We Interrupt This Broadcast

In this episode, Julie Eckersley talks to Dr. David Court  - founder of Compton School, and one of the most influential champions of emerging screen talent in Australia.

From the early days of his career in finance and policy to his work advising governments, structuring production deals, and founding Australia’s first business school for creatives, David has seen the screen industry from every angle.

This is a conversation about the art of mentoring - why it matters, how it shapes the creative community, and the ripple effects it has long after the advice is given.

Key Takeaways:

• Why mentoring is more than just giving advice.

• Why the wider screen industry not only benefits from but needs mentoring in order to thrive.

• Key advice for how to approach a mentor.

• How to make the most of the mentor/mentee relationship.

Whether you’re a filmmaker, a creative entrepreneur, or a leader in any field, this conversation is about connection, guidance, and how the creative industries can thrive through structured knowledge transfer between generations.

Follow David and his work:

• Compton School: https://compton.school

• RAINMAKERS: https://compton.school/rainmakers

In this episode, Julie Eckersley sits down with commercial and narrative filmmaker Michael V. Brown, whose mobile-first micro-dramas have racked up more than 60 million views on platforms like ReelShort and PocketFM.

Michael shares his journey from indie filmmaking to mastering the vertical storytelling format - and why the rise of mobile-native content is one of the biggest opportunities for screen creatives today.

Whether you’re a filmmaker, producer, or content strategist, this episode reveals what it takes to succeed in the fast-growing world of short-form, vertical drama, and why this format may be the future of global entertainment.

Key Takeaways:

• Vertical Is a Format, Not a Limitation - Michael explains how vertical storytelling demands new creative muscles, but rewards them with massive audience reach.
• Treat Micro-Dramas Like Mini Features - Each short-form series is designed with tight structure, emotional hooks, and clear stakes, using traditional storytelling principles.
• Audiences Want Drama on the Go - With millions tuning into high-stakes, bite-sized stories, Michael sees mobile-first storytelling as a major opportunity for filmmakers to monetise and build audience.
• The Democratisation of Storytelling - Short-form vertical drama opens the door for underrepresented voices, new genres, and agile production models. It’s a playground for creators willing to experiment and iterate quickly.

More about Michael V. Brown:

Michael V. Brown is a commercial and narrative filmmaker who’s directed and/or produced campaigns for Merrell, CAT Footwear, Cisco, and Hershey’s, plus a growing slate of mobile-first micro-dramas that have pulled in over 60 million views across platforms like ReelShort and PocketFM.

He produced the indie feature Hayseed, now streaming on Tubi and Amazon Prime, and available for rent or purchase on Apple, Vudu, and Google Play.

Originally from Michigan, Michael was a film nerd and terrible athlete who didn’t realise making movies was a real job until college. Since then, he’s built a career blending intentional storytelling with sharp execution  - whether on set or in a Google Sheet.

He’s currently developing filmmaker-focused tools to help indie creators forecast financial performance and avoid bad distribution deals, because he believes transparency shouldn't be a luxury in this industry.

Follow Michael and his work:

Website: www.michaelvbrown.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelvincentbrown/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/im.mvb

Lose You to Love Me:

https://pocketfm.com/episode/4b2de7f6c1e34bdab8e57ddb49f39b2f?campaign_name= 

More Information on vertical dramas and jobs in the space:

Maple Studios: https://apply.workable.com/crazymaplestudio/

Pocket FM Jobs: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/pocket-fm-jobs-worldwide/?currentJobId=4239056060

Fast Company: Netlflix  to add vertical video: https://www.fastcompany.com/91330227/netflix-app-ui-tiktok

This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

Follow us on: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠LinkedIn

In Part 2 of this insightful interview, Jen Topping dives deeper into the strategic shifts shaping the future of media - from the decline of traditional commissioning models to the rise of audience-first thinking, and why producers must build with the platform in mind, not in spite of it.

She also shares a passionate vision for helping creators understand where the money is, how to leverage transparency, and why it’s never been more important to treat your career like a creative business.

This is part 2 of a two-part interview. Go back to last week's episode if you missed the first half!

Key Takeaways:

• The Commissioning System Is Broken - So Let’s Build Alternatives. Jen explores why producers must stop waiting for gatekeepers and start exploring new commercial models, from branded content to IP ownership to creator-led ecosystems.

• Know Your Audience - Or You’ll Lose Them. It’s not enough to make great content. Producers must understand who they’re making it for, where they live online, and how to engage them meaningfully before release.

• Tech Fluency Is No Longer Optional. Jen urges producers to understand the platforms, data, and tools that shape how content is discovered, watched, and monetised - without becoming a slave to the algorithm.

• Forecast. Measure. Iterate. Drawing from her consultancy work, Jen gives practical advice on how to bring financial clarity and transparency to your projects.

• Your Career Is a Creative Asset. Jen’s parting message? Build a career you own, not just jobs you do. Be strategic. Be entrepreneurial. And don’t be afraid to pivot into what’s next.

Follow Jen and her work:

Subscribe to Jen’s newsletter – The Business on TV: ⁠businessoftv.substack.com⁠

Want to work with Jen? You can find Jen’s consulting site here: ⁠jentopping.co.uk⁠

This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

Follow us on: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠YouTube⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn

In Part 1 of this rich and honest conversation, Julie Eckersley speaks with consultant and media commentator Jen Topping, whose career spans journalism, Channel 4, Microsoft’s interactive TV studio, and now helping hundreds of indies future-proof their screen businesses.

Jen reflects on how producers and content creators must shift their mindset to stay relevant in a time of ongoing disruption—and shares deeply practical insights on navigating the emotional and structural challenges that come with change.

This is part 1 of a two-part interview. Come back next week for the second half!

Key Takeaways:

• Fragmentation, Convergence and the Rise of Audience Choice. Jen explains how these elements have increase completion for audience attention and why they are here to stay.

• What the media changes mean for producers and how you can thrive in the new media landscape. Jen talks about the skills you need to develop.

• Don’t Wait for Stability - Build for Change. Disruption is no longer a phase—it’s the environment. Jen challenges producers to become more adaptive, agile, and audience-savvy in how they develop and deliver stories.

• The Future Belongs to the Curious. The most valuable producers aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones asking better questions and staying open to reinvention.

• The Opportunity and the Challenge. The desire for great content has not changed, but how we make money through them has. Jen talks about the challenge of getting projects financed in this new model and how to own the D2C (direct to consumer) model.

In this episode of We Interrupt This Broadcast, Julie and Kirsty wrap up this month's industry news, from the Regional to Global conference, to AI challenges, to niche vs. mainstream content.

Plus: all of your July screen industry news headlines from around the country...

00:00 Intro

00:38 Regional to Global Summit Highlights

03:50 AI Opportunities and Concerns

08:33 Digital Futures Summit & the Future of Content

12:10 Industry Updates from Around the Country

14:52 What we've been watching

17:22 What’s in production around the country

18:23 Wrap-Up & Acknowledgement of Country

Links to further info:

We Interrupt This Broadcast on social media:

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠

Regional to Global Summit:

Deirdre Brennan's Opening Address

AI

Past Episode - Jessie Hughes

Doug Shapiro Presentation - AI on the Lot

Disney & Universal Sue Midjourney for Copyright Infringement

ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills (MIT Study)

News in Brief

Screen Australia's New Guidelines

NSW's $380m screen and digital games support package

Nine overhauls Streaming and Broadcast division

What We're Watching

Moonbird | Warm Props | Moni | Pasa Faho | Mix Tape

In Production:

My Brilliant Career | Goolagong | Two Years Later | Reckless | The Postcard Bandit series

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Screen Australia Upcoming Productions⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠IF In Production⁠

Upcoming Events

Future Vision Summit⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple or give us 5 stars on Spotify to help us spread the word.

Plus: don’t forget to stop by ⁠⁠our Instagram⁠⁠ on Wednesday evening (the day after each episode is released) to join the conversation in our Stories.

We Interrupt This Broadcast is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Kirsty Stark⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This episode is proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠.

In this episode, Julie Eckersley sits down with filmmakers and digital content creators Lachlan & Austin Macfarlane, whose work spans YouTube (973K subscribers), TikTok (673K followers) and Instagram (196K followers).

The brothers discuss how they have built a sustainable business model by regularly posting 15-second VFX-heavy clips, and how they have strategically created broader filmmaking opportunities for themselves through an online pathway.

Whether you’re looking to greenlight your own career or interested in learning more about finding an audience on digital platforms, this episode is full of great insights.

Listen to this episode if you are interested in:

• Crafting short-form content that resonates with audiences

• Why you should post your work across multiple platforms

• The importance of storytelling, even in short videos

• How they come up with ideas and know what will resonate

• Why consistency and authenticity are crucial for building an audience

• When to transition from a traditional job to full-time content creation

In this episode, Julie Eckersley sits down with world-renowned writing teacher and story consultant Corey Mandell, whose students include Oscar winners and leading showrunners. Known for his groundbreaking approach to screenwriting, Corey unpacks why formulas are failing today’s writers and what you need to do instead.

Whether you're a screenwriter, producer, or development executive, this episode is a masterclass in how to write truly original and emotionally resonant stories that sell, and why so many talented writers fail to break through.

---

Listen to this episode if you are interested in:

• The two levels of a great screen story.
• Why formulas fail, and how to avoid them.
• Talent is not a gift, it’s a muscle.
• Creative integration: the core of Corey Mandell's screenwriting method, and how to develop both your "hammer" and your "straw"
• Story design vs. plotting, and how to deliver an emotional experience for your audience
• Why your relationship with writing matters
• The new reality of the global screen industry
• A bold idea to improve the industry

---

Follow Corey and his work:

• Website & free resources: https://coreymandell.net/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreymandellworkshops/

• X: https://x.com/coreymandell 

• Facebook: Corey Mandell Professional Screenwriting Courses: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063888732536 

  
  

  Resource:

  • The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle: https://www.amazon.com.au/Talent-Code-Greatness-born-grown/dp/1847943047/ 

In this episode we talk to Jessie Hughes, Senior Creative Technologist at Leonardo.Ai. Jessie is an internationally-recognised new media artist, technologist, scholar and screenwriter, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance, SXSW, Cannes and the Tate Modern. In her role at Leonardo.Ai, she has been instrumental in leading global education, evangelism, community engagement, and industry-wide adoption for one of the world’s fastest-growing generative AI platforms.

Jessie talks about the ways generative AI can play a role in the future of the screen industry, and why she’s particularly excited for emerging creatives and the Australian screen industry.

Listen to this episode if you are interested in:

• The ways generative AI is being used on current productions

• Why Australia is leading the way with AI from a technology perspective

• How creative experience is the key to creating great AI content

• Why collaboration still leads to better outcomes

• The ways democratisation of creativity allows more diverse voices to be heard

• • What you should do if you want to upskill with AI tools

  
  

  Bonus: Pair this episode with an AI Cheat Sheet put together by Scott Dickson from Bold Digital Media.

  The cheat sheet is a look at a variety of AI tools that may help speed up tasks, reduce costs, and unlock new creative possibilities across different points of the production process.
  https://www.bolddigitalmedia.com.au/aitoolspdf

  Scott Dickson works with creative teams to explore practical ways AI tools can support production workflows without giving up any creativity.

  Follow his work:
  www.linkedin.com/in/thatscottdickson
  bolddigitalmedia.com.au

  
  

  Follow Jessie and her work:

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-hughes-050138b1

  Leonardo.ai: https://leonardo.ai/

  Announcement: Google’s Veo 3 on Leonardo.Ai

  
  

  Leonardo.Ai Training:

  Leonardo Learn

  Creating Detailed Concept Designs for Presentations

  Creating Cinematic Storyboards with AI

  Creating Concept Art and Posters for Your Film

  ⁠How to Ideate with Flow State⁠

  ⁠How to Use Flow State⁠

  
  

  Other Links & Presentations:

  Top 50 Women in AI: Leonardo.Ai News | Forbes Article

  Leonardo.Ai at AWS Sydney Summit

  Leonardo.Ai at Canva Create 2025

  Meta Festival 2025 — Jessie Hughes, Leonardo.Ai

  Emerging Media Programming AI Toolkit Series: Leonardo.ai

  Flow Issue No 01: Agency Storyboarding & Development Edition

  Spill Issue No. 01: Advertising & Marketing Edition

  Leonardo 104: Transform Your Business with Leonardo for Teams

  
  

  This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠.

  If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

In this episode of We Interrupt This Broadcast, Julie and Kirsty wrap up this month's industry news, from short film funding and Screen Australia's new guidelines to Google's Veo 3.

Plus: International news, Screenwest increases its PDV Offset, Creative Australia's new website, and more screen industry news from around the country...

00:00 Intro

00:38 Short films, microbudget features & safety concerns

03:24 Screen Australia's new short film guidelines

06:17 Screen Well hosts wellbeing roundtables

06:37 Creative Australia releases new website

07:33 Google launches Veo 3

11:01 Mr Beast hits 400 million subscribers

11:35 Mountainhead's streamlined production process

13:08 Screenwest increases PDV rebate

13:48 Ausfilm leads Australian contingent at Annecy

14:16 What we've been watching

15:50 What’s in production around the country

17:04 Upcoming Industry Events

19:09 Remembering Liz Tomkins

20:02 Acknowledgement of Country

Links to further info:

We Interrupt This Broadcast on social media:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

Short Film Funding

Previous episode: Melanie Rowland and Flunk

SA's Film Lab: New Voices initiative & its films: Monolith & Lesbian Space Princess

Robert Rodriguez book - Rebel Without a Crew

Screen Australia Webinars - New Guidelines

Narrative - with Louise Gough

Documentary - with Richard Huddleston

Creative Workplaces

New website

AI & Google's Veo 3

Official page

Example AI generated videos

Clayton Jacobson's perfume ad

Opinion: The film industry is about to get Blockbuster'd by AI and nobody sees it coming

Leonardo AI

Scott Dickson - Bold Digital Media

Want to sponsor We Interrupt This Broadcast?

Reach out to [email protected]

International

Mr. Beast hits 400 million subscribers

Mountainhead's production process: Hollywood Reporter | Indiewire

News in Brief

Screenwest increases PDV rebate to 20%

Stan extends multi-year partnership with Sony Pictures Television

Stan to present at Content London

Ausfilm leads an Annecy contingent

What We're Watching

The Survivors | Bring Her Back | Hacks | Sunday Too Far Away

SAFC 50th anniversary screening

In Production:

Tenzing | ⁠Gnomes | Play Dead

⁠⁠Screen Australia Upcoming Productions⁠ | ⁠IF In Production⁠

Simtrav behind the scenes footage from The Survivors

Upcoming Events

Screenworks Regional to Global | Australians in Film Future Vision Summit | AFTRS Digital Futures Summit

Vale Liz Tomkins

WIFT Announcement

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple or give us 5 stars on Spotify to help us spread the word.

Plus: don’t forget to stop by ⁠our Instagram⁠ on Wednesday evening (the day after each episode is released) to join the conversation in our Stories.

We Interrupt This Broadcast is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Kirsty Stark⁠⁠⁠.

This episode is proudly brought to you by ⁠CrewHQ⁠ & ⁠Expanding Media⁠.

In this episode we talk to Writer and Game Director Sam Cable. Sam specialises in bringing humanity and emotion into games. She is Co-Founder and Game Director of Spoonful of Wonder. Their debut game - Copycat - won Best International Game at the SEA Game Awards in 2024.

Sam talks about how to create an emotional connection when building the story for a game. She discusses scripting for games and using branching narratives, as well as new trends in gaming and how audiences can impact games.

Listen to this episode if you are interested in:

• Creating emotional connections in gaming.

• What a branching narrative is, and how to build player agency.

• How to intertwine storytelling with game mechanics.

• The growing role of the writer in gaming and how screenwriters can transfer their skills.