Acclaimed Bunya Productions producer Greer Simpkin reveals some of the secrets of creating Australian stories that resonate globally. From the Mystery Road and True Colours series to feature films Sweet Country and The Drover’s Wife, Bunya has worked with some of Australia’s best creative talent to bring Australian stories to the world. Currently producing book-to-film adaptation Kangaroo and Rebel Wilson’s directing debut The Deb, Greer will provide insights into what it takes to deliver projects with global appeal.

In this masterclass, Greer will talk about her approach to developing ideas, working with talented creatives such as Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton and Leah Purcell, and answering the question - which comes first: the talent or the idea?

She will also be talking about the significance of international sales and international festival selections for feature films and the increasing importance of thinking globally. In particular, she’ll speak to the power of creating projects with “something to say” about Australia but that have universal themes that enable them to resonate with audiences all over the world.

With a strong grounding in television, Greer will also be revealing the lessons she’s learnt from working in strongly ratings-driven environments and the need to focus on audience even from early development stage.

And what does the future hold for Australian producers wanting to tell Aussie stories? We’ll be hearing from Greer on what she sees as some of the biggest challenges (and opportunities!) for Australian production companies in the current climate.

Greer Simpkin’s Bio: (UPDATED BIO TO COME)

Greer Simpkin joined Bunya Productions as Producer and Head of Television in March 2015 after many years working in editorial and production roles in broadcasting  - ABC (Australia) and Channel 4 (UK). Since joining Bunya, Greer has produced the television drama series Mystery Road, the award winning feature films Sweet Country (directed by Warwick Thornton) and Goldstone (directed by Ivan Sen).

Sweet Country won the Special Jury Prize at the 2017 Venice Film Festival, best film in the Platform competition at the Toronto Film Festival and a number of other awards around the world.Goldstone premiered in the Platform section at Toronto Film Festival, opened the 2016 Sydney Film Festival and has won critics awards in Australia.

Greer was an Executive Producer on Rachel Perkins’ feature Jasper Jones (Shanghai Film Festival).  She has also produced the documentary The Troublesome Priest for the ABC, the VR film Every King Tide for SBS (Cannes Next VR) and the 3 x 1 hr drama/documentary series Blue Water Empire for the ABC. She is also producing the feature documentaries Sanctuary and Beautiful Minds (one of six Good Pitch Australia finalists in 2016).

Greer was Deputy Head of Fiction at the ABC for 5 years, where she was instrumental in commissioning a large slate of new dramas and narrative comedies and was an Executive Producer of The Code, The Secret River, Parer’s War, Serangoon Road and Hiding.

Greer was a Programme Finance Executive for Channel 4 in the UK for 6 years where she oversaw the financing of all factual programmes. Prior to that, Greer was Head of Production for Mentorn Films (now Mentorn Media) and was a producer for the acclaimed filmmaker and photographer Brian Duffy.

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