dedicated to bringing scripted projects to a global audience. With the support of Enterprise, the company aims to enhance its competitive edge in the global marketplace and produce a diverse range of projects that resonate with international viewers. By creating opportunities for both established and emerging First Nations talents, Lone Star Company continues to champion diversity and inclusivity both on and off the screen. Through strategic international partnerships facilitated by Enterprise, Lone Star is poised to establish a sustainable business model in today's dynamic global screen industry. Mad Ones Films: Founded by producers Cyna Strachan and Liam Heyen, Mad Ones Films has produced a catalogue of award-winning short films that have screened at festivals such as SXSW, TIFF, and Tribeca. Their first foray into episodic was the groundbreaking SBS series Latecomers - produced with Lazy Susan Films - which was the first Digital Originals series sold and broadcast internationally. Mad Ones is currently in production on their first feature - JIMPA - an international co-production produced alongside Closer Films, directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. They have several co-productions in development with companies including Ludo Studio, Brouhaha Entertainment and Third Act Stories and are committed to championing stories from the LGBTQI+ and Disability communities, and female/non-binary filmmakers. Enterprise funding will allow Mad Ones to leverage the company’s current momentum with a view toward developing a presence internationally and will include hiring a Development Executive. Magpie Pictures: Founded by award winning producer Lois Randall, Magpie Pictures is a female led company with a growing reputation for supporting fresh authentic storytelling and producing bold distinctive television. Credits include the SBS drama series Swift Street, created by Tig Terera, that had its world premiere in competition at Canneseries 2024, and the acclaimed live-action children’s series Grace Beside Me for NITV, ABC and The Disney Channel. Enterprise will support a market-facing slate and business development strategy for Magpie Pictures, including engaging Claire Lindsay and Ree Evans in a job-share Development Producer position, and Matthew Kelly as Consulting Business Executive, as well as establishing an Advisory Board and advanced slate development. The overall aim is to build Magpie Pictures as a thriving globally connected company producing world class scripted content from Bundjalung Country in regional NSW. New Mac: The production company behind hit YouTube channel Never Too Small – with over 2.7 million subscribers and 250 million views – and online documentary series Small Footprint and Wonderful Waste (winner of an IF design award). Through the provision of specialist mentorship, increased exposure to international markets, and bolstering data analytics capabilities, Enterprise will support New Mac to expand its online business, fully exploit Never Too Small’s potential in the global market and diversify its slate by launching new multi-platform brands across online and broadcast that respond to audience trends. Never / Sleep Pictures: A Sydney-based film production company founded in 2021 by filmmakers Kate Glover and Nathan Lewis. Never / Sleep Pictures’ core goal is to produce quality independent films with brilliant new talent. Since its inception, Never / Sleep Pictures has produced three debut director feature films - Jamie Childs’ Jackdaw, Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Hot Milk and Charles Williams’ Inside. The Enterprise funding will provide Never / Sleep Pictures with the opportunity to strengthen international relationships, collaborate on co-productions, launch their current development slate and expand the team by hiring a production and development executive. No Coincidence Media: Indigenous production company No Coincidence Media, founded by Wiradjuri producer, Mitchell Stanley, was built upon documentary filmmaking centred on truth telling with films Servant or Slave, and Warwick Thornton’s, The Beach. No Coincidence Media is driven by developing and producing Indigenous led stories locally including Jon Bell’s, The Moogai, winning the Audience Award for Best Australian Feature Film at Sydney Film Festival, and international co production We Are Still Here, winner of Best Narrative Film at ImagineNATIVE Film Festival Toronto. Screen Australia Enterprise will support the company in expanding its productions with the appointment of Rhea Stephenson as the Head of Production and a producer’s assistant, to build upon its success in delivering First Nations led feature films and documentaries, expanding relationships with international First Nations practitioners and filmmakers through having a presence at international film markets, developing an online marketing strategy, and establishing a Brisbane office. Pandamonium Films: Established in 2021 by writer/producer Shontell Leah Ketchell, Pandamonium Films is a First Nations, female-led, owned and operated production company based in Cairns, Far North Queensland. The company specialises in creating and telling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories across scripted and factual formats. With a commitment to cultural safety, truth-telling, and authentic representation, Pandamonium Films views storytelling as an essential tool to inform, challenge stereotypes, empower, humanise, and highlight the diversity and talent of their community. The company is determined to expand its reach and continue producing content that features First Nations perspectives and use the Enterprise Business funding to enhance sustainability, business and market knowledge and enable new strategic industry partnerships. These connections aim to bring the stories of Far North Queensland to a broader national and international audience. Shop 15 Productions (SLAG Productions): An LGBTQIA+ owned production company passionate about telling diverse stories with a queer and female gaze. Their series The Formal was ground-breaking in its one-minute episodes for TikTok and enabled them to create and sustain a highly engaged audience of over 150,000 people across four seasons and multiple platforms, resulting in upwards of 12 million views and millions of likes. Their subsequent series Touch aired on YouTube and TikTok and gained upwards of 6 million views to a global audience within a few short months. With the help of the Enterprise program, Shop 15 Productions will focus on enhancing and diversifying its slate, improving company structure and transitioning into longform. Ten 4 Media (T4M): A leading production company based in the Northern Territory, specializing in high-quality observational documentaries that capture unique stories and landscapes. With a strong commitment to regional storytelling, T4M has developed a robust slate of projects that resonate with global audiences. T4M has a proven track record with successful projects such as Cult Cars, a Foxtel Original, and Outback Ringers, commissioned by the ABC. With the support of Screen Australia’s Enterprise funding, T4M will expand its production capabilities by hiring key personnel, enhancing marketing efforts, and helping to secure project funding from non-traditional sources. This funding will enable T4M to accelerate project development, increase local employment, and support emerging practitioners within the NT. The initiative will not only bolster T4M’s growth but also contribute to the sustainability and vibrancy of the Northern Territory’s screen industry, ensuring its stories continue to reach and engage audiences worldwide. Thousand Mile Productions: Founded in 2020 by MahVeen Shahraki and David Kelly, the company has swiftly emerged as a dynamic force in the film production industry with a focus on bringing diverse and socially conscious projects to the screen. Among the team's notable successes are the AACTA-winning and beloved Ellie & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt)directed by Monica Zanetti, and The Rooster directed by Mark Leonard Winter, another AACTA-winning film that gained prominence in the 2023 festival circuit. Thousand Mile Productions' distinguished collaboration with first-time directors showcases its ability to identify and nurture emerging talent. With the support of the Enterprise program, the company will collaborate with Industry experts to work on achieving sustainable growth, expanding the company’s slate, reviewing market analytics and strategic pathways to the audience. Walking Fish: A boutique production company that specialises in character studies, quirky stories and documentaries that reflect extraordinary access. Based in Melbourne, Walking Fish’s titles include AACTA-nominated and Asian Academy Creative Award-winning Clean which premiered at SXSW in 2022, Hakamada (Al Jazeera), Who I Am (10Play), Searching for the Tassie Tiger (VICE), Big in Japan (Amazon Prime), and two Screen Australia-supported feature documentaries currently in production (Guardians of the River and Mockbuster). Enterprise support will enable Walking Fish to grow sustainably by introducing a more rigorous and commercial development practice, that has the company working to market-informed focus areas. This will help the company move beyond a pipeline of one-off projects into series production, and compete globally in the premium space. Wild Pacific Media: An Emmy® Award-winning producer of meaningful documentaries that expand the audience’s understanding of our world and encourage stewardship of our planet, Wild Pacific Media’s catalogue of critically acclaimed television, theatrical and giant screen documentaries includes Australia’s Ocean Odyssey (ABC TV/Arte), Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival (Kismet), and Puff: Wonders of the Reef (Netflix). The Enterprise funding will support an ambitious strategy to leverage the specialty skills of Wild Pacific Media’s team and the growing reputation of the business to secure a competitive niche in an increasingly contracted global market via technical and editorial innovation, targeted skills development and expanded capacity in development. The funds will also support the launch of a co-development partnership with Bristol-based producer Patrick Morris and his company Impala Pictures, with the intention of bringing highly innovative Australian-based natural history projects to the global market.