Producer, development executive and former ABC commissioning editor Michael O’Neill died unexpectedly of natural causes in late March, aged 44. Here, Marcus Gillezeau, Studiocanal head of production and development, pays tribute to his friend and former colleague.
Centennial Park. It’s 5am. The sun is readying itself to peak above the horizon. Fingers of light soon spread themselves through the branches of towering paperbarks as a low-level ‘hooting’ pierces the quiet. “Awesome! Look. A tawny frogmouth.” Michael O’Neill whips his long-lens stills camera around and focuses in on a branch. A pair of hazel eyes peer out. Zap zap zap. “Got it! Look. Nice shot.”
A huge smile spreads across his face and soon several other enthusiasts are sharing his delight at having captured the cleverly camouflaged bird. In every way, this sums up Michael – Mike, Mikey. Excitable, fun, quirky, energetic and unquestionably one of the most brilliant TV creatives I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.
“Shush. See? Use my camera. Up there, a channel-billed cuckoo. They come down from Papua.” Soon we’re joined by another young twitcher sporting a fancy looking monocular. Our little posse continues past the ponds.
I first saw Michael on stage revving up and herding an army of high school kids for Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. A natural entertainer, talented performer and production manager, he had a stand-out charisma and maturity unusual in a 22-year-old. We soon came to know an ambitious and magnetic young man, and had no doubt that he was destined for an outstanding career in the creative industry. Though it took some gentle nudging, we eventually convinced him that his calling was in television.
We soon roped him into helping us produce the Rock Eisteddfod TV show, the adventure documentary Storm Surfers, and soon after brought him on board for an all-media drama for Nine, Scorched. The project spanned TV, web, and online, with Michael instrumental in the creation, writing, and production of the web series and interactive drama. His boundless imagination was let loose, resulting in us winning an International Digital Emmy Award for the project. An incredible achievement for a 27-year-old, but not surprising.
“We should see a superb fairywren near that pond over there.” Sure enough, several ultra-cute tiny blue wrens are bouncing around us, at once curious and cautious.
The Scorched project and the Emmy win did exactly what it should do for someone that talented – it propelled him into a hugely successful career in quality, intelligent factual television. He was soon recruited by Essential Media, working on a string of successful projects including Whatever! The Science of Teens, Traveller’s Guide to the Planets and Living Universe. In 2012, he produced and co-directed the extraordinary blue-chip documentary The Grammar of Happiness, which explored how the language of the Pirahã people of the Amazon challenges theories of universal grammar. It was classic Michael – bold, curious, and grounded in deep thinking.
At Essential, he became a linchpin in their factual programming. Whether it was developing What’s the Catch? with Matthew Evans to interrogate sustainable fishing practices or helping shape the ambitious Australia: The Story of Us, Michael’s fingerprints were everywhere. His gift was in making complex ideas engaging and entertaining, and turning everyday realities into gripping, often beautiful storytelling.
He soon moved into international territory, taking the reins of Essential’s US operations as VP of unscripted development. From Los Angeles, he helped birth over 200 hours of factual TV, including Texas Flip N Move and a hidden-camera series for NatGeo. It was another chapter of big ideas and fearless energy. But eventually home called.
In 2016, he returned to Australia to take up a role as commissioning editor at ABC TV. There, he had the chance to shape the national conversation through programs like Todd Sampson’s Life on the Line, the groundbreaking Stargazing Live with Brian Cox and many more. His keen intellect and clarity of purpose made him a fierce advocate for programming that was meaningful, creative, and built on truth. He will always be remembered for his passion and knowledge in all things science, he was fastidious in the need to get things right and make entertaining, thoughtful content.
Yet Michael wasn’t just a TV mind – he was a true citizen. We’d reliably run into him at the voting booths, rain or shine, handing out how-to-vote cards for his cousin, Labor MP Marjorie O’Neill. He wasn’t loud about his politics, but his values ran deep: justice, fairness, the importance of evidence, and the courage to stand up. He also threw his creative power behind progressive causes, producing clever, irreverent content for GetUp with Dan Ilic that brought big laughs and even bigger insights.
He had a heart that could hold a lot. His friendships were enduring and close, his generosity constant. If you were in his orbit, you stayed there. He built circles of care, of support, of ideas. He was the kind of person you could call with a dilemma, and he’d answer, probably with a joke, and then with a plan.
Michael leaves behind his loving family – his brother Tim, parents Maureen and Peter and a wide network of friends and colleagues who adored him. His absence will echo in many places –in the quiet of Centennial Park where wrens still bounce in the dawn, in edit suites where ideas are still sharpened, and at dinner tables where his stories still make us laugh.
He had strong values, a great sense of justice, and a sharp intellect. He could find beauty in a bird’s call, or a well-timed edit. He will be sorely missed by all of us. All whom he left such an impression on.
Squelch. We sink into several inches of mud as we creep into the reeds at the edge of the pond. “With luck, we’ll spot a purple swamphen.” Sure enough… zap, zap, zap. Michael fires off a half-dozen shots on his trusty Canon.
By now, the sun is well above the tallest gums and the distant thrum of the city signals that office hours are closing in. A flat white at the coffee caravan. A huge hug. That incredible smile. “Did you have fun? Want to do it again?” Of course I did. Like all of us – and especially his family – we always wanted to do it again with Michael, Mike, Mikey.
His loss has left a huge hole in the lives of so many, and in the collective consciousness shaped by his ideas and imagination. Yet there’s comfort in knowing that his contribution to the common good is far from lost. It will continue to resonate and echo – like a birdcall – reminding us of the light and wonder some people bring into this world.
A memorial for Michael O’Neill will be held Monday May 5, 10am-11am, Harvey Lowe Pavilion, Castle Hill Showground, NSW.