Andrea Denholm.
The restructure of Princess Pictures is nearing completion with the pending departures of producer/partner Andrea Denholm and MD Jenni Tosi.
Denholm finishes up this Friday after 10 years with the production company founded by Laura Waters in 2003.
Tosi, the former Film Victoria CEO who joined a year ago, will depart in mid-November after handing the reins to commercial director and partner Emma Fitzsimons.
These moves follow the exit earlier this year of producer/partner Paul Walton after seven years with Princess Pictures.
The final elements of the revamp are expected to entail an injection of fresh blood. Waters tells IF: “These changes have happened organically. I’m quite buoyant about the future: there are exciting things ahead.”
Waters flagged a review of the company’s structure and business strategy and the decision to consolidate rather than expand a few months ago when she told IF: “It’s made us go back to our roots and our original purpose.”
Paying tribute to Denholm, she said today: “Andrea has been the diamond in the tilted Princess crown. We are indebted to her for the incredible creative contribution she has made to the business and there is enormous love and respect among the Princesses. We will miss Andrea terribly but are very excited for the venture ahead of her.”
Denholm is yet to reveal that venture but said: “I didn’t imagine a chance encounter with Laura at the Prahran market 10 years ago would yield so many creative rewards and challenges, laughter and connections to wonderfully talented people.
“It’s been a privilege to contribute to a company that stands out for its fearless commitment to making unique content. With that ethos and under the leadership of Laura and Emma, I have no doubt that Princess Pictures will go from strength to strength.”
Of Tosi, Waters said: “It’s been energising and productive working with Jenni to reshape the business; we see being nimbler as a significant advantage for Princess. There’s another flourish or two we can’t share yet, but we will continue to create noisy content that makes people laugh and cry.”
Mike Cowap continues as senior producer, scripted and unscripted, developing projects including Jeremy The Dud, a TV comedy exploring the moments of challenge and levity when living with a disability with writer-director Ryan Chamley, supported by Screen Australia story development funding, and two shows with animator Michael Cusack.
Denholm’s producer and executive producer credits include How to Stay Married, Wrong Kind of Black, It’s a Date, The Divorce and 8MMM Aboriginal Radio.
She will serve as an EP on the second season of Network 10’s How to Stay Married, a co-production with creator Peter Helliar’s Pablo Pictures, which is in pre-production, with Tosi as producer.
Helliar and Lisa McCune reprise their roles as Greg and Em Butler, joined by newcomers Willow Ryan-Fuller and Vivien Turner and the returning supporting cast of Darren Gilshenan, Phil Lloyd and Nikki Britton.
Helliar again leads the writing team with Liz Packett joining as story producer. Returning writers Nick Musgrove and Trent Roberts are augmented by new writers Lou Sanz, Vanessa Burt and Sarah Lang, who is also script editor.