Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild have selected Thomas Duncan-Watt, Vanessa Gazy, Sarah Lambert, Leah Purcell, Giula Sandler, and Alexa Wyatt for the second edition of The Creators accelerator program.
Delivered in collaboration with Scripted Ink. and Film Independent, the initiative is designed to provide project and pitching development and networking opportunities for creators to sell their stories in domestic and international markets.
The 2024 cohort will receive high-level training from international industry leader Jeff Melvoin, founder and chair of Writers Guild of America’s Showrunner Training Program.
Screen Australia’s development head Bobby Romia said the agency looked forward to seeing the participants’ progress.
“Screen Australia is committed to nurturing the talent and skills that are central to our ambition of sustained creative excellence in Australian storytelling on screen,” he said.
“This initiative provides an unparalleled opportunity for these screenwriters to foster new connections and gain the necessary insights and international exposure to empower them to develop their storytelling craft.”
AWG president Peter Mattessi also expressed enthusiasm about the program’s second year.
“This unique program is custom-built for writers developing their careers as creators and showrunners, and we’re excited to see the expertise and insights these six bring back to our industry after their time in LA,” he said.
Duncan-Watt, known for his work on Space Nova and Home and Away, said The Creators was a “dream program for elevating, upskilling and promoting the next wave of Aussie showrunners”.
“As someone who has aspired to showrunner-dom since reading The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at age 12, being selected for The Creators represents the opportunity of a lifetime – one I can’t wait to make the most of as I head to LA with this incredible group,” he said.
For Gazy, who created Netflix mystery/thriller Echoes and Stan Original drama Eden, the opportunity to hone her showrunning skills in LA was a “valuable gift”.
“Showrunning empowers us as creators to steer our projects, to nurture and protect our vision, and to be producers on our work,” she said.
“The role comes with great responsibility, and it’s vital to be trained and prepared.”
Purcell, a television and stage writer, creator, director, and actor, said the program was also a chance to use what she learnt in her mentoring within the First Nations screen sector.
“I look forward to the challenge of absorbing as much as I can and then returning home and applying these skills to my own projects and our industry so that Australian content can continue to match and play on the international stage in the film and TV sectors,” she said.