Hundreds of emerging Australian screenwriters threw their hats in the ring for the chance to pitch directly to Netflix – and this week, eight finalists from across the country got their shot.
The finalists – one from every Australian state and territory – travelled to Netflix ANZ’s Sydney headquarters to present their original scripted projects to its content team as part of the streamer’s new ‘The Next Brilliant Career’ initiative.
The program was launched by Netflix in partnership with the Australian Writers’ Guild and Australia’s eight state and territory screen agencies, with finalists selected for the strength of their voice, central premise and the potential for their concept to sustain a series or feature.
Speaking to Variety Australia following the pitch sessions, Netflix ANZ’s Content Director Amanda Duthie said the initiative was inspired by Miles Franklin – and the streamer’s wildly popular adaptation of her landmark novel “My Brilliant Career.”
“If Miles was around today, she would have, if she hadn’t already been the bestselling Australian author, she would have wanted to be a filmmaker, I imagine, given that screen is such a powerful way for strong independent creative spirits to tell their story,” she said.
It was that idea of finding strong, distinctive voices – particularly those already making their mark but yet to land a major break – that became central to the program. “What if you’re emerging, but not quite emerged?” Duthie asked. “What happens in that incredibly rich middle territory of people who do have a few credits, but they haven’t necessarily got their big, big break?”
Ordinarily, projects submitted to Netflix require a producer to already be attached. For ‘The Next Brilliant Career’, that requirement was removed. “We thought, what if you took away that barrier to entry?” Duthie continued. “What would it be like to open the flood gates and see what else is out there, find those writers and provide opportunities for them?”
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The response, she said, was emphatic. “Hundreds and hundreds of projects came in, it wasn’t a river, it wasn’t a stream, it was a flood,” she explained. “That’s so pleasing because the instinct that sat behind the initiative has borne such incredible fruit.”
The eight finalists – Elyse Landsberry from New South Wales, Theresa Angela from Victoria, Rae Choi from Queensland, Scarlett Scherer from South Australia, Jamey Claffey from Western Australia, Caitlin Richardson from Tasmania, Rebecca Parker from the Northern Territory and Denai Grace from the Australian Capital Territory – were selected through an independent assessment process led by the Australian Writers’ Guild and supported by the respective screen agencies.
Beyond giving the writers access to Netflix executives, Duthie said bringing all eight together in Sydney was also designed to build connections across a screen industry heavily reliant on networks. “They’ve, as of today, created their own network of really incredibly exciting writers who can all connect,” she said. “Hopefully that will also bear fruit, whether they end up working on each other’s projects or help each other out.”
The initiative has put a particular emphasis on stories that feel distinctly Australian, although Duthie said there is no simple formula for what makes a project “authentically” local. “Is it the accent? Is it the location? Is it the world? What is that ingredient?” she said. “I think it’s a combination of all of those ingredients and more.”
Instead, she said, authenticity often becomes apparent through the connection between a writer and the world they have created. “Whether it’s lived experience or wildly imagined, we know that it is anchored to something that if we’re responding to it, then Australian audiences will be able to respond to it. So it doesn’t feel like it comes from elsewhere. It feels anchored to the culture, the subculture, the world, the location, the characters, whatever it might be.”
‘The Next Brilliant Career’ is part of a broader push from Netflix to build the local screen sector, with the streamer investing more than $10 million in Australian training and on-the-job programs through partnerships with AFTRS, NIDA, Lumina and production attachment programs.
The ambition is for the impact of the initiative to extend well beyond a single day – and even beyond Netflix itself. “Let’s provide all opportunities we possibly can,” Duthie said. “Opportunities for people to have a career in the sector, not just on Netflix shows, but on shows happening anywhere in Australia for any broadcaster or streamer.
“I’m excited by how emboldened Australian production is becoming,” she continued. “We’re seeing familiar territory being explored, but the surprises, the twists and the turns, the genre jamming, the global ideas but made locally, that is increasing.”
And from her vantage point at Netflix, Duthie said that shift is becoming increasingly apparent in the projects landing on her desk. “Just seeing that develop over the last few years, but especially having that honour of being able to sit at Netflix and receive those projects that are coming in with big, bold, audacious ideas – that is what is so thrilling.”
Keep an eye on Variety Australia for more from ‘The Next Brilliant Career’ finalists.