Not-for-profit screen organisation The Mercury has named producer Michelle Hardy as head of industry programs, while also appointing Christopher Annicchiarico and Sasha Close to its
Board of Directors.
Hardy previously served as industry program manager for Screen Producers Australia and is a co-founder of Hardy White Pictures, which created the New Zealand-shot comedy Under The Vines.
Of the board appointments, Annicchiarico has spent nearly a decade at WRP Legal & Advisory, where he currently serves as director, and Close is the president of the Natalie Miller Fellowship, with previous experience as head of programming at the Gold Coast Film Festival and Brisbane International Film Festival.
The Mercury general manager Sarah Lancaster said the collective expertise of the trio would be invaluable to the organisation as it continued to “develop and deliver vital resources and opportunities for our subscribers and the broader community”.
“We are delighted to welcome Christopher and Sasha to the Board, and Michelle to our team,” said General Manager Sarah Lancaster.
“This is a pivotal moment in The Mercury’s history, and we are excited to embark on this next chapter with renewed energy and commitment.”
The appointments come as The Mercury prepares to celebrate 50 years since its inception as the Media Resource Centre, offering a series of activities and events, including a gathering of alumni, a photo exhibition, and a retrospective screening program.
It is also gearing up to roll out a suite of industry programs, featuring a new series of Launch Lab workshops on above and below-the-line topics, expanded one-on-one script consultations with Australian Writers Guild mentors, and the continuation of the Script Club.
So far in 2024, the organisation has relaunched the South Australian Screen Awards and presented a series of high-profile “An Evening With” events featuring renowned industry figures such as Warwick Thornton, the RackaRacka brothers Michael and Danny Philipou, and Erik Thomson.
The Mercury runs a subscription-based membership, offering access to screen programming, industry workshops, film production funding, on-site filmmaking facilities, and equipment hire for $25/per month.