Northern Rivers Screenworks has revealed the five local writers selected to work with some of the best in business as part of the Inside the Writers' Room placement program.
The program is designed to help regionally-based emerging writers understand professional writers room best practice and to create connections between local content creators and established production houses.
Each of the writers will receive an all expenses paid trip to a capital city to observe and experience writers rooms being run by some of Australia’s leading production companies as they work and develop story into a television script.
Carly Lorente, writer and Newrybar resident is wasting no time and will be travelling to Sydney on Monday to start her placement opportunity.
Lorente will be working on a new drama series with CJZ (Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder), whose catalogue includes House of Hancock (Nine Network), The Ex PM (ABC), Gruen (ABC), Bondi Rescue (Network Ten) and Go Back To Where You Came From (SBS).
Lorente said she was thrilled to be sitting in the very room where the ideas and concepts of some of Australia's best original television were nutted out.
"You know all those times you wish you were a fly on the wall? I can't wait to soak it all in. It's every writer's dream," she said.
Jesse Blackadder is an award-winning novelist based in Myocum who has published three adult and three junior novels and is keen to expand in to professional screenwriting.
Blackadder will experience a writers room at the award-winning Matchbox Pictures (Glitch, Old School, The Slap).
Matchbox Pictures recently won Production Business of the Year award the 15th annual Screen Producers Australia Awards.
Rebecca Ingram of Wilsons Creek is developing a series, and teaches Screen and Media at various Tafe campuses in the region.
Ingram will take advantage of an upcoming writers' room opportunity with Ambience Entertainment (Tomorrow When The War Began).
Ambience Entertainment and the ABC announced earlier this year that it would be producing an exciting new production of Tomorrow When The War Began for ABC3.
Anne Shepperson of Byron Bay has a Diploma in Film from SAE Institute and is a writer/producer/editor of various short films.
Anne will get to experience a writers' room at one of the top comedy production companies in the country, Jungle (The Moodys, Elegant Gentleman’s Guide To Knife Fighting).
Andy Bambach, a filmmaker from Suffolk Park with over 30 years' industry experience, will head off and connect with the Neighbours team at FreemantleMedia Australia, where they will be plotting and editing an upcoming episode.
Bambach has also recently produced a short film “Peta Puppets” as part of Screenworks Createability project which was aired on ABC News 24 on December 3.
Screenworks general manager, Ken Crouch said the organisation had been able to increase the number of writer placements from three, up to five in 2016.
This is thanks to strong ongoing support from Screen NSW and the NSW State Government," he said.
“This project also wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of some of Australia’s leading production companies.
"We’re really proud of the relationships that we have built with these production companies: Matchbox Pictures, Jungle, Ambience Entertainment, FreemantleMedia Australia, and a welcome addition to the program, CJZ; and the opportunities that we can provide for local screenwriters as part of this program” continued Crouch.
“We are so grateful for their commitment to supporting Northern Rivers emerging writers and the development of Australian content for our screens.”