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Gena Ashwell
Company Director/Producer of Dancing Road ProductionsGena Ashwell is a British/Australian creative producer, with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. Gena started at Pinewood Studios UK working on iconic television shows including My Family, The Weakest Link, Only Fools and Horses and Survivor. She then took on a range of production roles, working for a variety of companies and talent. In between production work she produced and project managed international large-scale projects for companies such as BP, Accenture, Barclays Bank and Celgene, winning an excellence award for her work at Celgene. Attracted to creative entrepreneurship, she decided to focus on producing, gaining experience with a number of executive producers and producers on feature film projects across development, financing and sales, including 4321 with Emma Roberts for Universal. At just 24 she produced her first low budget feature film Bad Day, which GQ magazine called “the most superior Brit cop film in recent history” and which was selected for a range of festivals. She then produced Gridiron UK which sold to Screen Media in the US. On relocating to Australia, Gena partnered with one of Australia’s most experienced producers Helen Leake AM to form dancing road productions. Gena was selected for the South Australian Film Corporation’s “Gender Agenda” program to be mentored by one of the most experienced independent producers in the business, Cassian Elwes (Mudbound, Lawless, The Butler), based in his Los Angeles office.
Back in Australia she undertook another mentorship with Angus Clunies Ross (Head of Sales for SONY Pictures Releasing). In 2018 she was selected by Screen Australia and Creative Content Australia as one of three mid-career producers to attend the 2018 International Movie Convention to meet with all the major international film studios. dancing road productions is an IP creation company and has built a strong international slate of projects and partners.
Lisa Duff
Head of Scripted at EQ Media GroupWith numerous award-winning credits to her name, Lisa Duff’s producing career spans over 20 years. Her feature film credits include producer of feature films 'Last Train to Freo', 'Last Cab to Darwin' starring Michael Caton and the Academy Award® nominated Jacki Weaver and 'Unindian', the first feature film financed by the Australia India Film Fund, starring Brett Lee and Tannishtha Chatterjee.
Lisa was producer of the critically acclaimed documentary 'Sexing the Label' for SBS and theatrical release in Australia, The Future Makers for Discovery Channel and a number of short TV dramas and documentaries for Australian broadcasters, including drama 'Road' for SBS and Leah Purcell’s short drama 'Aunty Maggie & The Womba Wakgun' for the ABC’s series 'The New Black'.
Lisa has completed a Masters thesis on the impact of the global film industry on Australian film making culture, has a Juris Doctor degree and most recently worked as a Senior Production Investment and Development Manager at Screen Australia for 5 years overseeing feature film and TV drama projects.
Chloe Gardner
Senior Producer at Beyond ContentChloe has a varied background involving performance, teaching, business management, entrepreneurship, travel, film production, directing and motherhood. Completing her MBA at the Laureate recognised – Torrens University Australia, in 2019, and winning the Winnovation Award for Creative Entrepreneurship in 2016, Chloe has been wearing many hats for the last 20 years.
Chloe launched Kids Camera Action (a film school for youth) in 2010 and has seen it rise to become the most successful film school for youth in Australia, with contracts in UAE, USA, NSW, Victoria and of course SA. In 2011 Chloe launched Adelaide’s first film festival for youth, the Adelaide International Youth Film Festival which was acquired by the Adelaide Film Festival in 2019.
Chloe joined the team at Beyond Content in 2018 has been expanding her expertise in the film and corporate sector as a valued producer, production manager, line producer, and Business Development Manager. Chloe became a Company Director in 2020.
William Littleton
ProducerWilliam has worked as a producer, executive producer, script editor, musician and production manager on over 30 film productions and produced nine short films. His most recent short 'Ayaan', has been selected for over twenty festivals and won multiple awards including Best Director (Australian Directors Guild), 3Pas Producing Award (US), National Board of Review Award for Best Student Film (US), Adelaide Film Festival and IFP (Lincoln Center, NY) Audience Awards, Grand Jury Prize and Best Drama Awards at the South Australian Screen Awards, and was a Dendy Award finalist at the Sydney Film Festival.
He’s currently in post-production for 'Myth', the first in a triptych of short films commissioned by Gravity and Other Myths (Helpmann Award, 2019) and is also in development on the feature film version of 'Boy on Fire' (Arthur J. Harris Memorial Prize, Ezra Litwak Award),directed by Alies Sluiter and 'Australia; a Space Faring Nation', a documentary directed by Juan Salazar, funded by the Australian Research Council, Future Fellowship.
Pete Monaghan
Head Writer at Word Ninjas- Business Basics Workshop
- Script Reading Workshop - Day 1 of 2
- Script Reading Workshop - Day 2 of 2
- Business Enterprise Workshop
- Legals & Grant Writing Workshop
Pete is a South Australian-based writer and comedian. A multi-talented ex-anthropologist, he wrote music for and performed in Rolf de Heer's iconic film 'Bad Boy Bubby'.
Pete is a content creator and scriptwriter for original features, TV concepts, animation, and podcasts. His writing skills also include FM Breakfast Radio, TVC copywriting, solo comedy shows, and more improv songs than you can poke a stick at.
He has exceptional problem-solving abilities, story nous, and high creative output. Pete seamlessly turns his hand to any format or genre/genre-mix and has a direct line to 'left field' which gives his ideas an impish, zany edge.
Pete and Ruth Estelle established Word Ninjas in 2013 and many of their projects are highlighted on their website www.wordninjas.com.au. They have animation and podcast content pushing forward as well as commissioned work with local and interstate producers.
Jessica Redenbach
Writer & FilmmakerJessica Redenbach is a Sydney-based filmmaker. She is an ADG award-winning writer/director (Short Film, 'Tender'), an AACTA nominated producer and an accomplished screenwriter ('The Unusual Suspects', 'Spirited', 'Rush'). Formally trained as a creative producer, Jessica holds an MA in Producing from AFTRS. A former Commissioning Editor for SBS, Jessica worked on SBS mini-series 'Safe Harbour' and 'Dead Lucky' before commissioning Closer Productions’ AACTA award-winning mini-series 'The Hunting' for the network. Jessica left SBS to create and write 'The Unusual Suspects' for the network in 2021. Described by The Australian as blending “the risky class conflict machinations of the Oscar-winning 'Parasite' with the vigorously full-throttle comic delivery of the Coen Brothers’ most out there films”, 'The Unusual Suspects' was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Mini-Series and is now streaming all over the world.
Ian Murray
CEO of 113 PartnersIan founded 113 Partners in 2012. 113 Partners is a strategic advisory firm that that assists businesses in the creative industries to grow, seek investment, and realise their value. They are strategic advisers to Australia’s most cutting edge creative businesses and bring a wealth of insights, access to strategic partnerships, and on the ground experience to his clients.
Ian is an experienced, hands-on media expert who has had senior executive roles in both public and private businesses including COO of the branded content business Brand New Media and COO of the television production company Freehand Productions.
He uses his in-depth commercial experience to assist creative businesses to plan robust and achievable strategies to achieve domestic and international growth, financial stability, sustainable resourcing, and streamlined operations. He has advised many of Australia’s top television production, broadcast, music, design, advertising, media and entertainment companies as well as working directly with several government agencies.
Ian sits on numerous advisory boards and has a passion for all things digital.
Erin White
DirectorErin is a multi-award winning writer and director whose work is characterised by nuanced and emotionally truthful performances, arresting visuals and seamless storytelling.
In 2021, Erin directed three episodes of her self-created drama series Under The Vines for AcornTV and TVNZ starring Rebecca Gibney and UK's Charles Edwards. Erin is also an episode writer on the series. Also in 2021, Erin directed episodes of ABC/Fremantle Australia's kid's series, The PM's Daughter.
Erin has directed on two series on Easy Tiger's Doctor Doctor for the Nine Network.
In 2019 it was announced that Erin, through her production company, Hardy White Pictures, is in advanced development on a crime drama series with Federation Entertainment in France. In the same year, she was nominated for an Australian Directors' Guild Award for her work on Sando Ep6 (Jungle Entertainment / ABC TV).
In 2018 she directed Squinters S2 for Jungle Entertainment / ABC and a branded content piece for Visa, Urban Survivalist (Clemenger / Colenso BBDO).
Erin began her career directing episodes of police thriller Rush (Southern Star / Network Ten) after her short film fOUR had local and international success, being nominated for AFI awards for both writing and directing; and winning an IF Award and the Flickerfest Audience Award. It then screened at the G’day USA RADAR Showcase in LA and the Palm Springs Short Film Festival.
Her short Dugong screened in competition at Sundance and Aspen and was the winner of the Flickerfest and St Kilda Film Festival best screenplay awards. Dugong was nominated for two AFI Awards for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay, and an Australian Directors’ Guild Award.
Another short 62 Sleeps won the Dendy Award for Best Drama at the Sydney Film Festival, and the Young Talent Award at the Munich International Festival of Film Schools. Erin is a nominee for the IF Award Rising Talent.
Kelly Schilling
Writer/Director and Development & Production Executive of Mercury CXAs Mercury CX Development and Production Executive and industry screenwriter, director and screen educator, Kelly combines first-hand current industry experience and a depth of professional development skills to support emerging filmmakers.
Recently, Kelly directed multiple episodes of Netflix show Gymnastics Academy:A Second Chance, and was a writer and director on Netflix and ABC show MaveriX. Kelly was also a writer and a director on the Network Nine and Bryan Brown television series Two Twisted.
Alies Sluiter
Writer/Director/Producer/Founder of Blue Soup ProductionsAlies is a 2020 BAFTA Newcomer, Berlinale Talent Campus alumna, John Monash Scholar and honours graduate of the Screenwriting MFA at Columbia University, where she was awarded the prestigious Screenwriting Fellowship and taught screenwriting.
Her short film 'Ayaan', has played at festivals worldwide and been nominated for 20+ awards, including Best Director of a Student Film from the Australian Directors Guild, the Adrienne Shelly Best Female Director Award, a National Board of Review Motion Pictures Award, the Grand Jury Prize, Best Drama and Best Screenplay at the South Australian Screen Awards, the Adelaide Film Festival and IFP Audience Awards, received a Grand Prix Nomination at Tampere Film Festival and was a Dendy Award finalist at the Sydney Film Festival.
Before becoming a filmmaker Alies toured the world as a violinist and AACTA nominated composer, who collaborated with many of the world’s most eminent artists including Nitin Sawhney, Sylvie Guillem, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, Hugh Jackman, Ray Chen and Lin Hwai Min. Alies also musically directed several Laurence Olivier Award and Time Out Critics Award (UK) nominated theatre and dance productions.
Her feature screenplay 'Boy on Fire' recently won the 2020 Arthur J. Harris Memorial Prize, the 2021 Ezra Litwak Award for Distinction in Screenwriting and Faculty Selects at Columbia University. Boy on Fire was also selected for the Australian International Screen Forum’s, Women in Screen Workshop. She’s represented as a writer and director by Independent Talent, UK and currently developing a slate of TV and feature projects.
Diana Ward
Production Executive at Mercury CX- Script Reading Workshop - Day 1 of 2
- Script Reading Workshop - Day 2 of 2
- Legals & Grant Writing Workshop
Diana has produced award-winning short films and feature docs, including documentary 'Roller Dreams' which streams on Binge. Proud of her Australian-Chinese-Malaysian heritage, Diana is most interested in stories about belonging, change and diaspora. Diana is a Film Independent Fellow, recipient of the Amazon Studios Visionary Filmmaker Fellowship, SXSW Screener and current Production Executive at Mercury CX.
Nara Wilson
First Nations Industry Development Executive at South Australian Film CorporationNara Wilson is an Indigenous Producer who won best Indigenous Film at the Shorts Film Festival for Dance Free in 2013. Nara has been involved in many diverse short films and documentaries such as: 'Ringbalin' - a 1/2hr documentary, iOS App and website about Aboriginal stories along the Murray River. She worked at Foxtel within the Music Channels as a Production Coordinator Trainee. Produced, Directed and Wrote 5 x13 minute documentaries for NITV. Produced a Television commercial for MOSH ('Minimisation of Suicide Harm'), to documenting an anti-smoking campaign for Indigenous pregnancies for Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia. Her passion lies and is focused on producing Indigenous Australian film work around the country. She is currently First Nations Industry Development Executive at the South Australian Film Corporation.
Yolanda Ramke
Writer/DirectorYolanda Ramke is an award-winning screenwriter and director. Having worked for several years behind-the-scenes in the Australian film and television industry, Yolanda first found success in 2013 with the short film, 'Cargo' (which she wrote, and co-directed with Ben Howling). A viral hit online, the film garnered over 20 million views on YouTube. The feature version of 'Cargo' was nominated for five Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts (AACTA) awards, including Best Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Yolanda has also served as creator, executive producer, and as a writer and co-director on 'Troppo', an 8-part crime series inspired by the novel 'Crimson Lake', by New York Times best-selling author, Candice Fox. Starring Thomas Jane (The Mist, HBO's Hung) and Nicole Chamoun (SBS' Safe Harbour, On The Ropes), the series recently premiered on ABC in Australia and will soon stream in the US on Amazon / IMDb TV.
Jessica Tuckwell
WriterJessica Tuckwell is a screenwriter and script producer for television drama and feature film.
After working in several rooms and developments with John and Dan Edwards at Roadshow Rough Diamond, Jess joined the writing team for ABC series 'Les Norton' and became the Development Executive for Rough Diamond, running a broad slate of drama projects, including the record-breaking Stan series 'Bump'. She is now Script Producer for the series, currently in production for season 2, and writes episodes across both seasons.
Morgan Wright
Producer at RepeaterMorgan Wright is an Adelaide born filmmaker. Over the past few years he has produced several short films and short documentaries such as 'Variation on a Theme of Violence' (Tirana International Film Festival) and 'They Sleep Inside Your Head' (Adelaide Film Festival). He is a producer, director and partner at Repeater Productions.