Michael McMahon.
Screen Producers Australia will present Matchbox Pictures co-founder and executive chairman Michael McMahon with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s SPA Awards.
McMahon began his career in the industry as an entertainment lawyer, and produced his first short, Cruel Youth, in 1988. In the 30 years since, McMahon has driven some of Australia’s most notable features, documentaries and television dramas, including Ali’s Wedding, The Slap and Nowhere Boys.
In 1999, he formed Big and Little Films with partner Tony Ayres, and then a decade later, the two – together with Helen Bowden, Penny Chapman and Helen Panckhurst – formed Matchbox Pictures. In 2011, NBCUniversal took a majority stake in the company and acquired full ownership in 2014.
Over his career, McMahon has served on the boards of both Screen Tasmania and Film Victoria, and has recently expanded his career into teaching at Swinburne University and the University of South Australia.
“The Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges an individual’s lifetime contribution to enriching Australian culture through their work in the screen industry. Michael has a passion for social justice and a reputation for championing stories that highlight the diversity of human experience, and I congratulate him on this latest accolade,” said Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner.
The SPA Awards ceremony takes place at the Forum Theatre, Melbourne on November 22, closing the Screen Forever conference.