New South Wales may house the most production of any state in Australia but the lines of communication are still well and truly open between the industry and the state’s screen agency.
That’s the message of Screen NSW head Kyas Hepworth, who is coming up on six months in the top job.
Speaking to IF, the screen and arts executive said she was looking forward to engaging with more creatives as a “steward of the agency”, having already met with various sections of the industry.
“I’ve been really lucky coming into the role in that I’ve gone out of my way to say that I have an open door,” she said.
“That really settles your perspective of what the priorities are, whilst also knowing from the agency where we’re hoping to go.”
Prior to joining Screen NSW, Hepworth worked across factual, scripted, and children’s programming as the head of commissioning and programming at NITV.
Her other industry positions have included head of Indigenous at AFTRS and investment/development manager of the Indigenous department at Screen Australia.
As the first Indigenous woman to lead Screen NSW, Hepworth said the timing of her appointment amid shifts in the wider industry was not lost on her.
“I thought, with my own experience and skill set, that [this position] was an opportunity to have vital role in developing, building, and shaping the future of what the screen industry for the state could be,” she said.
“I know that I come with a unique perspective that no other state agency head would have and I think that’s really relevant in 2022.”
While NSW has traditionally been home to high levels of production, the past six months have been especially noteworthy.
Following George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa — one of the biggest projects ever made in Australia at $350 million — the state has welcomed Universal Pictures’ The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling, and the next installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
The scale of Furiosa led visual effects giant DNEG to announce last week that it would establish a Sydney studio within Pyrmont’s Tech Central district to lead VFX on the film, with the new facility set to employ about 500 artists.
Visual effects is area that Hepworth hopes will continue to be a selling point for NSW, having travelled to LA with an Ausfilm contingent comprising representatives from 37 post houses across Australia.
“For me, it was not only a good chance to talk to international studios about coming to Australia and what NSW has to offer with our rebates and incentives, but also get to talk to some of the MDs and creatives inside those post houses and see what cutting edge technology they are using and how they work globally and nationally,” she said.
“In looking into that ecosystem there and how well we do, I think there are different levels of the craft, such as post, digital effects, and sound, that don’t get as much attention but still go well.”
With data from Screen Australia showing a record $1 billion of production expenditure was spent in NSW across 2021/22, Hepworth said Screen NSW was working collaboratively to address below-the-line shortages, adding there were a number of “exciting” partnerships coming up for the organisation.
“We do have a focus on First Nations creatives and production companies, and that’ll be both in post-production and below-the-line crews, but also in how we are partnering with leading institutions in the sector,” she said.
“That is an area of focus and we will be doing programs specifically within Screen NSW.
“We also want to look at the relationship between below-the-line roles and heads of department, because there’s a lot of knowledge there and we want to make sure that knowledge is passed on while giving people the opportunity to step up.”
Also coming under Hepworth’s remit is the state’s potential infrastructure expansion.
The 12 months prior to her appointment included the announcement of two new facilities — The Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village in Coffs Harbour, estimated at more than $400 million, and Lakeside Studio, a $150 million film production precinct to be built at Penrith Lakes.
While she was unable to provide any further updates in relation to the progress of the projects, Hepworth said there were “positive, ongoing” conversations with the state government about ensuring the level of infrastructure matches that of the content being produced in NSW.
“At the end of the day, we have room in New South Wales to have numerous studios,” she said.
“But the question is how are they going to come to fruition?
“At the moment, there’s the capacity to use other spaces. Whilst we don’t have another studio at the level of Disney Studios, it is something that we need.
“I wouldn’t say where in New South Wales it needs to be but we absolutely are working towards getting another one.”