Blackfella Films appoints Head of Scripted

Blackfella Films has appointed Netflix creative exec Penny Smallacombe as Head of Scripted.

A member of the Maramanindji people, from the Northern Territory, she was, for six years,
Head of the First Nations Department at Screen Australia, overseeing film and television projects including Total Control, Mystery Road, Little J and Big Cuz, Grace Beside Me, Spear, She Who Must Be Loved, Sweet Country, We Don’t Need a Map, Sweet As, and We Are Still Here. She also created numerous special initiatives which have provided development opportunities for some of Australia’s most exciting writing, directing and producing talents.

Most recently Smallacombe worked for Netflix as the ANZ Grow Creative Manager, and was the creative lead on the series Desert King. She also previously worked with Bunya Productions, including producing the mini-series True Colours for SBS/NITV.

Previous production credits include Message Sticks, Landline, Australian Story for ABC plus roles as a Senior Programmer for NITV.

Blackfella Films’ Managing Director, Darren Dale, said: “Penny is an outstanding creative executive who brings an invaluable depth of experience in development and production across film and television. As a First Nations woman Penny also brings a deep understanding of the storytelling Blackfella Films has been championing for over 25 years and I am so thrilled we will be working together across an exciting and growing slate of projects.”

Penny Smallacombe said: “I’m so grateful to be joining the award-winning team at Blackfella Films. I’ve admired the work, leadership and passion of Darren Dale since meeting him many years ago. Titles like Redfern Now, Mabo, Total Control, First Australians, First Wars and numerous other scripted and factual shows have broken new ground in the Australian screen industry, and to have an opportunity to build on these successes at this time in my career is a great privilege. I can’t wait to see what we can do together. Stay tuned!”