Press release from TM Publicity
After 30 years representing Film Finances, Australia’s foremost completion guarantor, Sue Milliken, is stepping aside from day to day involvement from January 2010.
Anni Browning, who has worked with Sue at Film Finances for the past 12 years, will take over as Film Finances’ representative in Australia and New Zealand.
Sue will remain associated with the company as a consultant.
"Anni has done a fantastic job and she knows the business backwards," Sue said. "It’s high time she was in charge."
Jenny Woods will continue to manage documentaries and Roberta McNamara will remain office manager. Poppy Dowle will join to work with Anni.
Sue instituted the Australian film industry’s first commercial completion guarantees, representing Film Finances in 1980 on Roadgames, which was swiftly followed, in the first hectic years, by all of the 10BA productions. Together with then head of Film Finances, Richard Soames, Sue created the working relationship between the investors, producers and the guarantor in the Australian industry.
"I quickly realised that producers required two things from the guarantor – advice and support on a practical level and money when the guarantee was called on," Sue said. "Richard and I, helped over the years by many fine production people, such as Su Armstrong, Helen Watts, Antonia Barnard and Adrienne Read, made Film Finances an integral part of the financing structure for Australian films and, since joining me in 1997, Anni has continued that tradition."
In 2008 Kurt Woolner and Steve Ransohoff, long time executives of Film Finances Inc., took over as co-Presidents of the company from Richard Soames. "Film Finances has been a phenomenal company to work for. Richard, Kurt and Steve have always backed our decisions and have always been there with wisdom and support. The very fact that the it has survived 60 years in a business as unstable as the film industry demonstrates just what a great company Film Finances is," Milliken said.
"Sue is the longest-standing member of the Film Finances family world-wide," Kurt Woolner said. "We will continue to rely on her experience, and we are delighted to have Anni take her place as Australian representative."
Sue will not be leaving the industry. In addition to consulting for Film Finances she will continue to produce, with two projects currently in development.