Rowena Billard
Head of Creative Industry Partnerships at Screen QueenslandAs the Head of Creative Industry Partnerships at Screen Queensland, Rowena is responsible for the grant assessment and partnership management of over 30 film festivals, screenings, conferences and other industry-related events, across metropolitan and regional Queensland.
She has sat on judging, jury and advisory panels of multiple film festivals, including Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Forum, Brisbane International Film Festival, Gold Coast Film Festival, West End Film Festival, Australian Teachers of Media and the Noosa International Film Festival.
Rowena also administrates Screen Queensland's development and production initiatives, such as
short film initiatives SCREAM Queensland and RIDE Shorts and the Stowe Story Labs
Screenwriting Fellowship.
In particular, a key aspect to Rowena’s remit is to oversee the delivery of the Far North
Queensland Screen Production Strategic Plan and North Queensland Regional Program. This
involves liaising with key stakeholders to roll-out production initiatives, workshops and events to
engage and empower the local screen community and boost overall production capacity in the
regions.
Libby Butler
Writer | Director | ProducerLibby is an award-winning writer, director and producer. After cutting her teeth in-house on Ten’s NEIGHBOURS (FremantleMedia), Libby has written on the Netflix teen series SURVIVING SUMMER (Werner), ABC’s serial drama THE HEIGHTS (Matchbox/NBC Universal), short-form mystery/drama series ERINSBOROUGHHIGH (FremantleMedia) forMy 5 in the UK, and script-edited season two of Acorn TV’s MS FISHER’S MODERN MYSTERIES (Every Cloud). She’s currently writing comedy series GHOSTS AUSTRALIA for BBC Productions/Paramount+. Libby has several projects in development, including the rom-com series ZIGZAG (adapted from the 1990s Nick Earls’ novel, Zigzag Street). In 2020 Libby was the co-creator of award-winning pandemic web series LOVING CAPTIVITY which earned her an ADG nomination and Best Web Series at the 2021 London Web Fest. On the real life side of things, she lives in Melbourne and plays mum to a sassy 10 year-old who already Googles herself.
Sara Khan
Writer at ScreenworksSara Khan (She/Her) is a proud Wailwan, Gomeroi, Pakistani woman currently writing for television. She has a strong background in storytelling within a range of industries. Working across education, museums and radio, Sara’s work focuses primarily on platforming First Nations and People of Colour’s voices. As a programs officer at the Australian Museum, Sara ran tours that centered around dismantling false narratives of First Nations People. Writing for television, Sara earned her first credit as script editor for season one of the international Emmy-nominated series Heartbreak High (Netflix).
Beyond Heartbreak High she has written for Gold Diggers (ABC), Paper Dolls (Paramount+) and Erotic Stories (SBS). Her episode for Erotic Stories was selected for a worldwide premiere at SXSW Sydney. In addition, she became an episodic writer for the second season of Heartbreak High. Alongside writing for television, Sara hosted and produced The Brekky Show on Koori Radio from 2019-2021. This extended into FBi radio where she co-hosted the award-winning program Race Matters from 2018-2022.
Kerrin McNeil
Co-Founder | Producer of Good Apples PicturesKerrin is a screen producer, media executive and co-founder of Good Apples Pictures.
She has worked across creative and commercial roles spanning scripted television, film, digital media, VR and audio. Kerrin has worked with many of Australia’s leading and emerging screenwriters and led acquisition and development of high-profile IP for market partners in Australia and Internationally. She’s created brand development and commercialisation strategies for tech and content-based start-ups and was a member of the industry advisory board for Jobs Queensland. Kerrin held senior roles at Hoodlum Entertainment for ten+ years, including as Head of Development and Commercial Director working across more than 70 hours of scripted television and on the company’s award-winning digital projects. Kerrin was a producer on the VR documentary Inside Manus, which premiered at MIFF ahead of screening at FoST, The Global Health Film Festival, SXSW and Next: Marche Du Film Festival in Cannes. She was a co-creator, EP and producer of Sunshadow, a scripted original for Audible starring Alex Fitzalan, Jolene Andersen and Damien Garvey. A graduate of QUT Film School, AFA Ad School and the UCLA TFT Professional Program, Writing for Television, Kerrin was recently appointed as an inaugural member of Trade and Investment Queensland’s Global Connectors network representing Japan.
Mitchell Stanley
CEO | Producer of No Coincidence MediaMitch is a Wiradjuri producer who started his producing career with ABC3 Kid’s show, Move It Mob Style, then four series of Colour Theory with Richard Bell and Tony Albert. He wrote and produced Servant or Slave, produced Warwick Thornton’s documentary television series, The Beach, and produced the first Indigenous official co production between Australia and New Zealand, We Are Still Here, which opened the Sydney Film Festival, was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win the Best Narrative Feature film at ImagineNative Film Festival. Mitch recently produced societal thriller and psychological horror, The Moogai with Director Jon Bell and Causeway Films (The Babadook) and was officially selected for competition in the Midnight Section of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival for 2024, and won the audience award for Best Australian Feature at the Sydney Film Festival in 2024, and CinefestOz’s Best Australian Feature Film with a $100k cash prize.
Kirsty Stark
Emmy award-winning producer at Crew HQKirsty Stark is an Emmy award winning producer whose screen credits include children's series First Day (8 international awards including an Emmy), 13x AACTA award winning drama series Stateless (co-producer for Matchbox Pictures), and groundbreaking ABC iview series, Wastelander Panda.
Kirsty thrives on championing the work of highly driven film and TV creatives and crew members. Having come to producing via five years in camera department, she has a strong commitment to change behind the scenes, particularly in areas that promote crew wellbeing, career sustainability and industry diversity.
In 2023, Kirsty launched CrewHQ, an online platform to support freelance crew across their careers. Bringing together her experience in production and camera department, as well as her history of coaching and mentorship, the site combines a nationwide hiring marketplace for freelancers with an annual conference, CrewCon. Kirsty is also Co-Chair of The Mercury.