Walking Dead producer to speak at Screen Producers conference

Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer of The Walking Dead has been announced as the keynote speaker for Screen Forever, the annual conference of Screen Producers Australia.

Hurd, who also produced the films The Terminator, Aliens, The Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Abyss, will speak on Tuesday, 18th November in Melbourne.

Film Victoria’s CEO Jenni Tosi said “We are thrilled to have been able to secure Ms Hurd’s attendance at this year’s Screen Forever conference. She is an inspiration to writers and producers around the world, and particularly to women in our industry. We look forward to welcoming Ms Hurd to Melbourne and introducing her to our talented practitioners”.

“We appreciate the enormous support Film Victoria provides the Screen Forever conference in helping us deliver an event that contributes to the state of Victoria and our screen industry nationally,” said Matthew Deaner, Executive Director, Screen Producers Australia.

“We are honoured that Ms Hurd will be able to meet our community of highly respected and award winning producers at Screen Forever and joins the great lineage of global talent that our conference attracts each year.”

Gale Anne Hurd, known as the “First Lady of Sci-Fi”, is a producer of Academy Award-winning films and Emmy-winning programs that shatter box office and ratings records.After commencing as executive assistant at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, Hurd’s career as a producer was launched when she produced and co-wrote The Terminator. The film received critical and commercial acclaim, including TIME Magazine’s “10 Best List”. This success was followed by Aliens, which received seven nominations and two Academy Awards, and the Academy Award winning films The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Ghost and the Darkness. Hurd’s additional feature credits include the Academy Award nominated Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, Tremors, Dante’s Peak, Æon Flux, The Punisher, Dick and The Waterdance, which won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and both the Audience and Screenplay Awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

Hurd’s television career commenced as Executive Producer of The Walking Dead. The series has garnered two Emmy wins and was nominated by the Television Critics Association for “Program of the Year” in 2012. Hurd is also a Consulting Producer on AMC’s top-rated spinoff talk show, Talking Dead, which recently logged 5.9 million viewers, a new series high.

Screen Forever
16 to 19 November 2014. Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne Australia.