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Screen Australia announces over $1.1 million for crew and gamemaker skills programs

Screen Australia has announced the latest recipients for the Skills Development Fund and BTL: Next Step initiative, who will share in over $1.1 million of Industry Development funding – bridging skill shortages and boosting the capabilities of the Australian screen workforce.

The team at GUCK. Photo credit: Eugene Hyland. 

Since launching in April 2023, Screen Australia’s Industry Development initiatives have provided over $6.4 million for training and skills development for more than 700 industry professionals.

These initiatives were introduced to help address the skills shortages for below-the-line roles and grow the capacity of the Australian screen workforce. The Skills Development Fund supports production companies, game development studios and screen businesses to provide work-based learning, while BTL: Next Step supports mid-career practitioners to upskill from their current areas of expertise.

The programs/projects supported through the Skills Development Fund are:

  • Alt Academy: Virtual Production – ALT.VFX Pty Ltd: Post­production studio ALT.VFX will use this funding to take three Unreal Engine artists and train them in the field of virtual production – helping to service the growing demand for skilled virtual production Stage operators and artists within the industry.
  • Anvilheart Staff Acceleration Plan – Towerpoint Pty Ltd: Towerpoint Games will fast-forward the development of their entire games team, through mentoring, on-the-job skill application and workshops.
  • Broadcast Crew Skills Training Fund – NEP Australia Pty Ltd: Broadcast Media Production company NEP will utilise this support to build freelance broadcast industry crew to deliver content for clients, as well as upskill existing crew to benefit the outside broadcast industry as a whole, filling gaps where skills shortages are present.
  • Guck Academy: Momentum – GUCK Pty Ltd: Momentum is an in-house training program to enable the growth of the personal professional practice of key First Nations games practitioners at game studio GUCK. The program will focus on taking people to the next level of their career development through hands-on leadership experiences and responsibilities.
  • Southern Pictures Skills & Diversity Accelerator Plan – Southern Pictures Pty Ltd: Production company Southern Pictures has designed a hands-on skills development plan to help below-the-line practitioners acquire new skills and experience and achieve new screen credits beyond their current roles, through values-led, work-based learning, and practical experience on a new documentary production.
  • Sustainability Supervisor Training – Sustainable Screens Australia Limited: Sustainable Screens Australia has developed Australia's first Sustainability Supervisor training program. This initiative addresses the screen industry's critical need for skilled professionals who can implement environmental practices – building essential capacity to reduce the industry's carbon footprint and standardise sustainable production practices.
  • The Assembly season 2 – Helium Pictures Pty Ltd: Helium Pictures aims to provide career training and development opportunities for people from an underrepresented and marginalised group in the industry. Placees will receive a below-the-line credit on season 2 of The Assembly,  a production dedicated to destigmatising living and working with Autism. The program and placees are supported by Bus Stop Films and Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia).
  • The Golden Bachelor Production & Post Crew Mentorship and Upskilling program – Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia Pty Ltd: This program looks to train crew in three key areas of production where there are existing shortages, upskilling them into a co-executive producer, a production manager and a production coordinator.
  • The Production Line – Allstory Pictures Pty Ltd: This program will empower and upskill practitioners into production managers, with a focus on First Nations filmmakers – through culturally sensitive, structured training, mentorship and production experience.
  • Top End Bub – Post Production – Goalpost Television Pty Ltd: Production company Goalpost Television will utilise this support to develop and upskill two First Nations practitioners on the post production for Top End Bub, the follow-up to the hit Australian film Top End Wedding.
  • Upskilling for The Run – D2V Entertainment Pty Ltd T/A Watchpost: Post-production company Watchpost will create a skills development program for crew and staff to undertake alongside the post-production of the feature film The Run – with a strong focus on finessing company systems and programs, and individual development.

The following host companies and individuals supported through BTL: Next Step are:

  • Media Stockade Two Pty Ltd – Production Manager Placement (SA): Ashleigh Knott (The Reclaimed, The Recordist, The Tourist) from SA.
  • Werner Film Projects Pty Ltd – Production Manager Placement (VIC): Nicole Peters (Fake, Fisk season 3, The Newsreader season 3) from VIC.
  • Wildbear Entertainment – Editor Placement (ACT): Nicole Norelli (100% Wolf: The Book of Hath, Todd Sampson’s Mirror Mirror) from WA.
  • Drama Queen – Production Manager Placement (QLD): Individual placement to be announced soon.
  • Helium Pictures Pty Ltd – Production Manager or Line Producer Placement (NSW): Individual placement to be announced soon.
  • Australian Production House Pty Ltd – Production Accountant Placement (QLD): Applications open, apply here. Deadline 3 April 2025.
  • Poster Boy Productions Pty Ltd – Production Manager Placement (VIC) and Post Production Supervisor Placement (NSW): Applications open, apply here. Deadline 3 April 2025.

Applications are currently open for the following industry development initiatives: 

For more information, contact [email protected].