Stan and Screen Queensland increase investment in local production development

Pictured L – R. Anthony Mullins, Ursula Cleary, Steve Baker and Krissy Kneen. Photo by Alister Randell

Mike Sneesby, CEO Stan Australia and Tracey Vieira CEO Screen Queensland, today announced that they have expanded and extended the Premium Drama Development Fund with a new round of applications to open in September 2019.

Also announced were the three premium drama projects from Queensland writers that have been selected for early-stage development through the first phase of the Screen Queensland (SQ) + Stan Premium Drama Development Fund.

The Bloody Satisfaction of Derek Gott by Steve Baker, is a dark thriller, drama series with a teen focus; Kindred Spirits by Ursula Cleary is an edgy family drama; and Saviour by Anthony Mullins is an exciting Sci-Fi drama.

"We were proud to launch the Fund at the TV WEEK Logies last year with Stan and now we are seeing the results with both rising talent and established screenwriters selected to continue working with Stan on compelling content for local and global audiences," said Ms Vieira.

"The continuation of the fund for another year also shows that we are just scratching the surface of the potential we have in Queensland and that Stan wants to continue to be at the forefront of breaking new talent and developing excellent screen content with Queensland creatives," added Ms Vieira.

SQ and Stan will co-fund the further development of the three selected Queensland drama series suitable for local and global audiences on the Stan SVOD platform.

Mike Sneesby, CEO Stan, said, "The creative ideas and stories coming out of this initiative have been exceptional and we are particularly excited to be working with Steve, Ursula and Anthony on their projects."

"Given the quality and volume of the projects submitted through the first phase, we didn't hesitate in extending our partnership with Screen Queensland. We look forward to uncovering more fresh ideas and themes that present unique creative opportunities," he added.

Stan are also expanding the fund to include the SQ + Stan First Look Initiative, selecting writer Krissy Kneen from the pool of Rising Talent who will develop three projects into five-page briefs over the next six months with the possibility of one continuing to a writer's room and delivery into a pilot.

Applications for the 2019-20 SQ+ Stan Premium Drama Development Fund will open in September this year.

SQ + Stan Premium Drama Projects

> The Bloody Satisfaction of Derek Got

Still reeling from the discovery of a wounded vampire he suspects may be his missing father, a teen outcast hatches a diabolical plan to exact revenge upon the local bullies.

Writer: Steve Baker

Steve is a writer / director working in both the live action and animated mediums. His achievements include winning the world's largest short film festival, Tropfest, as well as an AFI Award for Best Short Animated Film. He's directed segments for the Emmy Award winning hitRECord on TV, which included working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson, and been featured in Shots Magazine – Directors to Watch in Australasia. Recently Steve finished his first web series, This is Desmondo Ray! which became the most awarded series in the world for 2018 and is #1 Ranked Web Series of All Time via the Web Series World Cup.

> Kindred Spirits

Kindred Spirits is a drama about an ordinary family at the moment something extraordinarily terrible happens. When Connie and Ben Drake's teenage daughters are involved in a stabbing, leaving one critically ill and the other missing, they must decide how far they will go to save their family.

Screenwriter: Ursula Cleary

Ursula is a screenwriter, researcher and script editor. Her screenwriting credits include the AACTA nominated feature film "Don't Tell" released in 2017 and the ABC drama series "The Time of Our Lives". In 2016 she was awarded a State Library of Queensland QANZAC 100 Fellowship to research the life and work of Annie Wheeler during the first world war, for a television series and novel. Ursula's script editing and research credits include the Nine network's telemovie "Beaconsfield" and the ABC mini-series "Paper Giants - The Magazine Wars".

> Saviour

A cold-blooded murder by a teenager heralds a frightening transformation in the children

of a remote Queensland town.

Screenwriter: Anthony Mullins

Anthony is a BAFTA and AWGIE award winning screenwriter and director. The projects Anthony has written and directed have won numerous international awards including a Primetime Emmy, an International Digital Emmy, two BAFTAs and five Australian Writers Guild awards. Between 2006 and 2012 Anthony was the Creative Director of Hoodlum before joining Matchbox Pictures as a TV Development Executive from 2015 to 2017. Most recently he was the script producer on Five Bedrooms, a new drama series by Hoodlum for Channel Ten.

> SQ + STAN FIRST LOOK INITIATIVE

Krissy Kneen is the award-winning author of a memoir, a collection of poetry and five full-length works of fiction including the Stella Prize Shortlisted An Uncertain Grace. She has written and directed broadcast documentaries for SBS and ABC Television.