2018 Talent USA: LA delegates.
Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) have opened applications for the third year of Talent USA: LA, a week-long program of targeted and curated meetings, workshops and networking opportunities for Australian creators, directors and/or screenwriters.
Up to 10 participants will be selected to take part in the career development program which will take place in Los Angeles September 15-21.
The delegation will be led by Screen Australia’s Nerida Moore, head of development and Harry Avramidis, manager international initiatives.
Hannah and Eliza Reilly attended Talent USA: LA in 2018. In a joint statement, the sisters said: “Talent LA was nothing short of a game changer for us. We came away with US mentorship, signed to a fantastic team at CAA and truly learned so much about the Australian and American industry.
“Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild planned a week jam packed full of amazing people and companies that we got to connect with and learn from; but probably the most worthwhile was being able to ally with our fellow Talent LA recipients, who were all leaders in their respective fields. Talent LA introduced us to Sarah Lambert and Yolanda Ramke, who we are now working with on a new Screen Australia funded drama series.”
Other 2018 delegates included Ryan Griffen, Christiaan and Connor Van Vuuren, Adele Vuko, Greg Waters, Keith Thompson, Giula Sandler, Spencer and Lloyd Harvey, Sam Meikle and Charles Williams.
Suitable applicants include:
- Creators who have a ‘created by’, ‘written by’ or ‘directed by’ credit on a series or feature that demonstrates recent significant audience traction and/or A-list festival attention.
- Screenwriters who have been a recipient of a significant international screenwriting award, such as Black List, PAGE or Academy Nicholl fellowship, or who are part of the Australian Writers’ Guild Pathways Prime or Showcase cohort are encouraged to apply.
- Directors and/or screenwriters who have been a recipient of a significant international award for short films, such as awards from A-list festivals, or those who have been nominated for Academy, BAFTA, and/or Emmy awards.
- Creatives who can demonstrate some existing interest from the US industry with at least one or more market ready long form episodic series well suited to US partnerships
Screen content-makers representative of the diversity of Australia are strongly encouraged to submit applications.
All participants will be provided with up to seven nights of accommodation and are eligible for a grant of up to AUD$3,000 to go toward their travel costs.
Applicants must be available to be in LA from September 15 – 21 inclusive. A complete schedule of the program will be provided to the successful applicants. Participants are encouraged to consider staying longer in the US to capitalise on introductions and opportunities.
The deadline for applications is July 3, and successful applicants notified July 19. 3 July 2019. More info here.