Netflix’s The Next Brilliant Career names eight Australian writing finalists – Eight emerging Australian writers—one from each state and territory—have pitched original scripted ideas directly to Netflix ANZ’s content team at The Next Brilliant Career pitch day in Sydney. The finalists are Elyse Landsberry, Theresa Angela, Rae Choi, Scarlett Scherer, Jamey Claffey, Caitlin Richardson, Rebecca Parker and Denai Grace.
The initiative offers a rare direct feedback route for women and non-binary screenwriters who are still building their careers. Pitching to a streamer is not the same as a commission: Netflix has not announced that any of the eight projects has been ordered. The opportunity here is development guidance and industry access.
The eight finalists
- New South Wales: Elyse Landsberry
- Victoria: Theresa Angela
- Queensland: Rae Choi
- South Australia: Scarlett Scherer
- Western Australia: Jamey Claffey
- Tasmania: Caitlin Richardson
- Northern Territory: Rebecca Parker
- Australian Capital Territory: Denai Grace
The Australian Writers’ Guild led an independent assessment with support from state and territory screen agencies. Submissions were judged on the strength of each writer’s voice, the premise and the potential to sustain a feature or series. Netflix’s team then heard the finalists’ concepts and gave development feedback.
What the writers bring to the room
The group spans comedy, drama, documentary, animation and genre work. Landsberry is an AFTRS graduate whose short-film and animation experience includes work connected to SBS and Flying Bark Productions. Angela is a Filipino-Australian writer-director and visual artist whose films have appeared at Melbourne and St Kilda festivals. Choi’s work includes an SBS On Demand short, an ABC commission and a Screen Queensland-supported documentary.
Scherer has worked with Repeater Productions and as a director’s assistant to Sophie Hyde, while developing a debut feature. Western Australia’s Claffey has held script and story-editing roles with BBC drama and Australian audio projects; her comedy-romance pilot received a 2025 Bold Voice Award. Richardson created and wrote the award-winning SBS web series The Tailings and continues to develop Tasmanian stories.
Parker, a Northern Territory writer-director, previously worked as a photojournalist and political adviser and has assistant-director credits on Australian series including Territory. Grace’s producing and directing work spans features, shorts and the horror anthology Deadhouse Dark. Together, their existing credits make this a programme for emerging practitioners rather than a contest for first-time hobbyists.
Why The Next Brilliant Career was created
Netflix launched the initiative with the Australian Writers’ Guild and all eight state and territory screen agencies alongside its series My Brilliant Career, based on Miles Franklin’s novel. It is designed to elevate women and non-binary storytellers from around Australia, not only the largest production centres.
Netflix ANZ Content Director Amanda Duthie said the finalists represent voices the partners set out to amplify and nurture. AWG professional-development director Susie Hamilton said direct pitch and feedback opportunities with streamers are rare for emerging writers and important to their development as screen practitioners.
The release says Netflix has invested more than $10 million in capacity-building, including training and on-the-job pathways through AFTRS, NIDA, Lumina and production attachment programmes. Those wider initiatives are distinct from the eight finalists’ pitch day, and the release does not put a commissioning value on the projects pitched.
For more TV Central Netflix news, head here, and read Netflix’s public explanation of The Next Brilliant Career.
