By Jordan King-Lacroix
Andrew Ryan, who co-wrote and co-starred in The Sellers, knows what it’s like to be a finalist.
Last year he and good friend Will Howarth’s 180-second promo made the top ten of the OPTUS ONE80PROJECT. This year, they’ve repeated the effort.
“We’re like the Meryl Streep of the competition,” Ryan said.
“Last year we were still at Uni so when we entered we weren’t in it to win it. Now we’re out of Uni and film is what we have chosen as our careers, so we sat down and knocked out how we could really win it.”
The competition is strong and has been whittled down to ten finalists who have each made a 180 second pilot for a TV drama. The winning entry – which will be turned into a one-hour drama – is selected next month by an expert panel including actors Sam Neill, Xavier Samuel and Sophie Lowe.
The Sellers is about two brothers who offer a unique service – the service of being able to restart your life, the way you really wanted. This service, of course, comes with its own price.
“We got the idea when we had just finished university,” Ryan said. “We were surprised at how many of our friends were taking paths in life that they didn’t actually want to do and that was weird to us. So many people do that, they stick with mundane jobs and just settle. To achieve is difficult, to do what you want is almost ballsy. So that interested us.”
Though Ryan and Howarth wrote and starred in The Sellers, they deferred directing to the more experienced Maia Horniak.
“When you write a script, it’s like your little baby and Maia was really good with it.”
The winners of the ONE80PROJECT, which is run by Optus, MTV Networks Australia and BlackBerry, will be revealed at an event in Sydney's Hyde Park in mid-April.
The public can also cast votes for the viewers’ choice award at www.one80project.com.au, where the ten finalists are also on display.
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ENTRANTS
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HOME TOWN
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Mercy
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David Rusanow
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Melbourne, VIC
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Brash
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Veeran Naran
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Melbourne, VIC
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The Sellers
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Maia Horniak
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Sydney, NSW
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Martin Hickey Is Dead
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Liam Coffey
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Sydney, NSW
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Wasted
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Troy Nankervis
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Melbourne, VIC
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Shift
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Clara Rolls
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Sydney, NSW
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Rockdale 83
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Cameron Craig
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Sydney, NSW
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Southern Cross
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David Smith
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Perth, WA
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Housemates: The 10% Musical
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Jarryd Clifford
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Melbourne, VIC
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Revolution
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Emma Langley
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Sydney, NSW
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