Producers generally prefer the shadows. They’re usually the ones worrying about catering and scheduling, not lighting.
But Screen Producers Australia (SPA) flipped the script at the recent SCREEN FOREVER Awards. They commissioned a series of backstage portraits of the winning teams.
While these images have remained unpublished until now, they offer a candid look at the business leaders behind the most talked-about Australian screen work of the year.
SPA CEO Matthew Deaner reflected on the series of images, saying, “Producers are often invisible, but they’re the ones carrying the creative, financial, and operational weight of every project.”
He added, “The images reflect the reality of producing right now. These people are disciplined, adaptive and deeply committed to getting Australian stories made, even as the market continues to shift.”
The faces behind the franchises
These portraits offer a status check on the industry. The winners’ circle reflects a distinct blend of massive global exports and unique local storytelling.
Vincent Sheehan is the founder of Origma 45 and producer of ‘Fisk S3’
The team from Ludo Studio, who carry the weight of the world’s most popular blue heeler, Bluey, alongside a gritty new drama Thou Shalt Not Steal, somehow managed to win awards without facing the cameras. Still, Vincent Sheehan of Origma 45 was captured looking sartorially resplendent in green.
He’s the brains behind Fisk S3, and has proven that brown suits and probate law are a recipe for export gold.
Imogen Banks and her Kindling Pictures, collected for Breakthrough Business of the Year
Industry heavyweight Imogen Banks poses solo after her company, Kindling Pictures, collected Breakthrough Business of the Year. It takes a special kind of clout to be an undisputed veteran and a breakthrough act simultaneously. Banks wears it well.
In the film’s portrait for Unbreakable: The Jelena Story, Jelena Dokic herself is clutching the silverware. While producers usually grip the award like a life raft, this time, Ivan O’Mahoney stepped back to let the program’s inspiration take the spotlight.
Producer and subject: Ivan O’Mahoney of In Films, with Jelena Dokic.
Resilience in a shifting market
These portraits arrive at a pivotal time. The industry currently faces a fascinating set of headaches. Producers are juggling shifting commissioning mandates and audience fragmentation.
Mark Fennessy of Helium Pictures won the annual SDIN Award for ‘The-Assembly’
Then, of course, there is the ever-present pressure to sustain and keep the wheels turning.
Yet the output remains stubbornly solid.
The teams behind Stuff the British Stole S2, Windcatcher, Runt, and Tony Armstrong’s Extra-Ordinary Things continue to deliver work that connects.
Richard Finlayson of Wooden Horse and Wildbear’s Michael Tear collect for ‘Stuff the British Stole S2’
These photos capture that specific producer energy. Hidden behind the smiles are a mix of pride, exhaustion and the stealthy acknowledgement of a job well done.
Josie Mason-Campbell of Fremantle Australia, producers of ‘Tony Armstrong’s Extra-Ordinary Things’
The 2026 race is on
While we admire the class of 2025, the machine never actually stops. Voting for the 2026 SPA Awards has officially opened.
The industry is already gearing up to do it all again. The next crop of winners will take the stage on April 30, 2026, with the ceremony returning to SCREEN FOREVER on the Gold Coast.
Entries for the next cycle opened late last year. Voting is now live. For the businesses featured here, the race is arguably already halfway run.
Main Image: Screen Producers Australia CEO, Matthew Deaner.