Lawyer James Cheatley has been appointed government relations and policy manager at Screen Producers Australia.
The move follows the departure of Matthew Hancock, who joined SBS this month.
Cheatley, who brings with him more than eight years' experience in legal policy and copyright, will work closely with the CEO, council and policy reference groups to further the advocacy agenda of Screen Producers Australia.
He joins SPA from the Australian Copyright Council where he was a senior lawyer and secretary of the Copyright Society of Australia. Prior to this, he worked in the copyright section of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department in Canberra.
Cheatley holds a Bachelor of Laws, First Class Honours in Art History and Curatorship and a postgraduate diploma, each from the Australian National University.
“James joins us with a great deal of experience in policy development in a complicated area of law that is very important to our industry. Added to this, his experience working in government will serve Screen Producers Australia well as we continue to develop, refine and position our agenda to achieve meaningful outcomes for the production community," said CEO Matt Deaner.
“As I look to the policy challenges ahead I am thrilled by the addition of James to our hardworking and dedicated team behind the scenes. I particularly want to thank Matt Hancock for his contribution, we have worked together for many years and he has been a passionate and loyal advocate for the industry. I wish him all the best as he takes on new challenges SBS, where I am sure his passion for independent production will continue.”
.Cheatley will begin on October 31.