BBC Studios launches Creator Lab Australia

BBC Studios has launched Creator Lab Australia, a new development program for Australian YouTube creators, supported by SBS and delivered with Changer Studios and BBC Studios TalentWorks.

The program will connect established creators with BBC Studios and SBS intellectual property, production expertise and development opportunities. It follows the BBC’s existing Creator Lab program in the UK.

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Two-stage program

Creator Lab Australia will run in two stages, beginning with The Sprint, a two-day masterclass in Sydney covering audience development, content strategy, format creation and long-form storytelling.

Participants will hear from YouTube, SBS Commissioning Editors and BBC Studios’ Unscripted and Scripted teams.

Creators will then be selected for The Accelerator, an eight-week hybrid program offering one-on-one mentoring and workshops focused on content development, audience engagement, multi-platform growth and IP development.

Kylie Washington, EVP & Creative Director BBC Studios Australia Productions, said Creator Lab was designed to invest in Australia’s growing creator economy and give creators access to established production and development expertise.

She pointed to BBC Studios’ previous collaborations with creators across Ghosts Australia, The Office, The Great Australian Bake Off and Mastermind as examples of how the company has already worked with creator talent.

“By connecting creators with trusted IP, premium production expertise and the development frameworks that have helped build globally recognised brands, we’re creating a bridge between audience connection and long-term growth,” Washington said.

The program is intended to help creators develop and scale their ideas using new and existing IP, while establishing a broader network around Australian digital storytelling.

“Our ambition is to help creators further develop and scale their ideas by utilising new and shared existing IP, while establishing a network that supports the future of Australian storytelling for years to come.”

SBS backs Creator Lab

Joseph Maxwell, Head of Unscripted, SBS, said: “This is a great opportunity for a new generation of creatives. SBS is delighted to support an initiative that provides new platforms, new opportunities and new pathways for talented Australian storytellers.”

Farhad Meher-Homji, co-Founder and CEO Changer Studios, said: “At Changer, we’ve spent over 10 years helping creators build sustainable channels and businesses. Creator Lab Australia gives that mission an extraordinary accelerant – pairing Changer's Creator Economy expertise with BBC Studios’ world-class IP and craft. It’s about building the infrastructure for a genuinely new generation of Australian content businesses, together.”

Applications open

Applicants must be based in Australia, aged over 18 and have more than 50,000 YouTube followers or have published at least two videos that have each reached more than 100,000 views.

The Sprint will take place in Sydney on 21 and 22 September. The eight-week Accelerator will run throughout October and November.

Applications close at 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, 6 September.