Marta Dusseldorp to develop dramas with Fremantle

Renowned actress Marta Dusseldorp (Janet King, A Place to Call Home, Jack Irish) has signed a deal with Fremantle to develop new drama projects under Jo Porter, Director of Scripted.

Chris Oliver-Taylor, CEO Australia & New Zealand, Fremantle, said: “We are incredibly excited that Marta is partnering with us at Fremantle to develop and produce her scripted projects. Marta has a unique and special combination of talent, creativity and foresight which we will embrace at Fremantle. Our Scripted team, led by the remarkable Jo Porter, is striving to partner with the very best creatives, of which Marta most certainly is.”

Dusseldorp, who was an Associate Producer on Janet King, said: “I have always admired Jo Porter for her story telling intelligence and overwhelming commitment to Australian Drama. She is one of the leading producers in the country making smart, unique and daring television. I am thrilled to be collaborating with her and the fabulous scripted team at Fremantle. I hope to develop and produce dynamic female driven Australian stories to Fremantle’s slate that not only Australians will want to watch but the world.”

Also announced today, joining the Fremantle Scripted team in a fulltime role is Jono Gavin as Showrunner / Creator / Writer. He has been Creator, Script Producer and Writer on titles including Sisters, Offspring, Cleverman, Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Beautiful Lie and Puberty Blues.

Jo Porter, Director of Scripted, Fremantle, said: “To have a creative the calibre of Jono join our team is a coupe that further enhances our ability to tell unique and captivating stories. Aside from being one of the smartest creatives in the business he’s also one of the most loved drawing talent to work with him.”

The Fremantle Scripted team also includes Nat Lindwall (Executive Producer), Jason Herbison (Executive Producer), Brett Popplewell (Head of Production), Justin Davies (Senior Development Executive), Nathalie Peter Contesse (Development Executive), Billy Bowring (Development Executive) and Erica Harrison (Development Manager).

Porter said: “I’m so proud of the dynamic and talented group of people who are part of our Scripted team. The key focus for us is optioning and developing a wide range of exciting projects with incredible IP and creatives attached and we look forward to taking them to market.

“At Fremantle we are committed to ensure we have a diverse range of voices in all rooms from the earliest stage of all our scripted development. Not only is it important to give opportunity to a range of voices and reflect contemporary Australia and the world we also know this diversity strengthens our teams. Having a range of perspectives on the stories we tell brings nuance, depth and authenticity. We look forward to working with Agents on this exciting initiative”