SPA Awards Commissioner of the Year revealed – Screen Producers Australia (SPA) today are pleased to announce Julie Eckersley, Head of Scripted at SBS, as the proud recipient of the Commissioner of the Year Award at the 21st Annual SPA Awards.
The prestigious Awards ceremony will take place at The Star Gold Coast on Friday 05 May 2023, as part of SCREEN FOREVER 37.
Julie supervises the development and production of SBS’s original scripted content. Since she joined the team in 2021, she has brought an undeniably fresh perspective to the broadcaster’s commissioned drama slate and a deepened commitment to connecting with new and emerging talent.
Under Julie’s leadership, SBS has expanded its scripted offering, including introducing half-hour drama series, has seen increased international opportunities for shows, and has introduced initiatives leaning into the commissioning team being increasingly accessible to creatives in the sector.
In her two years so far at SBS, she has commissioned an impressive four Australian dramas – Safe Home, While the Men Are Away, Erotic Stories, and Swift Street – three of which will premiere this year, making 2023 a record year for the network in the premiere of original commissioned scripted programming, as SBS announced at their Upfront showcase last year.
As well as their prime-time slate, SBS Scripted also commissioned the Digital Originals series, a joint venture with Screen Australia and NITV supporting underrepresented talent in the sector.
This ground-breaking initiative has given a voice to award-winning stories from across Australia, providing a platform for emerging creatives, showcasing their creativity, and fostering their careers as Australia’s next generation of screen practitioners. The next Digital Originals series, Appetite, will have its world premiere in competition at Canneseries later this month, ahead of launching on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand on 22 April.
Having worked as a producer and in development across her career, Julie is passionate about backing creatives and has prioritised time and investment at the development stage of projects to ensure that scripts and ideas have time to be fully developed before heading into production.
She has also gained a reputation in the industry for supporting opportunities and pathways for new talent, including through opening up SBS Scripted to accepting pitches directly from writers. She also developed SBS’s free and publicly available pitch deck guide which aims to empower new creatives and give them the tools to pitch their projects to industry executives like Julie, successfully.
The popular SBS Scripted TV Lunch is another initiative that Julie brought to fruition in 2022, providing a monthly forum for members of the SBS Scripted commissioning team to engage directly with practitioners, providing information, advice, and answering any questions about working and forging careers in the industry.
“My role at SBS is to be a gate opener, not a gatekeeper. I am here to support our creative industry and be a conduit for getting our incredible Australian stories on screen and backing our creatives to make world-class drama,” said Julie.
“I also have an incredibly talented team by my side: Donna Chang, Loani Arman, Catherine Kelleher and Penny Win. We work very closely on all that we do.
“It is the greatest honour of my career to serve our Australian TV industry in my role as Head of Scripted at SBS. To be recognised by my colleagues in this way is very humbling. I work with an incredible team and have never been so excited by the amazing talent and fresh stories we have in Australia as I have been since taking on this role,” she added.
“This is a very important award, not only as an acknowledgement of Julie and her skills and achievements but also in affirming the need for and value of simpatico in our industry between commissioners and producers. When these relationships are working well, our collective screen work and our audiences are the clear beneficiaries,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.
The Commissioner of the Year Award celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of an Australian commissioner over a recent period who has demonstrated excellence in creativity, leadership, and diverse and inclusive thinking whilst working closely and successfully with the independent production sector to develop great productions that will ultimately make an impact upon domestic and international audiences.
In a highly competitive field, nominations were received for commissioners working across national and commercial broadcasters as well as streaming services. The Award recipient is dictated by the number of votes cast for each nominee by SPA members.
The upcoming SPA Awards are the 21st incarnation of the prestigious Awards ceremony, which continues to celebrate excellence in the screen production industry. Entry to the ceremony is included in a SCREEN FOREVER 37 Gold Coast Pass.
After a completely sold-out event in 2022, delegates are encouraged to register early to secure their spot at www.screenforever.org.au.
More information on SCREEN FOREVER 37 can be found at www.screenforever.org.au.
Link to SCREEN FOREVER 37 registration HERE.
Link to SCREEN FOREVER 37 program HERE.
More TV Central SPA content HERE
