Press release from SPAA
As part of 360 at SPAA 2011, the Convergence debate will examine new trends and audience opportunities in the performing arts and the screen industry.
Robert Connolly, Producer/Director of Arenamedia and Andrew Upton, Co-Artistic Director and CEO of the Sydney Theatre Company will take to the stage with Amanda Duthie, Head of Arts and Entertainment, ABC Television and Kathy Keele, CEO, Australia Council for the Arts on Wednesday, 16 November at 10.30am at the Hilton in Sydney. The session will discuss the challenges ahead for both sectors in this new digital era with a focus on new business models that will support live performance and screen culture across all platforms.
In commenting on the convergence-phenomenon, Robert Connolly said: “Having begun my career back in 1991 with the stage play 'The Boys at the Griffin Theatre', the journey from theatre to film has come full circle. Creative practitioners no longer define themselves by the narrow band of the industry they work within, but by the many and varied ways they can find to tell the stories. Convergence is not just about delivering the same old content in different ways, it’s more importantly about the new forms of content that will emerge from screen practitioners drawn from all areas of the creative industries.”
A number of case studies will be examined including The HIVE Production Fund – an award-winning initiative between the Adelaide Film Festival, ABC TV Arts & Entertainment and the Australia Council for the Arts – to see how performing arts companies are engaging with digital technology, the film and television industry and, collectively, how they connect with audiences. Susan Donnelly, Executive Director of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) will moderate the session.
SPAA will be host to many international and domestic guests who have contributed to building and developing the global screen industry over many years. The annual conference provides a forum for the industry to forge new partnerships and business opportunities in Australia. Delegates can expect to hear a diverse range of views and opinions over the three-day event about the new way forward from both local industry commentators and creative minds and global change-makers.
SPAA is the industry association for the independent film and television industry, providing leadership and direction on all debates concerning the economics, creative and technological future of the screen production industries in Australia. It strives to create the business conditions for the industry to compete strongly in both local and international markets.