Magpie Pictures has outlined its next steps after being included in the latest round of Screen Australia Enterprise funding, welcoming Matthew Kelly as a consulting business executive and EP, and Claire Lindsay and Ree Evans in a shared development producer role.
Development and production executive Meredith Hussey has also been promoted to general manager.
Producer Lois Randall, who founded the company in 2014, said the new appointments were designed to build on the success of its drama Swift Street, which premiered in competition at Canneseries 2024 and screened on SBS.
“These new appointments, and Meredith’s promotion, will build the development and production capacity of the company,” said Lois Randall.
“Magpie Pictures produces bold and impactful scripted television. We are passionate about female-led, diverse, and regional stories. Our ambition is to take audiences on a deep dive into a different point of view that will change how they see the world. We have earned a reputation for our rigour in supporting creators to write with a fresh authentic voice, and we’re excited about our new slate which includes highly distinctive original concepts from new and experienced writers, and adaptations of works from Australian women novelists set in unique worlds.”
Kelly brings extensive business and legal experience to the Northern Rivers-based company, having spent nearly three years as principal legal counsel at Foxtel, and another three years as senior lawyer at Screen Australia.
Of the other new hires, Lindsay is an emerging producer with over a decade’s experience in First Nations and factual entertainment production who pursued her passion for scripted television through a 2023 Emerging Producer Placement at Screen NSW and Roadshow Rough Diamond.
She will job share the development producer role with Evans, an emerging development creative with over 25 years’ experience in film and television production and who has undertaken professional development with Pixar and UCLA Extension programs.
Randall said the expanded team aimed to take advantage of new creative and market partnerships and opportunities to produce “game-changing scripted series”.
“We know it’s an increasingly competitive global market but we believe Magpie Pictures is offering something fresh and original,” she said.
“I thank Screen Australia for their support, and I’m thrilled to welcome the new team to Magpie Pictures”.