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Sue Clothier to depart Northern Pictures

Sue Clothier.

Northern Pictures founder and head of content and production Sue Clothier will depart the company in August to take a career break.

Clothier announced today that she would not be renewing her contract with the company, and is moving with her husband Preston to Tasmania.

Clothier founded factual specialist Northern Pictures in 2010 and has overseen the production of over 260 hours of content, including series Life on the Reef (ABC, PBS, Arte), Kakadu (ABC), Outback (PBS, 9) Changing Minds (ABC) and Employable Me (ABC). Northern Pictures has also produced feature documentaries Blue and Whiteley, and established a kids programming unit with more than 160 hours in production.

The company was acquired by Canada’s Blue Ant Media in 2017 when David Haslington sold the Racat Group of production companies, of which it was a part.

Northern Pictures MD Peter Anderson said: “We had wanted Sue to stay on at Northern Pictures but after eight years she and her husband felt they needed a breath of fresh air – which they will be doing big time by moving to Tasmania.

“Whilst we are sad to be losing someone of the calibre of Sue we are lucky that over the years she has built up a strong creative team that leaves us well placed to continue the tradition of creating and producing high quality content that has the capacity to make a positive difference in people’s lives. On the bright side, Sue will have an ongoing relationship with Northern Pictures consulting on projects in post-production and collaborating with us on her current development projects.

“On behalf of everyone at Northern Pictures, I would like to thank Sue for working so tirelessly to build and make the company what it is today. We wish Sue and Preston the very best for the future.”

Clothier said: “When Preston and I made the decision to start Northern Pictures, we set ourselves the lofty goal to produce two shows a year.  Eight years on, I could not have foreseen that this once tiny start up would become a serious producer of global content and valued member of a multinational group like Blue Ant.

“It’s been a rollicking ride, but success in my opinion never happens overnight and is never down to just one person. It can take years to build that perfect combination of economic success and creative rewards in this constantly moving media landscape and alongside me on this journey has been an extraordinarily talented team coupled with encouragement and support from the wider industry. Of course, I’m sad to leave my friends at Northern Pictures but excited that Peter will build on our success. As for me, I love being a producer and I’m looking forward to whatever happens next. “

Blue Ant Media executive director David Haslingden said: “Not only did Sue found Northern Pictures but she’s been centrally involved in every important financial or creative decision the business has made and key to putting together the amazing team we have here at Northern Pictures. She deserves full credit for the company’s evolution from small startup to a well-respected fixture in Australia’s creative industry.”