John Godfrey Australia

With a background as Australia’s multicultural broadcaster, SBS holds a unique place in the Australian media landscape. As described in the SBS Charter, SBS’s principal function is to provide multilingual, multicultural and Indigenous radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians, reflecting Australia’s diverse society.  SBS inspires all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world, and in doing so contributes to social cohesion.

 

SBS carries out this function through an ever-increasing number of distribution platforms including free-to-air television channels, subscription television, analogue and digital radio, online, and via mobile devices and apps.

 

For more information, please visit www.sbs.com.au

Website:
www.sbs.com.au
John Godfrey
SBS
Head of Documentaries 
Profession
Bio

John worked for 10 years in the UK series/exec producing a range of factual programming across a range of genres for Channel 4 and BBC2. His career in the UK included the ground breaking Channel 4 series Eurotrash. He has been in Australia for 10 years, and has produced everything from documentary, to popular culture series (SBS and Discovery).  Most recently, he worked at Becker Entertainment as Head of Development and Executive Producer. He has been SBS Commissioning Editor of Documentaries since July 2008, and commissions include Who Do You think You Are? (Series 3 and 4), The Tall Man and Immigration Nation – The Secret History of Us. Now Head of Documentaries, John is responsible for the whole documentary slate, and in particular looks after indigenous and contemporary documentaries including Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta and Go Back To Where You Came From.

Mitzi Goldman Australia

The Documentary Australia Foundation (DAF) is unique in Australia as the only organisation that builds and nurtures partnerships between filmmakers, non profits and philanthropic funders to enable them to tell stories and build campaigns that inspire change.  

Susan and Mitzi are ready to take your meetings relating to Good Pitch Australia.

Mitzi Goldman
Documentary Australia Foundation
CEO 
Profession
Bio

Mitzi has written, produced, edited and directed award winning international documentaries for over 25 years. Her films have screened in festivals around the world and have received many nominations and awards. She has made commissioned work for ABC, SBS, ITVS, ARTE, NGTI, Ch4, YLE and sold her documentaries to many other international broadcasters. Recent credits include End of the Rainbow, Memoirs of a Plague, A Common Purpose and Love & Sex in an Age of Pornography. From 2002 - 2008 Mitzi was Co-Head of Documentary at AFTRS. Her production company, Looking Glass Pictures Pty Ltd, specialises in social impact documentary. Mitzi is the CEO of the Documentary Australia Foundation, connecting private funders, non profit organisations and documentary filmmakers, facilitating new sources of funding for documentary and inspiring social change filmmaking. Mitzi holds a BA from University of Sydney and a Phd in Cultural Studies.

Mitzi and Susan are ready to take your meetings relating to Good Pitch Australia.

Sam Griffin Australia

Screen Australia is the key Federal Government direct funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable Australian screen production industry. In addition Screen Australia administers the Government's Producer Offset and International Co-production Program to increase the commercial sustainability of production in Australia.

Screen Australia was created under the Screen Australia Act 2008 and from 1 July 2008 took over the functions and appropriations of its predecessor agencies: the Australian Film Commission (AFC), the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) and Film Australia Limited.

Sam Griffin
Screen Australia
Investment/Development Manager, Documentary 
Profession
Bio

Sam Griffin is an investment manager at Screen Australia who works across the International (IDP) , General (GDP) and Signature Funds. She has worked in film and television for the past 15 years. With a background in print journalism she moved from Sydney to the U.S. in 1996 where she worked as a director/producer for a New York production company. Prior to leaving the U.S. she was the supervising producer for a suite of cable TV lifestyle series. Sam has also produced and directed documentaries and theatre productions, as well as documentary for public radio.

Elena Guest Australia

Screen Australia is the key Federal Government direct funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable Australian screen production industry. In addition Screen Australia administers the Government's Producer Offset and International Co-production Program to increase the commercial sustainability of production in Australia.

Screen Australia was created under the Screen Australia Act 2008 and from 1 July 2008 took over the functions and appropriations of its predecessor agencies: the Australian Film Commission (AFC), the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) and Film Australia Limited.

Elena Guest
Screen Australia
Project Manger, State and Industry Partnerships 
Profession
Bio

Elena has worked in a variety of roles within Screen Australia since 2009. Her work has included, as part of the Marketing Department, building audiences and profiling Australian films within Australia and internationally. More recently Elena has joined the State and Industry Partnerships team, working with Senior Manager, Chris Oliver, on the Enterprise Program and on building an increased Australian film and TV presence in Asia and facilitating business opportunities in new Asian markets. These strands converged in 2013 with the staging of the inaugural two- day Australia-China Documentary Forum in Beijing, a part of the Enterprise Asia program. Elena has a broad knowledge of the screen industry in Asian countries and has attended various festivals and markets including Busan International Film Festival, FICCI Frames, Asian Side of the Doc and the Sichuan TV Festival. Elena is interested in talking with you if you want to learn more about the screen industry in Asia.

Jacinta Halsall Australia

activeTV is an internationally renowned independent production company based in Australia and Asia. The company produces programming across a broad range of genres including reality, factual, entertainment and children’s television. activeTV is known for taking on international formats and creating local versions boasting high production and entertainment values, which translates into top ratings for broadcasters.

The company has produced two seasons of ‘The Amazing Race Australia’ (Seven Network), which has won an International Emmy and awards at the inaugural Australian AACTAs and Asian Television Awards.  This success comes off the back of four seasons of the award winning ‘The Amazing Race Asia’ (AXN), three seasons for Reshet in Israel and versions for the Philippines and Ukraine. 

Since its inception, activeTV Asia has quickly cemented its reputation as the region’s most highly skilled producers of reality, entertainment and factual programming. Its slate includes ‘E! News Asia’ (Comcast), ‘Cash Cab Asia’ (AXN), original series ‘Can You Serve?’ and ‘Driving Change with Caltex’ (digital/StarWorld).

In Australia, activeTV boasts a highly respected children’s division, which has produced 91 episodes of the smash hit comedy-action series ‘Prank Patrol’, now exported to CBBC, ZDF and RAI. activeTV Australia also produce prestigious televised events, including ‘Woolworths Carols in the Domain’.

The company has gained an international reputation as a first class facilitator and producer of turnkey productions.  In Australia the team have facilitated for US and UK programs including Discovery’s ‘World’s Toughest Truckers’, Comcast’s ‘Chelsea Lately’, fashion series ‘How Do I Look?’ and ‘Finding Bigfoot’ (Animal Planet).

activeTV is currently launching an exciting slate of original factual, reality and kids programming thanks to its recently formed development division ‘activeTV Originals’.

Website:
activetv.tv
Jacinta Halsall
active TV
Sponsorship and Business Development Coordinator 
Bio

Jacinta completed a Bachelor of Commerce at The University of Melbourne majoring in Marketing and Management. During this time she undertook a traineeship at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in the Risk Services Department and an internship at DDB Advertising in Hong Kong. It was during her University studies she realised her passion for marketing, advertising and sales and began her media career at ACP Magazines (Bauer Media). Here, Jacinta worked in the Mediabrands agency team as a Sales Coordinator. Within her exciting new role at activeTV, Jacinta is responsible for generating and implementing sponsorships for productions and continually developing business strategies.

Chris Hilton Australia

Essential Media and Entertainment is one of Australia's most prolific and award winning production companies making high quality factual series, documentaries and multi-platform content. Its factual team, headed by executive producers Chris Hilton and Alan Erson, has produced hundreds of hours of quality documentary for broadcasters such as PBS, BBC, Channel Four, Discovery, National Geographic and Arte as well as all Australian networks. The company covers the full range of factual programming including science, history, arts, factual entertainment and lifestyle.

Chris Hilton
Essential Media and Entertainment
CEO and Executive Producer 
Bio

Chris Hilton is one of Australia's most prolific and award winning factual producer/directors who has made films across a broad spectrum of subjects for the world's major broadcasters. Chris has executive produced or produced over 200 hours of quality documentary for broadcasters such as PBS, BBC, Channel Four, Discovery, National Geographic and Arte as well as all Australian networks. His programs have won major awards in Australia including Walkley and Logie awards. Recent productions include: Miracle on Everest, The Colony, Policing the Pacific, The Floating Brothel, Ten Pound Poms, The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce, Scorched, Solo, Voyage to the Planets, Seduction in the City(Au Bonheur des Dames) The Grammar of Happiness and Australia: The Time Traveller's Guide.

Ryan Hodgson Australia

ScreenWest is Western Australia's screen funding and development agency, committed to working in partnership with the screen industry to develop, support and promote film, television and digital media production in Western Australia.

Ryan Hodgson
Screen West
Productions Investment Manager 
Profession
Bio

Ryan has worked in the Australian screen industry for 18 years.  His drama producing credits include the feature films BLAME (Melbourne, Toronto and Chicago international film festivals and Cannes Cinephiles) and JUSTICE (Marcus Graham, Kerry Armstrong, Simon Westaway).  He has also produced over 80 advertising campaigns totalling over 170 commercials.  His commercial work has been a finalist and winner at the Campaign Brief Awards (Best TV Advertisement, Best TV Campaign) and Perth Advertising and Design Club Awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze Awards), a finalist at the AWARD Awards and featured on www.bestadsontv.com.

Ryan has previously worked as a Project Officer at ScreenWest (twice managing the agency's Screen Industry Partnership Fund) and was the Western Australian Chapter Head of Screen Producers Australia (SPA) for a three and a half year period between 2008-2011.  Ryan has been in his current role at ScreenWest for 18 months.

Tony Jackson Australia

Chemical Media is an independent production company specialising in factual entertainment, travel & lifestyle programming.

Established by the team which successfully brought the Lonely Planet brand to television, Chemical’s founders have made hundreds of hours of programming for broadcasters such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Al Jazeera English, Channel 4 and SBS.

Along the way we’ve produced shows on everything from contemporary British gangsters to traditional Chinese medicine, handled location shoots from Alaska to Arnhem Land, been hailed by prime ministers, denounced as people-smugglers, and frequently missed the last bus home.

Focusing on strong storytelling and intelligent entertainment, the Chemical team has created factual documentaries, returnable travel series, break-through social media campaigns and occasionally even impressed our mums.

With Australian roots and a global outlook, we’ve forged strategic film finance relationships with partners around the world and tailored unique content for brands such as Nokia, Tourism Australia and American Express.

Website:
chemicalmedia.tv
Tony Jackson
Chemical Media
Executive Producer 
Bio

Tony Jackson has spent more than 25 years making television, earning his first stripes and frequent flyer miles at the BBC before eventually becoming Executive Producer and Head of Production at Lonely Planet Television. After building his reputation and risking his gonads making docos of career criminals in the East End of London, Tony made his first splash in Australia by spending four months deep in a NSW rainforest armed with several kilometres of internet cabling to make 48 episodes of an interactive reality TV show for UK network Channel Four. He went on to secure one of the best jobs in the world, travelling the globe directing and producing much of Lonely Planet's television output for the next decade. He founded Chemical Media in 2011 with his colleagues David Collins and Joany Sze.

Tarni James Australia

ABC Television delivers commercial-free, nationally available, free-to-air screen content via a multiplatform multi-channel network.  It is the destination of choice for viewers and users seeking quality and diversity in screen content; in particular engaging audiences in distinctly Australian content across a wide variety of genres.  ABC TV platforms include ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24, ABC iview and the most comprehensive array of online content for download or streaming on abc.net.au/tv.  We seek to commission and acquire programming with a strong multiplatform presence.

Tarni James
ABC Television
Executive Producer, Entertainment 
Profession
Bio

Tarni James is Executive Producer of Entertainment for ABC Television, based in Melbourne. She has worked in the television industry for the past 30 years for all the Australian FTA networks, several cable channels, numerous independent production companies and the BBC as a journalist, producer, writer and director.  Tarni has created programming for arts, sport, current affairs, children’s, news, comedy, variety and documentary genres and has produced extensively in the field in Britain, USA, Africa, The Pacific, Europe and remote Australia.  Tarni currently oversees production of The New Spicks and Specks, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell; RAW Comedy; Comedy Up Late and Dirty Laundry Live.

Her documentary series credits include Family Footsteps, ABC; The Naked Lentil, SBS; Jail Birds ABC;  the environmental series Carbon Cops ABC; and Grand Designs Australia series 1 Foxtel Lifestyle Channel. 

Jennifer Jones Australia

Formed in March 2011, Triptych Pictures slate encompasses television, feature film and multi-media projects, with the development and production of factual and drama television series forming the cornerstone of the company’s vision. Coming from diverse yet related backgrounds, the Triptych producers bring a wealth of production experience and knowledge to the table, each having worked in the industry professionally for over 15 years, ideally situating the company for domestic and international co-production opportunities.

Producing credits include feature films, Boxing Day, Lucky Country, The Babadook (Sundance 2014), The Dead Speak Back, Touch, with co-producing credits on Shut Up Little Man! an Audio Misadventure (Sundance 2011) and One Eyed Girl; factual television series producing credits include mY Generation (2008 SBS), Croc College (2013 ABC1) and Jillaroo School (2014 ABC1), as well as the multi-media multi-platform project Stasis, currently in the first stage of production.

Jennifer Jones
Triptych Pictures
Producer 
Bio

Following an early career in orchestral management in the UK, Jennifer Jones returned to Adelaide in 1999 and completed a BCA(Screen) at Flinders University. Jennifer has worked extensively in the film industry, from Locations Scout to Line Producer, from the Bollywood extravaganza Love Story 2050 to Scott Hick's The Lucky One, as well as television work on McLeod's Daughters and The Fairies. In recent years Jennifer has concentrated on producing and has recently completed co-producing a low budget feature film, One Eyed Girl, through the SA Film Corporation's FilmLab program, and producing a 6 x 1/2 hour factual series, Jillaroo School, for ABC1. Work is currently in progress on Stasis, a multi-platform/multi-media science fiction project.