See how the industry is adapting to the changing environment and gain practical insights from industry professionals with The Remote Writer’s Room.
Missed out on our live webinar COLLABORATION IN ISOLATION: The Remote Writer's Room? Don't worry, view the full panel discussion below.
The Remote Writer’s Room explores firsthand the new normal that emerged following the COVID-19 epidemic with an impressive line-up of panellists including CHELSEA WINSTANLEY, TRENT O’DONNELL, MADELEINE SAMI, JACKIE VAN BEEK, ALICE BELL and MIKE JONES who discuss how their work proceeds despite being in isolation. Moderated by CHRISTIAAN VAN VUUREN the session is sure to be entertaining, informative and inspiring.
PANELLISTS
CHELSEA WINSTANLEY As an Oscar nominated producer and award-winning filmmaker, Chelsea worked as a p.g.a. producer on TAIKA WAITITI’S AACTA-Award winning feature JOJO RABBIT. She joined NIGHT RAIDERS as a producer on the first Canadian / New Zealand Indigenous Co-Production written and directed by Creē first nations filmmaker DANIS GOULET. She also produced the critically-acclaimed documentary feature, MERATA: HOW MUM DECOLONISED THE SCREEN and hit mockumentary WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. Chelsea is currently producing AREZOU with writer and director Sophia Kiapos and THIEF OF SLEEP directed by Darwin Serink. As a director she is developing the documentary and drama feature THE APPEAL.
TRENT O’DONNELL Acclaimed Australian writer, director and Jungle Entertainment partner, Trent is currently based in Los Angeles and is the creator of CBS’s NO ACTIVITY, executive produced by Adam McKay (Will Ferrell, Jk Simmons and Amy Schumer). He has also directed episodes of NEW GIRL, THE GOOD PLACE and BROOKLYN NINE-NINE.
MADELEINE SAMI Madeleine has starred in some of New Zealand’s most successful films including, SIONE’S WEDDING, Taika Waititi’s EAGLE VS SHARK, BOY and WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and most recently in the western SLOW WEST starring Michael Fassbender. She also has numerous TV acting credits including OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, THE JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES and Jane Campion’s series, TOP OF THE LAKE. Madeleine has created, written and starred in two seasons of her own critically acclaimed TV show SUPER CITY and has directed two seasons of sketch comedy show FUNNY GIRLS. Most recently she co wrote, directed and starred in THE BREAKER UPPERER’S which had it’s premiere at SXSW 2018 and was released worldwide. Upcoming projects include co directing the film HOPE starring Aubrey Plaza for Netflix, a film spinoff from her TV show PASHA: A JOURNEY TO ME.
JACKIE VAN BEEK After writing and directing a collection of short films, Jackie premiered her first feature film THE INLAND ROAD in competition at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Her second feature THE BREAKER UPPERERS, created with Madeleine Sami, premiered to rave reviews at SXSW, opened the 2018 Sydney Film Festival and sold to Netflix US. She co-created the hit NZ TV series EDUCATORS with comedians Jonny Brugh and Jesse Griffin. It sold to Channel 7 in Australia and recently won a Bronze World Medal at the 2020 New York Festivals.
As an actor she is best known for her role as the desperate familiar in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s vampire documentary, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS and from her own projects. Jackie has also directed on two of Taika and Jemaine’s television spin offs, WELLINGTON PARANORMAL and WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS.
ALICE BELL One of Australia’s most sought-after screenwriters, Alice Bell’s debut screenplay the multi-award-winning feature film SUBURBAN MAYHEM was invited to play in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival, London Film Festival and TIFF in 2006. Alice won the AWGIE for Best Original Screenplay that year.
Alice is currently working in Los Angeles on Amazon’s 6 part series, THE EXPATRIATES as writer and executive producer with writer and director Lulu Wang for Nicole Kidman’s company, Blossom Films. Alice was the creator, writer and producer of the nine time AACTA nominated series THE BEAUTIFUL LIE, writer and script producer of Channel Ten’s AACTA Award winning adaptation of PUBERTY BLUES, and THE SLAP for ABC.
MIKE JONES As the Head of Content at Every Cloud Productions and an experienced development producer, story editor, and writer Mike has story-produced the AACTA award winning series DEADLOCK, and has steered script development for F*CKING ADELAIDE and the Emmy nominated WRONG KIND OF BLACK. Other script development collaborations include Canneseries honoured productions DEADHOUSE DARK and OVER AND OUT as well as award-winning short films REBOOTED and THE HITCHHIKER. Prior to joining Every Cloud, Mike collaborated on THE GLOAMING and THE KETTERING INCIDENT. Mike has devised or delivered some of Australia’s most successful and innovative scripted content workshops and development programs including ‘SkipAhead’ with YouTube, ‘PlatformX’ with the AWG, ‘Gender Matters’ with ScreenAustralia, and ‘Long Story Short’ with the ABC.
CHRISTIAAN VAN VUUREN MODERATOR Australian comedian and writer who has become an icon for thriving in quarantine. Christiaan kickstarted his career as the "fully sick rapper" while in six months of quarantine and recently wrote the series MONKEY MAGIC for Netflix and See Saw, creating the series SOUL MATES for ABC and most recently winning the Best Short Form Series prize at Cannes Series last year for his series OVER AND OUT.
