Beef, The Bear writers to attend Melbourne TV summit

Australians in Film, Screen Australia and VicScreen today announced global television summit Future Vision: A Think Tank and Industry Conference for Courageous Ideas to be held over three days at ACMI in July.

The think tank is designed to advance of the craft of premium episodic storytelling in Australia, by bringing established local television professionals together with some of the world’s leading television creators and executives.

Attending are Beef creator / producer Lee Sung Jin; The Bear showrunner Joanna Calo, who has also written on Hacks and BoJack Horseman; Co-Chairs of the Summit are Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, The Undoing) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Clickbait).

Creative Director is producer and executive Rebecca Yeldham (The Gift, Motorcycle Diaries), who led the content team at MasterClass, overseeing the creation of classes with the likes of Annie Leibovitz, Anna Wintour, David Lynch, Margaret Atwood and Martin Scorsese.

Future Vision headline guests Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo said jointly: “We are thrilled to be a part of Future Vision, as we are both very near-sighted. From Talk to Me, to The Slap, to all things George Miller, Baz Luhrmann and countless other incredible filmmakers, we have long been fans of Australia’s film and television community and look forward to learning more and discussing the Future of storytelling, both locally and beyond.”

Future Vision Co-Chairs Tony Ayres and Bruna Papandrea, and Creative Director Rebecca Yeldham said jointly: “We are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo to the inaugural Future Vision in Melbourne. Their award-winning and highly acclaimed work, while uniquely grounded and bold, is universally enjoyed. The theme of this year’s Future Vision is Courage, and we could not think of two better TV creators in the world that represent this in their work.”

Screen Australia Chief Operating Officer Grainne Brunsdon said: “Supporting our local screen talent is at the heart of what we do at Screen Australia, and we’re incredibly excited to deliver Future Vision in partnership with AiF and VicScreen. This summit provides an unrivaled opportunity to nurture and celebrate Australian screen talent on a global platform – ensuring our stories continue to travel well and resonate with audiences around the world.”

Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said: “Victoria has a long and celebrated history of creating premium TV series that have taken the world by storm. We’re proud to support Future Vision, which will bring Australia’s television leaders together with the creators and decision makers behind some of the most popular, and talked about, series.”

“The summit will build on Melbourne’s position as a global screen powerhouse and a home to sought-after creative talent that is ready to do business and entertain audiences across the globe.”

Executive Director of Australians in Film Peter Ritchie said: “Australian television stories are now being consumed around the world, more than ever before, but the actual commissioning of our stories has never been more competitive. Future Vision, created with the incredible support of Screen Australia and VicScreen under the leadership of three acclaimed Australians – Bruna Papandrea, Tony Ayres and Rebecca Yeldham – is designed to inspire courage in both creation and commissioning, and expand the international audiences for Australian premium television and narrative comedy. We also hope to arm Australian creatives with the knowledge and skills to adapt to the massive changes and shifting economics happening internationally.

“We feel it is fitting to be presenting our inaugural Future Vision at ACMI, the Australian home of screen culture.”

More guests will be announced shortly.

Future Vision is supported by the ABC, Binge, Netflix and Stan, venue partner is ACMI.