SBS head of scripted Julie Eckersley will be named Commissioner of the Year at this year’s Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards on the Gold Coast.
Eckersley joined SBS in July 2021, having previously held roles across different elements of production, including a nearly decade-long stint at Matchbox Pictures.
She has since commissioned four Australian dramas – Safe Home, While the Men Are Away, Erotic Stories, and Swift Street -while also overseeing commissions from the Digital Originals initiative, the latest of which, Appetite, will premiere this month.
Her other achievements include developing SBS’s free and publicly available pitch deck guide, which aims to give new creatives the tools to pitch their projects to industry executives, and introducing the SBS Scripted TV Lunch initiative, a series of free online events giving scripted screen creatives direct access to commissioning team throughout the year.
Speaking about the Commissioner of the Year Award, Eckersley said being recognised by her colleagues was “very humbling”.
“My role at SBS is to be a gate opener, not a gatekeeper,” she said.
“I am here to support our creative industry and be a conduit for getting our incredible Australian stories on screen and backing our creatives to make world-class drama. I also have an incredibly talented team by my side: Donna Chang, Loani Arman, Catherine Kelleher, and Penny Win. We work very closely on all that we do.”
The Commissioner of the Year Award celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of an Australian commissioner over a recent period who has “demonstrated excellence in creativity, leadership, and diverse and inclusive thinking whilst working closely and successfully with the independent production sector to develop great productions that will ultimately make an impact upon domestic and international audiences”.
Nominations for the 2022 award were received for commissioners working across national and commercial broadcasters as well as streaming services.
Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner said the honour, while individual, held a broader relevance for the industry.
“This is a very important award, not only as an acknowledgement of Julie and her skills and achievements but also in affirming the need for and value of simpatico in our industry between commissioners and producers,” he said.
“When these relationships are working well, our collective screen work and our audiences are the clear beneficiaries.”
This year’s SPA Awards will take place which will take place Friday, May 5 on the Gold Coast, following Screen Forever. Find out more information about how to register for the conference here.