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13 08 2020 - Media release

Six teams to Skip Ahead with Screen Australia and Google Australia

Image

Steph Tisdell and Gabriel Willie on Long Black

Screen Australia and Google Australia/YouTube have announced over $900,000 of production funding for YouTube Creators Beau Miles, Bush Tucker Bunjie, Fishing the Wild, Jenny J Zhou, Never Too Small and Tibees, the recipients of this year’s Skip Ahead initiative.

Now in its sixth year, the Skip Ahead initiative supports Australian online content creators who have YouTube channels with a substantial existing subscriber base and/or content which has reached significant viewership, to expand their vision and create more ambitious content to grow their audience. This year marks the highest number of recipients for the initiative with six teams.

The teams are participating in workshops this month to develop their projects which include three scripted dramas and three documentaries. Due to COVID-19, the workshops are being held online.

Since 2014, Skip Ahead has supported the likes of Aunty DonnaSuperwogSkit Box and Chloe Morello to help them take the next step and build their careers in the screen industry. The Van Vuuren Bros’ comedy series Over and Out, funded through Skip Ahead in 2017, went on to win Best Short Form Series at Canneseries in 2019.

Screen Australia’s Senior Online Investment Manager, Lee Naimo said, “Skip Ahead has proved to be a powerful launchpad for Australian online creators to progress their careers. It’s an extremely successful initiative and one that we’re proud to be partnering with Google Australia to run again. We were blown away by the strong pool of applications this year and are thrilled to be able to support six projects for the first time.”

“These teams are already creating very engaging content and we are excited to see them take on new challenges, whether it’s longer form series, scripted comedy or stop motion animation. It’s encouraging that for the first time in the history of Skip Ahead we have an even split of scripted and documentary projects, which I’m confident will all resonate with viewers and help the teams grow their audiences.”

Lucinda Longcroft, Director, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google Australia & New Zealand said, “We continue to be amazed by the calibre of ideas and projects YouTube creators are developing for Skip Ahead. As we head into the sixth year, we are happy to be able to provide extra funding to support even more teams to create longer form, quality videos, to further drive their careers and garner recognition globally.”

The recipients for 2020 are:

  • Jenny Zhou, whose YouTube channel covers a range of fashion, beauty and culture topics, will create 8 x 5 mins series Celebration Nation. Set in a suburban party supply store, this comedy follows employees Mimi, Alice and Shay as they encounter retail shenanigans on different holidays, whether it’s bad luck on Lunar New Year or a wave of frantic British customers on the Queen’s Birthday. Zhou teams up with writer/producers Molly Daniels and Gaby Seow.
  • Toby Hendy is known for her educational videos about mathematics and physics on YouTube channel Tibees. Hendy will write and direct Finding X, a 1 x 6 mins stop-motion animation about a character called X, who is searching for meaning in a world full of numbers. This project will be produced by Hendy and Cedric Scheerlinck.
  • Gabriel Willie, aka Bush Tucker Bunjie, teams up with comedian Steph Tisdell and producers Sandra Makaresz and Laura Clelland (Life of Jess) of Sublimate Entertainment on a 1 x 15 mins comedy called Long Black. The story follows flatmates and part-time baristas Steph and Gab after their ‘big break’ comedy show gets cancelled. With an eviction notice on their door and big responsibilities on their shoulders, they realise there’s more money in foot fetish pics and phone sex than there is serving lattes. They decide to pursue a radical path to fame, fortune and representation – Aboriginal porn.
  • Beau Miles, who is known for undertaking oddball experiments, will present 4 x 20 mins documentary series Bad River: Adventure on Australia’s Sickest Water. In this project Miles will take viewers down some of the most devastated rivers and waterways in Australia and showcase the ecological impact of modern society. The creative team features producer Mitch Drummond and expedition manager Jodi Evans.
  • Morgan Hartney and Hamish Simpson’s YouTube channel Fishing the Wild showcases outdoor fishing adventures in the Northern Territory. Hartney will write and direct 4 x 10 mins documentary series Lord of the Macks, which follows the Davey family and their mackerel fishing business over the course of a gruelling season. This project will be co-directed and executive produced by Michelle Crowther and produced by Hamish Simpson.
  • Colin Chee's YouTube channel Never Too Small is dedicated to smart design and living in tiny spaces. Chee will direct 3 x 20 mins documentary series Small Footprint, which will explore smart urban design for cities that are getting more overcrowded, with a focus on increasing wellbeing for the people living in these small spaces. This project will be produced by Lindsay Barnard, Luke Clark and Elizabeth Price, and executive produced by James McPherson.

Headshots of Morgan Hartney, Toby Hendy, Jenny Zhou and Beau MilesFrom top left: Morgan Hartney (Lord of the Macks), Toby Hendy (Finding X), Jenny Zhou (Celebration Nation), Beau Miles (Bad River: Adventure on Australia's Sickest Water)

SKIP AHEAD ALUMNI

Channel

Title

Funded

Axis of Awesome

Axis All Areas

2014

Mighty Car Mods

Lend Us A Ride: Australia

2014

Sexual Lobster

Fernando's Legitimate Business Enterprise

2014

Veritasium

This Will Revolutionise Education

2014

Neighbours

Neighbours vs Zombies

2014

The Roundabout Crew and Frenchy SungaAttack

The Australiana Hostel

2015

Aunty Donna

1999

2015

SketchShe

Traffic Jam - The Musical

2015

Draw with Jazza

The Tale Teller

2015

How to Cook That

The Sweetest Thing

2015

Superwog

The Superwog Show

2016

Charli's Crafty Kitchen

Crafty Kingdom

2016

The RackaRacka

Stunt Gone Wrong (Live)

2016

BrainCraft

Mutant Menu

2016

Van Vuuren Bros

Over and Out 

2017

Study with Jess

Life of Jess

2017

Timtimfed

Rebooted 

2017

Wengie

Parked 

2017

Skit Box

Skit Box 

2017

Neel Kolhatkar

Crossing the Line

2018

Fury Fingers
 

Love, Guns and Level Ups (to be released)

2018

Piéra Forde

Nevernight

2018

Chloe Ting
 

The Not So Social Networks (to be released)

2018

Chloe Morello

YouTube Famous

2018

The team behind the scenes of Small FootprintJames McPherson, Colin Chee, Travis Crosbie, Lindsay Barnard and Luke Clark on Small Footprint

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