Queensland’s Snake Sheila is set to star on small screens across the globe in a new 10-part factual television series funded by Screen Queensland and currently being filmed in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Ipswich.
A 100% Queensland-made production, Snake Sheila is produced by Brisbane’s Flickchicks; comprising director and writer (and snake phobic) Mandy Lake, producer Margie Brown plus WildBear Entertainment headed up in Queensland by Veronica Fury.
“Snake Sheila is being supported by Screen Queensland through our Production and Development Investment schemes and is part of our focus to increase local television production in our state,” said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.
“It will be distributed through Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet International, one of the world’s leading animal entertainment brands and the same channel that helped launch wildlife expert Steve Irwin’s television career.
“We expect Snake Sheila to generate expenditure in excess of $775,000 and we are excited to have our distinct Queensland voice being captured and celebrated with a world-wide audience.”
Snake Sheila will air in in 167 countries worldwide across Europe, the Pacific Rim (including Australia and New Zealand), United Kingdom, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa before it comes to Australian audiences on Foxtel in 2016.
“South-East Queensland is home to some of the most deadly snakes in the world including eastern browns, coastal taipans and tiger snakes and arguably Brisbane has one of the greatest concentrations of snake catchers; it’s a growing and competitive business!” said Mandy Lake from series’ producers Flickchicks.
“With urban sprawl, land clearing, cane toads and domestic pets, snakes have had no choice but to encroach upon Queenslanders’ personal space and a focus of this show is snake conservation and educating people on the important role snakes play in the biodiversity of our environment.”
“It’s very exciting and enormously satisfying to see two successful Queensland production companies – WildBear Entertainment and Flickchicks – coming together to work on this production,” said Wildbear’s Veronica Fury.
“Snake Sheila showcases amazing Queensland characters and diverse Queensland locations. It is an extraordinarily fun and fully Queensland-produced factual series that will be on TV screens around the world!”
Snake Sheila follows the half German, half English, Brisbane-born Snake Sheila (AKA Julia Baker) and her partner Johnny Bagpipes, over the current snake season where they are coming face-to-face with a whole host of Australia’s riskiest reptiles!
“We'll be shooting through snake season until April,” said Julia ‘Snake Sheila’ Baker.
“We encourage people to never harm any surprise scaly visitors but rather call me, ‘Snake Sheila’ on 1300CATCH IT. I’m on a mission to shift the popular attitude that ‘the only good snake is a dead snake’.”
Snake Sheila will screen on Foxtel in Australia in January 2016.