Neil Triffett.
EMO the Musical writer-director Neil Triffett and editor/writer/director Adrian Chiarella have joined Tony Ayres’ new production venture.
Triffett and Chiarella are working as part-time development assistants at Tony Ayres Productions (TAP) whose mission is to produce high-end dramas for NBC International Studios and Matchbox Pictures. TAP also has a first-look deal with NBCUniversal for feature films.
A fan of EMO the Musical, Ayres met Triffett through their mutual agent, Jennifer Naughton at RGM. “I was impressed by Neil’s ideas and capabilities. Through Jenn, I heard that Neil was looking for part-time work and I immediately leapt at the chance to work with him,” Ayres tells IF.
Ayres met Chiarella years ago while collaborating on the script for his AFTRS Masters in Screenwriting degree. “He was, without a doubt, a writer of great talent,” he said.
“We subsequently became friends. We have wanted to work together over the years but haven’t quite found a chance in part because Adrian was pursuing his other careers as an editor and then as a director. TAP felt like the perfect working relationship as, being part-time, it allows Adrian to continue his own writing and directing projects.”
A co-founder of Matchbox Pictures, Ayres decided to go solo to devote more time to writing and directing and to embark on more internationally-aimed projects based on original ideas.
Triffett’s debut feature EMO the Musical premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2016 and screened at the Berlinale and Edinburgh Film Festivals and Toronto’s Inside Out Film Festival in 2017.
Chiarella edited Craig Boreham’s feature Teenage Kicks and numerous shorts and he wrote and directed the shorts Black Lips and Touch.
Ayres said: “Ideally, as TAP grows, there will be opportunities for both Adrian and Neil to advance their writing and directing careers through the company. Coming from Matchbox, which has an incredible culture of developing talent, it’s important to me that this new company is a launchpad for ongoing careers.”