Entropico, known for producing Netflix documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, has set up a dedicated film and TV production arm that will work across Sydney and LA.
Led by Entropico founder and CCO Erin Moy, Entropico Originals features Christian Polsinelli as head of alternative and experiential working out of LA, and the Sydney-based Timothy Burnett as head of scripted.
Polsinelli brings over 14 years of television production experience to Entropico, having dedicated much of his career to producing acclaimed TV shows for major networks such as ABC, NBC, and Fox. Burnett moves across from Entropico’s branded content and creative production vertical to lead the development of new scripted series and features. He previously worked on features in New York City with Bazmark’s Schuyler Weiss’ former production company Tandem Pictures.
Speaking to IF, Polsinelli said expanding into originals had been planned from Entropico’s inception in Australia a decade ago.
“There’s always been a desire to broaden the company’s creative horizons and make compelling content — whether commercial, experiential or original film and television entertainment — that resonates with people,” he said.
“As the ONEFOUR documentary was coming to life, we realized that we’re living through a very exciting and pivotal time for entertainment media. We’re in an era where we can really lean into the many ways people consume and simply create stories that make people feel. The team at Entropico is more prepared than ever to bring really great work to the ever-evolving marketplace.”
ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, written and directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos, tracks the meteoric rise of the Sydney-based, Pacific Islander kids who start recording drill raps to avoid a life of crime, only for a police task force to shut down their sold-out national tour due to concerns that the group’s music will incite violence. The film premiered at last year’s SXSW Sydney before being added to Netflix on October 26.
It followed numerous short-form releases from Entropico across the past decade, including Katzki’s Blue Frame, which was shown at Hobart’s MONA, London’s Serpentine Cinema, and Berlin’s The Long Now; and Daniel Berini’s By Lucas Wilson, selected for Sydney Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival.
For its next steps, Entropico Originals is developing an animated kids series, a feature-length psychological serial killer thriller, a running documentary, and a genre-bending competition series.
Polsinelli said the venture aimed to produce “broadly appealing best-in-class work that is offbeat, energetic and culturally relevant”.
“The genres can vary – we want to have a diverse slate that caters to a global audience,” he said.
“If a story is fresh and delivered from a unique point of view, we’re interested.”
Burnett added that Entropico “loved to find new partners”.
“So much of our success in the commercial sphere has been thanks to our hunger to find new creative partners. With ONEFOUR, we built a team of varying experience levels, and don’t feel you need to have made ten films to conceptualise a great idea.”