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Logies expenses heading north

Networks will be subsidised to assist with talent attending the Gold Coast event, but this year many will have to stay home.

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As the Logie Awards nears, more is emerging on how much money it takes to relocate from Melbourne to the Gold Coast.

The Australian speculates it will cost Bauer around $7m to mount, about $2m more than last year.

For Melbourne events, around half of the network talent was already on the ground but now small armies will converge on the Gold Coast: talent, publicists, media, even hair, wardrobe and make-up will be flying in for the big night on July 1st.

Problem is such expenses do not come cheap. While The Australian suggests TV Week is allocating $1000 a star for each network, at a maximum of $75,000 per network, Fairfax has hinted that Screen Queensland may be subsidising networks.

But $75k does not come close to the costs involved, and the room itself seats 200 less than Crown, prompting some networks to opt for “viewing rooms” ahead of their official after parties.

July 1 is also the date of the Gold Coast Marathon, putting hotel rooms at capacity, and prices heading north.

The Australian suggests one network is adopting a Hunger Games-style approach with its celebrities to keep costs down. As one insider at that network puts it: “If you’re nominated, you go. If you’re not, you don’t.”

12 Responses

  1. Also comes to down to logistics why a lot of cast and talent wouldn’t be able to attend the Logies on the Gold Coast. Production is a hungry beast and someone has to be available to front up to the cameras in Sydney and Melbourne first thing on Monday morning. Wasn’t so much of a problem when it was in Melb as they’d either be filming in the same city or a short flight to Syd. Not a lot films in QLD so those first flights out will be very packed first thing Monday morning.

      1. Ouch! Yes, lot’s of red eyes on set Monday mornings after Logies haha. Which means all those make up people will be desperately needed back in Melb and Syd too! Cast often plead not to be scheduled up first thing Monday morning after Logies but sometimes there’s no way around it.

    2. Back in the day the Logies were on Friday night. They had the whole weekend to get over hangovers & get back to work by Monday. Plus us at home didn’t have to get up for work the next day either. Never understood why it got moved to Sunday night. Was much better on Friday night.

  2. I don’t see how they’re drawing a Hunger Games comparison. That would be Amanda Keller, Andrew Winter, Grant Denyer, Jessica Marais, Rodger Corser and Tracy Grimshaw taken to a high-tech arena to fight to the death for the gold Logie and food for their family for the coming year. And, unlike the Logies, I would actually watch that.

  4. Well if they were smart about it, they’d launch a Queensland publicity blitz to coincide with it. I know it’s hard to believe but there are people outside of Sydney and Melbourne, and maybe there are some regional viewers who would appreciate a visit from some network stars every now and then. Oh and we have hair, make up and stylists up here too.

    1. Absolutely agree about the need for a QLD publicity blitz by networks during Logies week.
      Ten particularly really needs one to try and get people onboard with their brand in our part of the world.

      Masterchef figures have been unimpressive in SEQ this season, and Ten have struggled in Brisbane for years to get their message across (despite 10’s kids production being based here), while 7/9 have constantly pandered to our parochial sensibilities for a decade or so.

      I hope 10 use this opportunity to potentially bring The Project to QLD, post-Logies instead of flying the team back to Melbourne, on the Monday morning (hell, even Steve Price is welcome) and shoots promos with the talent they are bringing, to sell Ten to us Queenslanders like 7/9 do, but better.

  5. I always laugh when I see the entire casts of Neighbours and Home and Away at the Logies. Surely not all are required, may not even be nominated! Could this be the first time where we’re not seeing them there prancing around?

    1. This. Or at least that’s what the guy who organises our group each year keeps telling us! (Mind you I don’t think many celebs would tolerate our relatively low rent accommodation style…)

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