The relationship between the games and screen sectors has never been closer, and with the Aussie games industry generating over $608.5 million in revenue, games storytelling is hitting a new boss level. In the first of this microseries, we get the lowdown on the indie games space from Screen Australia Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella. With over 25 years supporting indie films and tv on the global stage, Umbrella have recently launched a gaming distribution arm, Umbrella Gaming, with their first title Pro Jank Footy due for release in 2026.

Egger and Harrison discuss the intersection between the screen and games sectors, the challenges and opportunities facing both indie markets and how both industries can optimise potential through creative IP.

Start the year right with the latest Marketplace intel from Screen Australia Head of Market and Audience Rakel Tansley.

Throughout the podcast, Tansley gives insight into how the Screen Australia Market and Audience team collates investment data and deal terms to provide an overview of the domestic and global marketplace, including how the data is interpreted to identify trends and develop publicly available resources for producers and filmmakers. She also discusses the rise of direct-to-audience and the microdrama, the importance of retaining IP and non-exclusive terms, the big genre and format hitters from MIPCOM (cozy crime or family co-viewing, anyone?), filling the gaps in your finance plan, and the top ten territories buying Australian content.

"Considering [Australia is] a very small pool, we land a very large wave internationally," Tansley says. "Screen Australia are in a privileged position that we get to see globally what is happening across the whole distribution landscape, across all mediums. And we get to see those deal terms, those licence periods, the fees being paid, and expenses being taken, so we can help navigate and help negotiate the best deals to make sure that's fair and reasonable across the board."

Further Reading and Resources

• Sales agents and distributors

• Checklist when negotiating film and TV distribution deals

• Podcast: How to make marketplace intel work for you

• Market Profiles

We all recognise the media landscape has changed dramatically over the past 40 years, and for creatives like today's guest, working as a director is a masterclass in embracing change. Joining us is Australian director Kate Woods to share her insights about the evolution of the television sector behind the camera and the project that brought her back to Australia.

She's worked on some of the biggest titles on the small screen in Australia and the US, including Aussie favourites like GP, All Saints, Farscape and City Homicide, and US titles including Without a Trace, the Law and Order franchises, The Umbrella Academy, Agents of Shield, and The Good Lord Bird. You'll also likely recognise her debut feature film – the Aussie teen hit of 2000, Looking for Alibrandi – which this year celebrates 25 years since release.

Kate reflects on her experiences working in the industry across film and TV in Australia and abroad, her approach to selecting projects, the influence of music in her work, and why she ignored the screen adage to never work with children or animals in her latest project, Kangaroo.

Creators and writers of hit film Top End Wedding, Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler, join us this episode to talk about their new Amazon Australia Original Series Top End Bub. Following the global success of their debut feature film of Sundance-favourite Top End Wedding, creators and writers Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler found audiences clamouring for more tales from the top end – and they were happy to oblige.

As Tyler says, "If you've got an audience there, you've got a fan base, keep feeding them!"

Tapsell and Tyler share how they leveraged the IP from the big screen to television, the appeal of the comedy half-hour, the joy of collaborating together, and how creators can embrace family, community and love to reflect the breadth and diversity of First Nations experiences on screen.

This is a big episode. We're talking saving the world big.

The global screen industry generates millions of metric tons of carbon emissions every year. From fossil fuels to food waste, costumes and sets, the average production can generate over 28700 kilograms of waste, and with pressure on production costs and budgeting, embracing sustainable practices on set can seem daunting.

But a growing movement of practitioners are exploring how to build more sustainable productions, regardless of size.

60Forty Films' Karl Liegis and Matchbox Pictures' Helen Panchurst join this episode to discuss the strategies and opportunities for engaging the screen sector in sustainability.

They share their insights into what the industry is doing globally to be more environmentally conscious, how consultants and coordinators work with production, and why it's more important than ever for the Australia sector to embrace sustainable practices. Our top takeaways:

• Collaboration is key - not just within your team or production, but across the industry.
• Don't try to do everything. Pick three things that your production or team can focus on.
• It's not always about the successes. Learn from the hurdles and setbacks, and build them into your next project.

• Sustainable Screens Australia: https://www.sustainablescreens.au/
• BAFTA Albert Toolkit: https://wearealbert.org/
• The Pact HETV Drama Production Support Initiative: https://www.pact.co.uk/resource/the-hetv-drama-production-support-initiative.html

For feedback about this episode, please email [email protected].

The Snowtown and Nitram director shares what he learnt from making his first documentary, Ellis Park. Ellis Park is Kurzel's third release over the past year, alongside feature film The Order, starring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult, and Amazon Prime's Australian war drama series The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He shares the challenges and joys of juggling three feature film projects simultaneously, advice on shaping your project for success on the global market, and how his view of filmmaking has changed from director to producer.

Digital content strategist and kids IP specialist Nico Lockhart shares what producers can learn about audience development and content production from YouTube. From the importance of a good thumbnail, why a viral video could take years, how the direct-to-audience model is evolving with its audience, and the parallels between so-called traditional media and online media production, get the lowdown on how YouTube is changing the way audiences engage with screen stories.

• Learn more about developing kids IP for YouTube with Nico Lockhart via the Kids IP Incubator webinar.

Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production Dena Curtis dropped by the Screen Australia Podcast to talk about the role of the broadcaster in showcasing and celebrating the diversity of First Nations experiences and supporting stories told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners, and shares her vision for NITV and gives advice for producers and filmmakers looking to pitch to the broadcaster.

Writer and director Nicholas Verso joins the podcast to share how he brought the award-winning novel Invisible Boys to television, including building the writers room, knowing when to move away from the source material, filming in regional Western Australia, and creating a visual language, as well as shaping authentic queer narratives for young adults.

Stephanie Dower discusses the importance of building an accessible culture on set, engaging Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent (DDN) crew, and her experiences working in the Australian screen industry, as well as introducing the emerging role of access coordinating - the philosophy and vision behind the role; the distinctions between access coordinators, safety officers, and support workers; and more.