VicScreen, SAFC appoint new board members.

State funding bodies VicScreen and South Australian Film Corporation have both announced news Board members.

VicScreen:

Lawyer Jenny Taing OAM (pictured left) has been appointed to the Board by Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Steve Dimopoulos.

VicScreen President, George Lekakis AO said, “Jenny Taing’s invaluable leadership will help spearhead our state’s plan to put our screen industry at the centre of Victoria’s growth and prosperity. I look forward to working alongside her as we work towards our vision.”

Jenny Taing said, “I am so honoured and privileged to be appointed to the VicScreen Board and have the opportunity to work with such a highly esteemed team to ensure that Victoria continues to showcase the depth and diversity of its amazing local talent on the world stage, highlighting our state’s reputation as a global screen destination.”

Ms Taing is currently a practicing lawyer, serving as Special Counsel at Hive Legal where she advises in financial services law. She previously worked for global fund managing giant, Vanguard as Head of Product Implementation, and as a lawyer at Australian Securities & Investments Commission for over a decade.

Driven by community, Ms Taing has over fifteen years’ experience participating on boards and committees across a vast range of services, including health, sports, multicultural affairs and media, including Screen Australia and Channel 31.

Ms Taing currently sits on the boards of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, AFL Victoria, and Interchange Management Consultancy. She also holds the position of Deputy Chair of the Western Bulldogs Football Club Community Foundation, and is Chair of its Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

As testament to Ms Taing’s impact, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2020 for service to the financial and investment sectors, and to the community. With expertise in legal, governance, finance and risk and a supporter of diversity in Australian screen and media, Ms Taing will join VicScreen’s highly regarded board of screen and business leaders.

Jenny Taing OAM will work alongside current board members Liz Grainger, Leonie Morgan AM, Louisa Coppel, Andrea Denholm, Mitu Bhowmick AM, Greg McLean, Tiriki Onus, Blake Mizzi and President George Lekakis AO.

VicScreen’s Board are responsible for the organisation’s governance, strategy and risk management, and approving funding decisions recommended by VicScreen’s committees and panels.

SAFC: 

Producer Rachel Gardner (pictured right) has been appointed to the Board by SA Minister for the Arts, Andrea Michaels.

“Congratulations to Rachel Gardner on her appointment to the SAFC Board. As one of Australia’s most experienced producers, Rachel will bring invaluable international and national screen production knowledge and insight to the SAFC’s already highly credentialled Board,” she said.

Rachel Gardner said: “I am delighted to join the SAFC Board. In 2021 I spent five incredible months living and working in Adelaide where, driven by the SAFC, the screen sector was thriving despite the national and international impacts of COVID. My own experience in producing film and television content in South Australia has made me the most passionate supporter of the South Australian screen industry, and I look forward to supporting the excellent work of the SAFC through my role on the Board.”

SAFC Board Chair Mike Rann said: “We are thrilled to have one of Australia’s top screen producers joining the SAFC Board in Rachel Gardner. Rachel’s expertise in screen production, along with her extensive national and international experience, network and connections, will be invaluable assets in the SAFC’s continued work to support and grow the South Australian screen industry.”

Rachel has Produced and Executive Produced a wide range of award-winning film and scripted television in both Australia and New Zealand, with recent credits including two major South Australian-shot productions.

Rachel produced writer/director Thomas M Wright’s film The Stranger, shot in South Australia with stars Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard competition at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival followed by its Australian premiere at MIFF, before breaking all ratings records for an Australian film on global Netflix.

She was creative lead producer on Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher’s South Australian-made First Nations vampire hunter series Firebite which launched AMC+ in Australia.

Other credits include producer of John Maclean’s Sundance Film Festival jury winning film Slow West starring Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn alongside SA’s Kodi Smit-McPhee, Executive Producer of Sam Strauss’ acclaimed series The End for Foxtel, Showtime and Sky and both seasons of Netflix original The New Legends of Monkey.

Rachel is Creative Director of critically acclaimed production company Curio Pictures, where she oversees all creative aspects of their scripted slate. Backed by Sony Pictures Television, Curio has a focus on delivering clearly authored, compelling and entertaining projects for premium local and international commissioning platforms. Previously Rachel spent seven years at See-Saw Films, most recently as Head of Drama, and was Head of Drama at Great Southern Film and Television, based in New Zealand, which she co-owned.