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Rowena Billard
Screen Culture & Community Director of Screen QueenslandAs the screen culture and community director at Screen Queensland, Rowena Billard 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 panels of multiple film festivals, including Brisbane International Film Festival, Gold Coast Film Festival, West End Film Festival, Australian Teachers of Media and the Noosa International Film Festival. Billard also administrates Screen Queensland 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.
Rosemary Blight
FOUNDING PARTNER at Goalpost PicturesRosemary Blight is a founding partner at Goalpost Pictures and one of Australia’s most experienced producers. Rosemary is currently Producer for Black Snow for Stan, Sundance Now and All3 Media starring Travis Fimmel. She recently produced Benjamin Millepied’s debut feature Carmen, a drama with music and dance, with original songs by Academy Award nominated composer Nicholas Britell, co-produced with Chapter 2 and starring Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal and Rossy de Palma. Her screen credits include I Am Woman, the story of Australian international singing superstar Helen Reddy, directed by Unjoo Moon; Executive Producer on Universal’s The Invisible Man, written and directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Elisabeth Moss, Producer of the critically acclaimed television series Cleverman for ABC TV, SundanceTV, BBC Three & TVNZ, Producer of the box office smash hit The Sapphires, which premiered at Cannes. Rosemary is a member of the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee and sits on the Board of Screenworks.
Esther Coleman-Hawkins
Co-Founder of Media Mentors AustraliaEsther is a smart, creative and innovative producer with a wealth of worldwide programming experience. From the award-winning Revolution School for ABC1 to the Logie-nominated Last Chance Saloon, her goal is to bring intimate stories to life with insight and humour. Esther is also a long-standing, and enthusiastic, veteran of development. She thrives with the challenge of turning an exciting idea into a successful TV series. Some of her favourite success stories are Luke Warm Sex, Secrets of Our Suburbs and House of Food Obsessives. Alongside two decades of program making, Esther loves coaching and mentoring people both inside and beyond the media industry and has helped people kick start their projects and revamp, restart or change careers.
Monica Davidson
Director of Creative Plus BusinessMonica Davidson is an award-winning expert on the creative industries, who began her professional life as a freelance journalist, performer and filmmaker. After informally helping hundreds of creatives to develop their business skills, Monica consolidated her experience with a Masters degree in Screen Arts and Business from AFTRS. Shortly after she was appointed as Australia’s first Creative Industries Business Advisor by the NSW Department of Industry. In 2016 Monica founded the social enterprise Creative Plus Business, an organisation dedicated to educating creative people about small business skills.
Monica is the Australian author of Freelancing for Dummies, and a renowned teacher and speaker. She was named as one of the Westpac’s 100 Women of Influence for her work in the creative industries in 2014, and in 2019 Monica won the QUT Creative Enterprise Australia award for being a Creative Trailblazer, "an individual who creates enterprises and opportunities and who advocates, mentors, donates, educates and advises within Australia’s creative economy." In 2020 Monica was a recipient of the prestigious AMP Tomorrow Fund to help develop more programs to assist creative start-ups. Monica also continues her work as a filmmaker and writer, releasing her feature documentary Handbag with LGBTQIA+ streaming service OUTtv in 2021.
Denise Eriksen
Co-Founder of Media Mentors AustraliaDenise bloody loves “television” – creative content made for all platforms – and her career has allowed her to play in that particular sandpit for more years than I can remember! Denise has worked as a journalist, producer and Executive Producer around the world — and in brilliant jobs as Head of Factual and Head of Current Affairs at the ABC and Head of Production and Development at SBS. She regularly consults for international companies setting up in Australia – and is currently Development Executive in Australia for Arrow Media UK. In tandem with her production and commissioning career, Denise has made it her mission to ensure that talented people access the training and resources they need to forge their careers. Denise has run courses for the BBC, ITV, ABC, SBS, NITV, TVNZ and RTE and most recently, trained journalists and producers in Ho Chi Minh–and worked as co-Director of Make It in Melbourne for AFTRS and Film Vic.
Benjamin Law
Writer / BroadcasterBenjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2012), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019). Benjamin is also an AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter who created and co-wrote three seasons of the award-winning TV series The Family Law (SBS/Hulu/Comedy Central Asia), wrote the sold-out mainstage play Torch the Place (Melbourne Theatre Company, 2020), and is co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer on the forthcoming Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the QUT.
Michelle Law
Writer / ActorMichelle Law is a writer and actor based in the Eora Nation (Sydney, Australia), who recently won the prestigious 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian 2022 Award in Art & Culture. She writes for screen, print, and theatre. She wrote the smash-hit play Single Asian Female, which had sold out seasons in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and continues to tour. She is the co-creator, co-writer and co-lead of the SBS series Homecoming Queens, which won an Australian Writers' Guild Award, an Equity Ensemble Award, a Melbourne WebFest Award, and was nominated for an AACTA Award. She has previously been a recipient of the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award. Michelle has been published in numerous Australian books, literary journals, and magazines, and is a prolific speaker, regularly appearing on panels and at festivals. Her next play, Miss Peony, will be staged at Belvoir St Theatre in 2023.
Murray Lui
Murray Lui is an award-winning cinematographer specialising in Drama, TV and Documentary, and is the first Torres Strait Islander to graduate with a Master of Arts in Cinematography from the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
It was a teenage interest in stills photography and video cameras that led Murray Lui to what is now a full time passion and profession. An indigenous Australian from an area known as the Torres Strait in Far Northern Australia; he was born on Thursday Island and raised on the outer island community called Poruma - which is part of the Kulkulgal Nation.
He enjoys projects that interest and fuel his passion for the creative collaborative storytelling processes. Most recently Murray has just finished principal photography on the 6 x 1hr Mystery Procedural Drama Series Black Snow for Goalpost Pictures and Stan. Prior to that he shot the 10 x 1hr Comedy Drama series Irreverent for Peacock/Netflix and Matchbox Productions/SBS. Previous feature films include the Goalpost Pictures produced feature film Top End Wedding and We Are Still Here for No Coincidence Media and Marama Productions - the latter currently screening in cinemas.
Early 2021 Murray shot the 5th and final season of the Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor 8 x 30 min Comedy Series Rosehaven for Guesswork TV and the ABC. He had previously shot Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5. Past notable television credits include Matchbox Pictures SBS series The Family Law Seasons 1 and 2. Grace Beside Me, a 13 x 30 min scripted Children’s TV Drama - and the first to be commissioned by NITV.
Murray also shot 3 seasons of the Scarlett Pictures Skit Comedy Series Black Comedy for the ABC. Two episodes of the Drama Series The Gods of Wheat Street for Every Cloud Productions/ABC, and the Comedy Series 8MMM - Aboriginal Radio for Princess Pictures/ABC.
Mags Scholes
Head of Content at Screen QueenslandMags has worked across numerous award winning scripted and factual international productions delivering to Netflix, HBO, Disney, Discovery, Universal, the BBC, SBS, NITV and ABC among others, in addition to fifteen years of international on set technical crew experience with Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy nominees and winners. Currently, she is Head of Content at Screen Queensland leading the Content Team across games, development, investment, incentives and initiatives.
Seini Willet
ActorSeini, is a descendent from Manbarra clan, Palm Island. Seini, has bloodline connections to Erub Island, in the Torres Straits, Tanna Island in Vanuatu as well as the Fiji Islands from her Father’s side. Seini is happily married, has one son one daughter and 4 grandchildren with another granddaughter on the way, late November. Seini loves her culture and traditions along with ongoing Cultural learnings from Family and Elders in the Community. She loves teaching her grandchildren through song, stories and dance. Seini has worked in Education over 20 years, working in partnership with Community, Families and Schools to strengthen relationships to build Cultural Capabilities and embed Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Australian South Sea Islander Perspectives in curriculum. Seini is a part of many community groups and is passionate about helping and supporting her community on Yuwi and Yuwibara Country, Mackay.