Funding approvals
2023-24 Skills Development Fund

• We Bury the Dead - WBTD Film Productions Pty Ltd: WBTD Film Productions, operating as The Penguin Empire, is a production company based in Western Australia. This funding supports WBTD Film Productions in training three key personnel for the production of Zak Hilditch’s new survival thriller feature film, We Bury the Dead, in the Production Office, Art Department and Electrics – giving them the opportunities to train with established industry professionals.
• On-Set VFX Scanning & Digital Capture Tech - Myriad Studios VFX: Through a Skills Development Plan supported with this funding, Myriad Studios will provide targeted training, mentorship, and skill development opportunities to foster growth and proficiency in VFX Scanning and Digital Capture Technicians. Key practitioners will have the opportunity to work on active film productions - in turn building VFX Crew skills throughout Australia and supporting development in an area where there is a skills shortage.
• The Assembly - TAT Productions Pty Ltd: This funding will support TAT Productions (trading as Helium Pictures) on providing career training and development opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds. Recipients will receive a below-the-line credit on The Assembly, a documentary series commissioned by the ABC that follows Autistic trainee journalists as they learn and finesse their craft to prepare for interviewing Australia’s best-known personalities. The production is dedicated to destigmatising living and working with Autism. The recipients will benefit from skills and development growth opportunities and are supported by Bus Stop Films and Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia).
• Spit Films Skills Development - Spit Films Pty Ltd: Spit Films Pty Ltd is currently filming Spit, the sequel to the original Australian comedy classic Gettin’ Square. The production will use this funding to empower trainees to become more highly skilled in four identified below-the-line areas. These areas include implementing a Deaf Awareness Plan for cast and crew, led by Access Coordinator Stephanie Dower and Advocate for the Deaf Community and actress, Sofya Gollan.
• Costume Supervisor Pathway Program - Australian Production Design Guild (APDG): Established in 2009, the APDG represents designers and their associates in screen, live performance, events and digital production across Australia. Through this funding, APDG will receive support for their Costume Supervisor Pathway Program - a comprehensive training initiative to address the need for costume supervisors with the expertise to oversee large-scale productions. This will be achieved by upskilling three mid-career costume department practitioners in a new assistant costume supervisor position through a focused mentorship within a production, guided by a highly experienced costume supervisor. This dedicated position offers a specialised training opportunity, creating a pathway for potential costume supervisors, bridging the gap between existing roles and meeting the industry's increasing demand for local supervisors on large-scale, high-budget, and international productions.
• Return to Paradise - BBC Studios Productions Australia: BBC Studios Productions Australia aims to grow and support ongoing and fit-for-purpose skills development - creating opportunities for project attachments seeking future employment to leverage their participation on this project for subsequent future series of Return to Paradise and other BBC Studios Productions Australia projects. The core of the company’s Skills Training and Development Plan focuses on mentoring, shadowing and on-the-job training, which is paramount to the success of providing crew with a platform to learn and up-skill. Through this funding, BBC Studios Productions Australia aims to decrease the skills shortage currently being faced Australia-wide in the film and television industry while increasing opportunities for attachments to be employed either as part of the HOD’s team or in a similar role on other Australian productions. 
• Post Production Leadership Initiative - EndemolShine Australia: EndemolShine Australia is a television and digital production company with a focus on the production and post-production of unscripted and scripted content for domestic and international television broadcast. This funding will support EndemolShine’s Post Production Leadership Initiative, which aims to offer practical leadership mentoring, including targeted workshops and on-the-job guidance, to aid individuals in transitioning from storytelling roles to managerial positions as the industry experiences a shortage in executive producers and supervising producers. Through this initiative EndemolShine looks to support the needs of emerging post executive producers and supervising post producers as they prepare for senior positions across post production management roles on a number of upcoming series.
• Practical Production Office, Locations and Costume Department Skills Training - Invisible Boys Pty Ltd: With a boom in WA-based screen production activity, there is an opportunity to train additional production office, locations and costume department personnel. This funding aims to support the upcoming production of the Stan/Banijay 10 x 28-minute series Invisible Boys through Practical Production Skills Training – teaching and guiding a production assistant, an assistant locations manager and a standby costume assistant to put into practice the skill sets they need to create a strong foundation for future career pathways.
• Guck Academy - GUCK: Based in Victoria and led by company directors Hayley Percy (Wiradjuri) and Kati Elizabeth, GUCK have spent the past four years heavily investing into professional development, pre-production, community collaboration and consultation. GUCK currently employs eight First Nations on-going staff and a wide range of additional First Nations casual staff and contractors, and are committed to supporting people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups. Through this funding, GUCK will be expanding their commitment to investing in professional skills, leadership skills and creative cultural practice through Guckster Academy, to assist the needs of their team while enabling wellbeing, connection to culture and empowerment as they work to create Australia’s first Aboriginal-led mobile game.
• Iron Crab Level Up Initiative - Chaos Theory Games: Chaos Theory operates as a for-purpose business built upon a passion for games with a vision to enhance quality of life and inspire a more sustainable future through the magic of play. Over the past 12 years, Chaos Theory has worked to cultivate a team capable of realising this vision and launched over 150 games and interactive experiences designed to captivate, inspire, and transform players. With this support, Chaos Theory’s Iron Crab Level Up Initiative looks to equip their team with the skills necessary to excel in upcoming game productions including Crab God. This program will empower Chaos Theory’s gamemakers - ensuring they can meet the unique challenges of these projects and, in the broader context, contribute to the growth and innovation of the Australian video game industry.