Film Victoria has welcomed four new executives as it looks to expand its slate of international and domestic production.
Development executive Mackenzie Lush, production executive – First People’s lead Davey Thompson, production executive – children’s lead Ariel Waymouth, and production executive – factual lead Sam Dinning will oversee the delivery of development and production grants whilst identifying new opportunities to invest in local IP across all platforms.
Prior to joining Film Victoria, Lush served as director, creative affairs for Entertainment One Television, during which she developed and was involved in the production of multiple series, including Burden of Truth, Private Eyes, and Mary Kills People.
In Thompson, the agency has a Bidjara, Wakka Wakka, and Gubbi Gubbi producer, writer, and actor, who has previously held production roles with Guesswork Television, Princess Pictures, Screen Australia, and the ABC. He also played Casey in ABC iview comedy All My Friends Are Racist and was an inaugural recipient of Film Victoria’s Screen Development Internship.
Fellow production executive Waymouth brings more than 20 years of experience to the role. In her most recent position as head of production/supervising producer at Studio Moshi, she oversaw Dragamonz, Monster Beach, Where is Anne Frank, Beebo Saves Christmas, and Solar Opposites season three.
Rounding out the new executive team is Dinning, who has 13 years’ experience as a producer, writer, story producer, and director. Her recent credits include writing and story producing three-part series And We Danced, produced by Wildbear Entertainment; producing theatrical documentaries Anonymous Club and Palazzo Di Cozzo with Philippa Campey; and writing, directing, and producing feature documentary No Time For Quiet with Hylton Shaw.
The appointments follow those of Paul Callaghan and Lise Leitner into digital games roles within the screen agency.
Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said the new executives were coming on board at a time when Victoria’s screen industry was advancing its position as a global centre for screen production, including internationally acclaimed digital games.
“These specialist appointments will champion the execution of grant programs and development initiatives for Victorian screen practitioners and projects,” she said.
“Each individual comes with impressive industry experience, expertise, and connections and I’m delighted to welcome them to the team.
“Their significant industry experience and skillsets will enable us to better support even more captivating local content for audiences to enjoy on screens across a variety of platforms.”