Meet the Nominees: Scripted Producers

Presented by Screen Producers Australia

Friday 9 February

3pm AEST

Discover the secrets behind screen excellence with AACTA's Meet the Nominees series. Meet the Nominees: Scripted Producers offers a unique glimpse into the world of AACTA-nominated producers as they unpack their craft and highlight the latest industry trends.

This is a rare opportunity to gain first-hand insights into the art of producing award-winning screen content. Register now, as seats are limited, and hear directly from the masterminds behind your favourite screen content.

Confirmed Panellists are Helen Bowden (Erotic Stories), Jude Troy (The Clearing), Lisa Shaunessy (While The Men Are Away), Joanna Werner (The Newsreader) and Marta Dusseldorp (Bay Of Fires).

Featuring

Matthew Deaner

Matthew Deaner is the Chief Executive Officer of Screen Producers Australia (SPA), a national organisation that unites the screen industry to campaign for a healthy commercial environment. SPA supports the interests of businesses, large and small, in their production of feature films, television programs, interactive content and games across all genres and formats. Matthew oversees all aspects of Screen Producers Australia's advocacy work, industrial negotiations, events and operational issues. He also works closely with the SPA Council to set the strategic direction of the organisation as well as identify and execute new business development opportunities. Matthew brings a wealth of knowledge to Screen Producers Australia with his experience as a lawyer in both Sydney and London and in senior policy and strategy positions with Screen Australia and the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association.

Marta Dusseldorp

Award-winning actress Marta Dusseldorp has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 30 years and is one of Australia’s most recognised actresses. Marta is also a producer in her own right, having started her own company, Archipelago Productions in lutruwita/Tasmania.

Most recently, Marta and Archipelago Productions, produced, Co-created and starred in the crime comedy Bay of Fires, which will premiere July 16th 2023 on the ABC. Marta has also recently been nominated for the 2023 TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Most Outstanding Actress for her work in The Twelve.

Furthermore, Marta received the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama for ABC’s Janet King in which she played the title role and was also an Associate Producer. She also starred in the popular series A Place to Call Home and Jack Irish opposite Guy Pearce. Marta has also featured in Wentworth and Stateless for ABC and the Foxtel series The Twelve.

Marta has a wealth of experience on stage including being a member of Sydney Theatre Company’s Actor’s Company where she received a Helpmann Award for her role in Shakespeare’s War of the Roses. She has worked with all the major theatre companies in Australia. She starred to great acclaim in MTC’s A Doll’s House Part 2, STC’s The Deep Blue Sea, Gloria for the Griffin Theatre, for which she won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Lead Actress and in Archipelago’s productions of The Bleeding Tree, The Maids and this year in Tom Wright and Barrie Kosky’s adaptation of Women Of Troy.

Her film credits include Paul Cox’s award-winning Innocence, Praise, Paradise Road, Ellie & Abbie and Finding Jedda.

Helen Bowden

Helen is one of Australia’s most prolific and highly awarded television drama producers.  In 2015 she formed Lingo Pictures with Jason Stephens and together they have made ten series in eight years.  This includes two seasons of The Secrets She Keeps starring Laura Carmichael and Jessica de Gouw, and two seasons of Upright starring Tim Minchin for Sky and Foxtel.

In 2023, Helen delivered Erotic Stories, an anthology series for SBS and ITV Studios, After the Party, a thrilling drama starring Robyn Malcolm and Peter Mullan for TVNZ, ABC, and ITV Studios, and Queen of Oz, an original comedy created by and starring Catherine Tate for BBC1 and Fifth Season.

Helen was a founder and Managing Director of Matchbox Pictures, which sold to NBCUniversal in early 2014. In 2022 Helen and Jason sold a majority stake in Lingo Pictures to ITV Studios International.

Vincent Sheehan

Vincent Sheehan is an award-winning film and television producer.  His feature film credits include MULLET with Ben Mendelsohn; LITTLE FISH, featuring Cate Blanchett; THE HUNTER, starring Willem Dafoe; and JASPER JONES, with Toni Colette and Hugo Weaving. He served as an executive producer on Cate Shortland’s LORE, David Michôd’s ANIMAL KINGDOM, and Justin Kurzel’s THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG.

In television, Vincent has been behind THE KETTERING INCIDENT, starring Elizabeth Debicki; OPERATION BUFFALO, from writer-director Peter Duncan (Rake); and Kitty Flanagan’s critically acclaimed, hit comedy series FISK.

Most recently, Vincent produced SHAYDA, the debut feature from director Noora Niasari. The film premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it earned the prestigious Audience Award.

Jude Troy

Jude is a Director and Joint CEO of Wooden Horse, founding the company in 2019 after a successful seventeen-year career at global entertainment group Entertainment One (eOne) and iconic Australian film company, Hopscotch Films, where she was a partner. 

Jude produced Wooden Horse’s THE CLEARING for Disney+ globally, starring Teresa Palmer, Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce. She produced the reimagining of MOTHER AND SON for ABC starring Matt Okine and Australia’s beloved Denise Scott. She executive produced Season One of the ABC/CBC factual series STUFF THE BRITISH STOLE and is an EP on Season 2 which is in post production now. Other EP credits include feature documentary THE CAPE for STAN and feature documentary ROSE GOLD for ABC which premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival 2023, followed by a theatrical release nationally through Madman Entertainment. Jude was an executive producer on AACTA Award-winning feature documentary ALL THIS MAYHEM and co-produced with Aquarius Films two seasons of the 6 x 30 comedy THE OTHER GUY for STAN and HULU. 

Working in acquisitions across film and television while at Hopscotch/eOne, she built a catalogue of titles that included the Oscar-winning documentary AMY, and TV series PEAKY BLINDERS, CATASTROPHE, THE INBETWEENERS and THE SLAP.

Joanna Werner

Joanna Werner is the founder, Creative and Executive Producer of her Melbourne based production company Werner Film Productions, which she established in 2008.

Joanna’s work has been defined by consistent acclaim, with multiple AACTA awards and Logies and three Emmy nominations. Joanna has amassed production credits on an array of internationally acclaimed work – most recently on AACTA and Logie winning series The Newsreader for the ABC, Netflix global top 10 hits Surviving Summer and Clickbait.

Other credits include Riot for the ABC, Secret City for Foxtel, Emmy- nominated Ready For this, as well as the two-time Emmy-nominated Dance Academy, which ran for three seasons and spanned a Feature Film version – Dance Academy The Movie.

In 2022 Jo produced the Logie Award winning drama/comedy tween series Crazy Fun Park.

Most recently she produced Season 2 of The Newsreader and Season 2 of Surviving Summer, both premiered in September of 2023. 

Joanna recently completed a six-year term on the Board of Screen Australia and served as the Chair of Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Task Force for six years.

Lisa Shaunessy

Since Co-Founding Australian production and distribution company ARCADIA, Lisa has built a track record of consistent commercial and critical hits.

Number 1 performing series across the SBS Network, 8-part dramedy While The Men Are Away, has been in release since September 2023 and is nominated for Best Miniseries at both the AACTA and SPA Awards in 2024, as well as Best Costume Design at the AACTA Awards. While The Men Are Away has also been selected to screen at the Berlinale Series Selects, 2024. Lisa produced SXSW breakout hit SISSY (2022), starring two-time AACTA nominee, Aisha Dee. Ahead of its World Premiere, SISSY sold to Shudder in a multi-territory deal and was nominated for three AACTA Awards in 2022, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Lead Actress. It was also nominated at the SPA, ADG and AWG Awards. In 2022, Lisa also produced Sundance Lab sci-fi romance, In Vitro, starring Ashley Zukerman (Succession, The Code).

In 2020 she produced sci-fi thriller 2067 (XYZ/RLJE Films/Netflix), starring Oscar-nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee. 2067 set the record for number of weeks in the Number 1 position for an Australian film on Netflix (ANZ), and was a global commercial success - reaching No 1 on iTunes in North America. 2067 was nominated for AACTA, ADG, SPA, APDG, AEAF,and ATOM Awards in 2021, won the ACS Award for Best Cinematography and opened the Adelaide Film Festival in 2020.

Previously Lisa produced Sundance hit Killing Ground (IFC, 2017), nominated for an AACTA in 2017, Shudder No 1, The Furies (Shudder/StudioCanal, 2019); AACTA award-winning series Hipsters (SBS, 2015); Black & White & Sex (IFF Rotterdam, 2013) and ASC award-winning documentary Slammin’ Sam (Foxtel, 2013). She is an AFTRS, TAP and Small Giants alumni.