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Shay Spencer joins production company Picking Scabs

Shay Spencer. Credit: Lisa Tomasetti.
Shay Spencer. Credit: Lisa Tomasetti.

Shay Spencer has joined writer/showrunner/executive producer Samantha Strauss and See-Saw Films’ joint venture production company, Picking Scabs, as executive producer.

Picking Scabs, launched in late-2020, sits within See-Saw Films’ collective of production labels and aims to “tell stories that are a bit itchy, and a lot addictive; that investigate all sorts of wounds that haven’t healed properly”.

Spencer joins the company from Jungle Entertainment where she was head of drama, executive producing shows including Sunny Nights for STAN Australia and Cineflix Rights; and Wakefield for ABC and Showtime.

Prior to this, Spencer was drama executive at Fremantle Australia where she worked on Wentworth and Picnic At Hanging Rock for Foxtel. She has also worked on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby and Jonathan Teplitzky’s Burning Man.

She will report to See-Saw Films’ head of film and television (Aus), Liz Watts, and Samantha Strauss.

Spencer said she was an admirer of Strauss’ work. “I have long admired Sam Strauss’ work and she is undeniably one of the most brilliant writing talents in our industry,” she said.

“The creative and commercial joint venture between Sam and See-Saw Films is complete genius and I know it will be a pleasure and a privilege to work on the Picking Scabs slate. I can’t wait to get started.”

Picking Scabs’ upcoming projects include Apple Cider Vinegar starring Kaitlyn Dever, written by Strauss and directed by Jeffrey Walker, for Netflix. Picking Scabs and See-Saw are also producing Grown Ups for Netflix, an ensemble family drama series adapted by Strauss from the bestselling novel by Marian Keyes.