Australia-based documentary studio WildBear Entertainment, most known for work on projects including Stuff the British Stole, Playing with Sharks, Joh: The Last King of Queensland and Judgement: Cases That Changed Australia, has announced a significant leadership restructure as it pushes for global growth.
Via Deadline, the company confirmed a desire to accelerate their ongoing growth and prepare its business for a new, transformative era.
‘Our industry is undergoing the biggest transformation we’ve seen in decades and while WildBear has always quietly weathered every change, the time felt right to really get ahead of things, analyse all the forces at work and decide how we best want to meet the challenges ahead to steer our own future,’ Michael Tear, Chief Executive Officer of WildBear Entertainment says.
WildBear Entertainment restructure confirmed – quick links
Major changes initiated at WildBear Entertainment
Tear will remain CEO for this new era, and he will work alongside studio co-founder Serge Ou, who will become Head of Creative Services ‘leading on production, post-production, design and visual effects.’
Alan Erson will take the role of Managing Director of Premium Television and will oversee the company’s creative strategy and factual slate.
Executive producer Craig Meade will become Head of International TV.
COO Harriet Pike will become Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, a newly-formed role that WildBear believes will be ‘pivotal’ to advancing the company. Pike will reportedly oversee all international activities as well as digital and post services, catalogue and rights, and other commercial opportunities.
Caroline Nicols, Chief Financial Officer, Matt Nightingale, Head of Production, and Miranda Kelly, Head of Production Finance make up the rest of the new leadership team.
As part of this transition, WildBear Entertainment will also work closely with international distributor Wild Thring Media to identify new commissioning opportunities and the ‘global potential’ of WildBear’s creations.
What’s next for WildBear Entertainment
As shared by Tear, there’s confidence in this new leadership team for the studio as it looks to chart a changing screen industry in Australia and overseas.
‘The new leadership structure brings together some of the strongest creative and commercial talent in Australia and sends a clear message to the market about our abilities and intentions,’ Tear says.
‘It gives us the focus to continue producing bold, world-class factual content at scale – telling ambitious true stories for a range of audiences – while expanding internationally, building new partnerships and creating greater long-term cross-platform value from our intellectual property, rights and creative services.’
We expect to hear much more from WildBear Entertainment as it embarks on its next steps.
Also on ScreenHub: Focus On Ability Short Film Festival returns in October
The Focus On Ability Short Film Festival will return for its 18th year on 18 October, with a major showcase and celebration taking place at The Concourse in Chatswood in the north west of Sydney. The afternoon will spotlight finalists from the annual short film festival, all of which have been chosen by an all-star panel of judges including Nick Hardcastle, Lynne McGranger, Tony Bonner AM, Christie Dawes, John Jarratt, Gerard O’Dwyer, James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou.
As in all years, the focus is on spotlighting short films and documentaries under five minutes which ‘shine a spotlight on the creativity, talent and achievements of people with disability, from filmmakers of all experience levels.’ Over 280 films were submitted for this year’s festival, with entries from 26 countries. Of those submitted, 62 were from school groups, allowing the talents of young filmmakers to shine.
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