Adele Vuko, Sarah Bishop and Greta Lee Jackson.
Sydney comedy collective Skit Box are in the thick of filming their Fresh Blood series Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am.
The 6×30 minute sketch series, written, directed and starring Adele Vuko (Soul Mates, This Is Littleton), Greta Lee Jackson (Crazy Bastards, In a Woman's World) and Sarah Bishop (Red Christmas, Crushed), has been commissioned by Screen Australia, ABC TV and NBCUniversal’s comedy streaming channel Seeso.
Screen Australia and ABC’s Fresh Blood initiative has been nurturing the careers of young comedy writers, directors and performers since 2013. With Seeso, who have previously co-commissioned the likes of Soul Mates season two, now on board, Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am will also be available in the US.
Erin White, Nikos Andronicos and Kacie Anning are guest directing, while special guests include David Collins (Umbilical Brothers), Triple J’s Matt Okine, Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters), the Aunty Donna boys, Henry Stone, Paul Ayre and Veronica Milsom.
“It’s great that we get to make a show that dissects modern sexism whilst also watching guys in our crew carry lots of heavy stuff for us," said Bishop.
"We were really excited to create a show with Screen Australia, ABC, Seeso and Screen NSW, they are all such a wealth of support and are so pragmatic about fostering new and creative show ideas," said Vuko.
Producer Michelle Hardy said that “watching these talented women grow over the past two years has been a privilege. I am so grateful to our backers for Fresh Blood, giving emerging talent like Skit Box a breakthrough into the industry."
“It has been extremely rewarding to see Skit Box progress through the ranks of Fresh Blood, moving from their hilarious gender-bending sketches, to a confident and popular pilot capable of attracting international finance for this full series. We’re sure Adele, Sarah and Greta will make a blistering debut season,” said Mike Cowap, Screen Australia’s Investment Manager.
Seeso’s Kelsey Balance said: “It's a dream come true to work with such a talented team of strong, comedic women. Their hilarious and poignant sketches have already made an impact in the zeitgeist in an international way and we can’t wait to share this show with our US audience.”
The show is produced by Hardy's Hardy White Pictures and executive produced by Donna Andrews of Sticky Pictures.
For the ABC: Rick Kalowski (ABC Head of Comedy), Jon Casimir (ABC Head of Entertainment) and Richard Huddleston (ABC Supervising EP Entertainment and Development).