SCREEN FOREVER has collected a group of television luminaries and asked them, two x two to reflect the spotlight on each other in a series of candid tête-à-têtes.
The 360 In Conversation series hopes to unearth some secrets, reveal tales from the traps and provide some illuminating discourse that can only be derived from peer to peer investigation.
DEANNE WEIR, DIRECTOR WEIRANDERSON.COM AND HEMA PATEL, GM LIGHTBOX
Media and technology entrepreneur and executive, philanthropist, gender equality activist, Deanne Weir’s staggering passions for the content industry has helped shape the Australian media landscape and the people that drive it. From her formative role as senior executive at Austar, to prescient investments in Hoodlum and Ai-Media via her investment vehicle, to her transformative work at Screen Australia as a board member and most recently a senior executive at Foxtel and currently chair of the Sydney Film Festival, Weir is pivotal to the evolution of our sector.
Weir shares the stage with fresh executive on the streaming scene, Hema Patel, GM Lightbox. Patel was recently appointed to the senior leadership position at New Zealand’s fastest growing on-demand service. Lightbox more than doubled its reach in 2016 and is proving to be a worthy defender to the Netflix invasion. Patel’s background in finance, audience insights and analytics is the triple threat in the epic New Zealand SVOD battle.
Innovators across the converged media landscape, these two industry leaders discuss the issues facing the rapidly evolving streaming market, content and diversity in a frank peer to peer discussion.
ABC, DIRECTOR OF TV, DAVID ANDERSON AND CHRIS OLIVER-TAYLOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR MATCHBOX PICTURES
They both know the ABC intimately. Chris Oliver-Taylor left the public broadcaster in 2011 after a six-year tenure as head of business and operations to join ‘hit factory’ Matchbox Pictures as MD. He has barely paused since.
David Anderson was anointed ABC’s Director of Television in March of this year and it’s been a hectic pace. He was previously Director of the ABC’s Digital Network and Strategy & Planning divisions and has been with broadcasters for 25 years.
These two dynamos of the TV landscape – suit vs creative- will debate its future from all angles.
HOLLY HINES, SVP CONTENT DYNAMIC TV AND JOCELYN HAMILTON, PRESIDENT OF eONE CANADA
Holly Hines has a strong affinity with Australia. She discovered the talents of Josh Thomas and Please Like Me and thrust him onto the American public as part of the launch content for trailblazing platform Pivot TV. She has been a staunch Australian content advocate ever since and in her role, VP of Content for Dynamic Television, she is actively hunting the best talent and projects across the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia. In addition, Hines oversees Dynamic’s produced television series.
Hines meets Jocelyn Hamilton who is charged with ensuring that eOne continues to deliver world-class scripted and unscripted programming from Canada for distribution across the globe. Her background includes VP of programming and original productions for Corus Kids and roles at Corus Entertainment where she honed her eye for commissioning commercially viable and ground breaking programing. Our North American content mavens will supply a high-level view of what works in the global content market.
KATE DENNIS DIRECTOR AND TRACEY ROBERTSON HOODLUM CEO AND CO-FOUNDER
It has been a remarkable year for these two Australian screen powerhouses, who have stormed Hollywood and international screens.
Hoodlum is poised to mark its 20th year of business as Australia’s special brew of screen disruption and locus of innovation both as a content production house and international deal maker.
Kate Dennis, possibly one of the most in-demand directors de jour, briefly returned to Australia this year to work as a director on Harrow, the Hoodlum and ABC (US) co-production. Somehow, she finds time via Skype to chat with Tracey Robertson about their staggering year; which may include a behind the scenes take on the Academy Awards, The Handmaids Tale, Glow, working with Netflix and ABC in Australia and life in Hollywood.