Press release from Screen Australia
Screen Australia is thrilled to announce the mentors for its upcoming Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic, including renowned pioneer Lance Weiler (US) on his first trip to Australia, whom WIRED magazine named "one of 25 people helping to reinvent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood".
Other mentors include Matt Costello (US), writer of ground-breaking and award-winning novels, games and television; writer and producer David Varela (UK); and story executive, writer and producer Neil Richards (UK). Laurel Papworth, one of Australia’s leading social media experts; Jennifer Wilson, Director of the multi-platform media company, The Project Factory; and creative director, producer, visual and new media artist and curator, Anthea Foyer (Canada), will also join the mentoring team.
The team of mentors will join StoryLabs director Gary Hayes for a five-day residential workshop running 21–25 November in the New South Wales Southern Highlands. The purpose of the clinic is to enable selected teams to develop a multi-platform production strategy and roadmap for their experiential film, television, interactive or game project.
Applications to the Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic close on Friday 30 September. Guidelines and application details are available on the Screen Australia website.
For information about Gary Hayes, the director of the Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic, visit: www.personalizemedia.com/about and for more information on StoryLabs visit: StoryLabs.us
Mentor biographies:
Lance Weiler (US) is recognised as a pioneer in mixing storytelling and technology. Businessweek named him "one of the 18 who changed Hollywood" alongside the likes of George Lucas and Steve Jobs. His films include The Last Broadcast and Head Trauma, around which he also made an acclaimed ARG (alternate reality game), and an online documentary series, Radar, which was nominated for a Streamy Award. In 2011, Lance's Pandemic , an immersive storytelling project, was official selection of the New Frontier section of the Sundance Film Festival. He sits on a World Economic Forum steering committee for the future of content creation, and teaches at Columbia University on the art, craft and business of storytelling in the 21st century. Lance is founder of the Workbook Project, an open creative network, and writes a regular column for Filmmaker magazine on the impact of tech on entertainment. For more information visit http://lanceweiler.com/press
Matt Costello (US) has written ground-breaking and award-winning novels, games and television. He wrote the groundbreaking Pirates of the Caribbean 3 game across all platforms. Rage, a 2011 release from id Software which Matt worked on, won the most Game Critics Awards at this year’s E3, including Best Console Game. Just Cause, (co-written with Neil Richards) debuted as the number one game for Xbox 360 in the UK and was named ‘Best Adventure Game’ at the 2006 E3. Other notable games include: Doom 3, Hercules for Disney, The Dark Half for MGM, Derelict for The Syfy Channel, The Clue Chronicles for Hasbro, Barbie's Riding Adventure for Mattel, Clifford's Reading for Scholastic, Starsky & Hutch for Empire, and The Italian Job for Eidos. His novel Beneath Still Waters was filmed and released by Lionsgate and Penguin/Putnam published his latest suspense novel, Nowhere. His new novel, Vacation, will be published by St Martin's Press in 2011. For more information visit http://mattcostello.com
David Varela (UK) is a writer and producer who works across a huge range of media. He is currently producing and writing a global ARG sponsored by Reebok and starring Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life is running in nine languages for eight months, with live events staged in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Prior to that, David wrote and produced the world’s first console-based ARG, Xi , based in Sony's virtual world PlayStation Home. David’s background is as an award-winning writer for theatre, radio and advertising. His stageplays have been performed at the ICA, the Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre and RADA, and his short films have premiered in Leicester Square and been broadcast on ITV. He has also written several one-off dramas for BBC Radio 4 and BBC7. For more information visit www.davidvarela.com
Neil Richards (UK) has story executive, writer and producer credits for BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in drama, children's and entertainment. Since co-writing Starship Titanic with Douglas Adams in the mid-90s he has worked increasingly in interactive media, scripting children’s iTV, education, broadband and platform games, earning three recent BAFTA nominations, an IGDA Writing Excellence nomination and a Writers' Guild nomination. He has written more than 20 game scripts including the popular titles Driver, Just Cause (1 & 2), Broken Sword and The Da Vinci Code . He has mentored in workshops for BBC, PAL (Media Programme), PILOTS (Media Programme), PYGMALION (Media Programme/Paris/Berlin Film Schools), the Akademie für Kindermedien in Erfurt and Crossover Labs. He was one-time senior lecturer in screenwriting at Bournemouth University. He has also consulted for the BBC as a producer in creative development, devising and running Creative/Interactive Labs across the BBC. For more information visit http://storylabs.us/mentors/#NEIL-RICHARDS
Laurel Papworth (AU) has been creating and managing online communities for over 20 years. Marketing magazine named Laurel ‘Head of Industry, Social Media' for Australia and AdAge named Laurel in the Power150 bloggers globally. She is CEO of The Community Crew setting up online communities on forums and managing them including Everquest, Ultima Online, Westpac Bank, Junior Masterchef TV show, Middle East Broadcasting (women’s online community), Singapore Military, journalists with The Australian newspaper. She has been runningvirtual online communities since the late 1980s including virtual worlds and forums. Laurel teaches workshops on online community management, social media press releases, Facebook marketing, increasing your Twitter reach, and social media monitoring and measurement to governments, corporations, small business and not for profits in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. For more information visit http://laurelpapworth.com/about
Jennifer Wilson (AU) is a Director of The Project Factory – a multi-platform media company. Jennifer teaches courses in multi-platform, trans- and convergent media. She works with emerging leaders across all forms of media to help them understand the connected, networked world. She has authored books and papers aimed at writers and film makers covering key concepts, business models, rights issues and new ways of thinking about copyright. Jennifer is a member of SPAA, on the board of AIMIA and chairs the Mobile Industry Group.
Anthea Foyer (CAN) is a creative director, producer, visual and new media artist and curator. She has created, advised and mentored on a wide range of critically acclaimed projects including graphic novels, online narratives, wearables, interactive installations, participatory theatre, live events, multi-platform experiences and television and film convergence projects. Anthea is currently Co-founder, with Alex Mayhew, and Creative Strategist at The Labs, a creative and strategic consultancy that helps to deliver truly convergent properties that transform multi-platform challenges into opportunities for creative and commercial success. For more information visit http://antheafoyer.com/sidebar-menu-parent/about