Nikki Tran and Davey Thompson.
Davey Thompson and Nikki Tran are the recipients of Film Victoria’s inaugural Victorian Screen Development Internships. The program will see the pair follow the full lifecycle of developing content across Film Victoria, the ABC, Matchbox Pictures and Princess Pictures.
At Film Victoria they’ll learn how to assess pitches, scripts and funding applications; at the ABC they’ll work with commissioning editors and EPs across the production process; and then at Matchbox Pictures and Princess Pictures, they’ll learn first-hand from principal producers. The internship program was designed to provide career pathways for Indigenous and traditionally under-represented Victorian creative talent.
Thompson and Tran were selected from 65 applicants, 19 of which were longlisted by Film Victoria. Davey and Nikki impressed representatives from the ABC, Princess Pictures and Matchbox Pictures with their career aspirations and the clarity of what they were each looking to gain from the internship.
Thompson has a background in theatre and circus. After studying acting and dance at the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts in Brisbane, he took on programming roles at Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Circus Oz, and was an associate producer on Guesswork Television’s Dirty Feet and at ILBIJERRI Theatre Company.
He said: “I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity having been so passionate about this method of storytelling for as long as I can remember. I’m very keen to get out there and share my stories, as well as help bring other people’s stories to life.”
A graduate of RMIT University and the Victorian College of the Arts, Tran has written, produced and performed in short films, television series and short-form digital series. Her online dramedy FRESH! screened at the LA Film Festival, NYC Web Fest and Series Mania Melbourne. For her latest web series, Girl, Interpreted, saw her collaborate with writer/director Grace Feng, whom she met at the Film Victoria-supported AFTRS Talent Camp.
She said: “I love that the aim of this program is to tailor the internship so that it builds upon my skills and career goals in the industry. It’s an exciting and rare opportunity to have such a holistic insight into how a screen agency, broadcaster and production company each engages with screen production.”
Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher congratulated the pair. “Never before have two emerging creatives had the chance to go behind the scenes of four Victorian screen organisations over 12 months and experience first-hand the full spectrum of the content development process. We can’t wait to share in their journey – and see where their career takes them.”
ABC director entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington said: “We look forward to welcoming Davey and Nikki to the ABC and giving them the opportunity to work alongside our teams in delivering outstanding content to audiences. We are proud to support emerging creatives from diverse backgrounds to develop their impressive storytelling skills, enabling future generations of Australian talent to shine.”
Matchbox Pictures MD Alastair McKinnon said: “We are so pleased to be associated with this initiative. It will accelerate the careers of some genuinely bright talent. It has helped us to identify more than a couple of people we think will be in the next generation of diverse Australian writers and producers. We are so looking forward to having Davey and Nikki in the building and working on our projects.”
Princess Pictures founder and producer Laura Waters said: “We were excited by Davey and Nikki’s unique experience and can’t wait to see what they bring to our eclectic slate. Davey will be joining us first up to work on everything from an animated series for Adult Swim to a surrealist children’s series and How To Stay Married Season 2 for Network Ten, along with the multiple comedy, drama and unscripted projects we have in development, and Nikki will be working with us on the 2020 slate.”