Creatives from WildBear Entertainment and Ludo Studio will lend their expertise to the Sunny Coast Showdown’s ShowdownMAX initiative, which opens submissions this month.
Announced in March, ShowdownMAX invites pilots of serialised, repeatable, and returnable content; complete web series for online platforms; feature-length concepts; and limited scripted and unscripted series content with a compelling commercial model. Four projects will be awarded $10,000 of professional input, and the ultimate winner will receive more than $200,000 in production funding and support.
The project must be written and/or owned by a Sunshine Coast local, be able to be produced on the Sunshine Coast, and be completed by October 1.
WildBear (Big Shark Energy, Rise of the Dictators) and Ludo (Bluey, Thou Shalt Not Steal) will offer guidance on unscripted and scripted development, respectively, working closely with the finalists as they bring their stories to screen.
WildBear Entertainment principal Bettina Dalton, a former Nambour High School student, said a thriving Sunshine Coast screen industry would give her “so much pleasure”.
“We’ll lead unscripted development with international markets in mind and help them to a stage where they can apply for development funding or move into production with ShowdownMAX,” she said.
In a statement, Ludo Studio’s development team said they were passionate about working with Sunshine Coast filmmakers to elevate their careers.
“As a team with strong connections to the Sunshine Coast, we are delighted and proud to be part of this incredible opportunity for the Sunshine Coast filmmaking community, through Sunny Coast Showdown,” they said.
“Working closely with the Showdown finalists, we’ll offer development guidance on the scripted projects and help bring fresh, original stories to the screen.”
ShowdownMAX co-founder, Dan Munday, said the partnerships with Ludo Studios and WildBear Entertainment were a huge boost for the Sunshine Coast.
“This is a premium upgrade for four projects from two of Australia’s best production companies –What I call a ‘Best in Field’ punch up,” he said.
“We’ll end up with four really fine-tuned projects ready for market and get to produce one of them.”
The Sunshine Coast Screen Collective’s Louise Hayse agreed, noting the event has already made a huge difference to local filmmakers.
“We’ve seen firsthand how offerings like Showdown can change careers and build confidence,” she said.
“It’s about creating real pathways for Sunshine Coast practitioners.
ShowdownMAX is a Sunshine Coast Screen Collective initiative supported by major sponsor Bendigo Community Bank Tewantin-Noosa-Cooroy-Marcoola, with additional support from Screen Queensland.
Applications open May 12. Find out more information here.