Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has confirmed the mentors for its Ones To Watch program, with some of Australia’s leading producers set to lend their expertise to the 2022 cohort.
The 12 up-and-coming practitioners will have the opportunity to learn from the likes of Tony Ayres, Goalpost Pictures’ Rosemary Blight and Kylie Du Fresne, Werner Film Productions’ Joanna Werner, and Aquarius Films’ Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder, as they build their projects in the lead-up to pitching opportunities at Screen Forever 37’s SPA Connect Market in May 2023.
SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said the guidance provided by the Ones To Watch mentorship would play a crucial role in developing the skills necessary to excel in a rapidly evolving and competitive industry.
“The SPA members who have generously agreed to share their time, experience, skills, and passion for our industry take great pride in their collective role in nurturing the next generation of leading Australian producers,” he said
“The Ones To Watch program along with mentors past and present, continue to lay the foundation for a bold and diverse screen industry here in Australia.”
The full list of Ones To Watch cohort members and their respective mentors is below:
- Aven Yap – Joanna Werner, Werner Film Productions.
- Bethany Bruce – Charlotte Wheaton and Nick Batzias, GoodThing Productions.
- Chanel Bowen – Rosemary Blight and Kylie Du Fresne, Goalpost Pictures.
- Christopher Amos – Tony Ayres, Tony Ayres Productions.
- Cyna Strachan – Alastair McKinnon, Matchbox Pictures.
- Debbie Zhou – Rachel Gardner, Curio Pictures.
- Emma Roberts – Nathan Anderson, New Canvas.
- Hanna Griffiths – Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder, Aquarius Films.
- Jason Chong – Micah Hewson, ITV Studios Australia.
- Luke Saliba – Rick Kalowski, Whoa Bandit Productions.
- Sierra Schrader – Michael McMahon, Big & Little Films.
- Tim Russell – Jo Porter, Curio Pictures.