It’s the last week in the job for Screen Australia chief executive Graeme Mason. He’s held the job for the past 10 years, but his role is over in just a few days.

His job is to oversee the allocation of funds earmarked by the government for investment in the screen sector each year. In 2022-23 that was $82.27m.

He’s no stranger to bureaucracy and meetings. This week started today with a Screen Australia board meeting. There’s also a round of debriefs for Screen Australia, the department and the minister’s office.

Over the years Mason has always been measured and careful in comments about how Screen Australia works and its relationship with government.

Mason did share with Mediaweek: “It still surprises me how much work is involved around anything that governments do.”

Graeme Mason, Screen Australia

Decision to depart Screen Australia

“I never thought I would be in this role for 10 years,” Mason admitted. “Covid hit around the time I initially thought it might have been time for me to segue out. But I soon realised I couldn’t leave at that point as I was very happy to help in any way I could to bring the sector back together.”

As to what’s next, Mason said he wanted to take a bit of a break. “It would be nice to get more than two weeks off in a row.

“At the start of the new year I would like to find something where I am slightly closer to content creators and creation.”

Health of Australian production sector

While acknowledging a couple of challenges, Mason agreed the production sector seems in reasonable shape. “If I look back to when I started 10 years ago it was amazing the drama report measured spending close to $840m. Here we are now with two years at around $2.3-2.4b. That shows there is an enormous amount of work going on.

“One of the things to watch is how do we maintain that and how do we grow.”

See also: Screen Australia Drama Report – Record 213 theatrical and TV titles produced in 2022-23

Screen Australia as a production trigger

With roles in direct funding via grants and investment, and administering the producer offset, Mason said the organisation is involved in some way with virtually every local Australian drama production.

“Do I take credit for all this growth? No…but are we involved in a lot of it, yes.

“We are a cultural entity that tries to help creative content get made. We are driving the biggest economic levers into the sector.”

Level of government support

“We could always use more,” replied Mason when asked if he ever felt frustrated about the amount of funding allocated by governments.

“The biggest challenge for us and the sector is we do so much more than when I started. We have been in and out of games, but we currently have an ongoing investment in games. We have $3m for games, but that sector is as big as film and television combined which makes it a bit tough.

“We have moved into online and into training. How do we secure enough cash to do what I call legacy things we used to do, plus all the new stuff?

“The most successful funding we do in terms of eyeballs is online content. We have worked with RackaRacka [brothers Danny and Michael Philippou] since 2015 and they had something like 1.9b views of their YouTube content and now they have just made their first feature film Talk to Me.

“They came out of an area we were funding and there was no other government support.”

Mason feels their needs to be more support for funding for YouTube content. “Where is that money going to come from?” He noted kids these days either watch content on ABC/iview or YouTube.

The job involves guiding the organisation to fund content, not predicting what might be successful. Regarding Bluey, Mason commented: “Did we think it would be one of the most successful shows on the planet? No. Did we think it was great? Yes.”

See also: Deirdre Brennan named as new Screen Australia CEO

Private sector investing

As to whether commercial broadcasters funded a fair amount of content, Mason thought two issues were involved. “I would like to see more money, however it comes. In terms of TV, the amount of money that comes locally toward production costs is not necessarily in line with what you might get in other countries, like the UK for example. The governments, both federal and state, do a lot of the heavy lifting here compared to some places. To be fair to the private sector, they point to the size of the population which means less revenue to be made.

“The shows cost the same to make, but the UK has 70m people and we have 25m. There is a problem though that there is less money available so the governments have to do more.”

Now he was on the way out, would Mason drop his guard and admit to any favourites in terms of content?

“We treat it all equally,” he responded in a manner that indicated he wouldn’t break guard. “You have to keep your own taste out of it too.”

He added: “I have worked with little indies making the toughest arthouse films. I’ve worked for studios and networks. I’ve worked in kids, adult, all types of content. All I ever ask anyone to do is to consider who is the audience for your show. Why are they going to care and where are they going to see it?

“I am happy to watch Home and Away or the toughest drama on SBS or Barbie or Shayda.”

Top photo: SBS drama While the Men Are Away

Back in 2003, songs like The Black Eyed Peas’ Where Is the Love? and Eminem’s Lose Yourself were dominating the Aussie music charts, and bringing them to Nova listeners for the first time was Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small.

20 years on, Small has gone on to interview the biggest names in music – some of them several times over – and become the go-to man for artists like Ed Sheeran looking to break their music in Australia. 

Mediaweek took a trip to Nova’s Pyrmont studios to chat with Small about two decades behind the mic, and what it is that keeps him coming back.

When asked whether or not there are any plans to celebrate the milestone, Small laughs “There isn’t a grand plan, I’m just going to pretend I’m not as old as I am.”

“I feel like I just woke up and it’s been 20 years. I don’t think it has really even sunk in – I feel younger now than I did 20 years ago. We’ll go out to dinner but it will need to be low key – hangovers are a lot longer now than they used to be 20 years ago!”

Reflecting on how the industry has evolved in the time since he first jumped behind the Nova microphone, Small said that one of the biggest changes has come in the form of the tech used to make shows happen. 

“Look at this studio that we’re in now,” Small said, referring to the high-tech Nova studio overlooking the water at Pyrmont. “This whole idea 20 years ago, people would have just gone But why? We have 11 cameras in the studio capturing the content, there are interactive signage boards and if we want to do a full takeover, we’re able to change up the graphics and the visual imaging package for social capture in a couple of minutes.”

Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small

Whilst the studio may look like a spaceship compared with 2003, Small said that the heart of what makes radio great “hasn’t changed since Marconi sent his first little telegram – and that’s human connection.”

“Connecting to people is just as powerful today, and I actually think probably more powerful. Without getting too deep, we’ve never been more connected as individuals with the internet and social media, but never felt more alone, which is so strange.

“I love being able to get on the radio and instantly talk to people, and have people talk to me. There’s no algorithm, you switch the radio on and if someone likes what you do, they’ll tell you. And if they hate what you do, they’ll also tell you! You don’t have to worry about whether the algorithm pushes your content out.”

Making the point that “there are no new ideas,” but that you can find inspiration anywhere, Small said that he just loves listening to radio – no matter where it comes from. 

“I’m a bit of a radio nerd, through and through. I love to listen to radio from around the world – I love to see what Greg James is doing on Radio One breakfast, what Scott Mills is doing on Radio Two, what the Capitol Breakfast Show is doing in London, what Ryan Seacrest is doing in LA. I even find Joe Rogan and his podcast really interesting. 

“I scour their playlists to find out what songs are working in the rest of the world and see what we can work into the show here, maybe a track that hasn’t made its way onto our radars here in Australia. I listen to radio everywhere, I take inspiration from everything.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Years On Top

In Survey Six this year, Smallzy’s Surgery officially marked a decade as the country’s most-listened-to Evening show. 

See Also: Radio Ratings: Nova’s Brendan Taylor on Smallzy’s 10 years at the top

“The last one was anxiety-inducing. I was like if it all ends now, you’ll be the guy that almost got 10 years,” Small laughs.

“I’m humbled by it, I never take it for granted. I’m so proud of the work the team put in, we go into every show putting 100% in. I never take the opportunity to broadcast every night for granted – not if the bosses are listening, but I love this job so much that I’d do it for free. If it all ended tomorrow, I’d find some community radio station and I’d just be doing some mad bootleg show. 

“I love getting behind the mic, I love talking to people and having people talk back. There’s something so exciting about it, even to this day.”

Summer Breakfast

This year will see Small take over the reins of Summer Breakfast once again, moving to the polar opposite end of the day for four weeks. Using it as a chance to stretch his legs, Small said that “It’s fun to host a different type of show with a different output and a different way of doing things.”

“One of the Achilles heels of being successful for a long period of time is that any changes you make to the show are done incrementally, because what you do, people love, so you keep giving people what they love. But when you do anything for a certain period of time, you want to mix it up. You’ve got to take the evolution slowly, because consistency is part of the reason why you have the ratings success. 

“I enjoy the breakfast shifts, because I can do something completely different. It gives me four weeks of the year where I can just do something completely different, which is great. You always keep learning and training your brain to think about something slightly differently, so it’s a bit of a reset.”

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Top Image: Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small

By Emilia Chambers, Head of Strategy, The Pistol

A wide range of topics were discussed across the week at SXSW, but it was AI that stood out as the focal point of a large portion of the 600+ speakers that took to the stage. And the feeling that I walked away with was that we can see the value but we’re still confused and cautious about the role of AI and the true benefit of the technology.

There was no disputing that AI can make us more efficient and improve processes

Utilising AI to create faster, scale bigger and remove limitations that currently hold us back, was consistently mentioned as ways that AI is positively impacting our industry and how we use the technology to really have it all.

David Droga, CEO of Accenture Song, spoke about how by utilising AI in the creative process, we can unlock the power of pace, quality and affordability at the one time; a concept which has been unattainable up until this point with many brand and agencies needing to decide what two are the most important, and what they need to sacrifice. Droga explained that: “Technology can allow us to do all three, you can do things at pace, you can do things that are high quality, and you can do that at an affordable cost.”

Droga also talked about how technology has the opportunity to remove the ‘mediocre middle’; the tasks and outputs that often aren’t adding value, not delivering on outcomes and often are a result of past processes that people haven’t questioned. Through the utilisation of AI, the mediocre middle can either make these tasks more valuable and impactful or remove the need for them to exist altogether through efficiency improvements.

The key to making AI work for what you need is to focus on the outcome you want and not how you have approached things in the past. Don’t be afraid to completely rebuild a process if you have the opportunity to do things better and smarter. Those who are willing to embrace AI and use the technology to challenge how they approach tasks, are likely to see the greatest success.

The beneficial role of AI in the creative world is still uncertain

While many of the sessions throughout the week spoke to the value of AI and benefits of technology advancements overall, there was an undertone of concern, especially in the creative space, around what impact technology would have on the thinkers and creators of our industry.

Charlie Brooker, creator of Black Mirror, expressed his concerns about the future of technology and the role that AI will play in creativity and specifically the creation of video content. He acknowledged that, while much of his award-winning series covers distressing scenarios brought on by an over-reliance on technology, he did personally hold concerns around technology’s threat to creativity. Using a real life example, Brooker spoke about the time he used ChatGPT to write a Black Mirror episode and was initially shocked at how well it could replicate the formula and style of a typical episode, before realising that there was no substance to the idea. ChatGPT was merely recreating episodes rather than building out a never before used idea, highlighting the importance of humans for creativity and true ideation.

While Brooker’s concerns were not expressed by all, it is clear that more needs to be done to better understand the role that AI can play in the creation of ideas and content. A healthy level of skepticism is valuable, ensuring that tech is being utilised to enhance creative output and not quash creative thinking.

When we talk about being replaced by AI, we can’t forget the additional risk women face

Often when the topic of AI comes up, the following conversation is around innovation, adaptation and generally how we can do things better. But we need to ensure that we don’t forget about the impacts of AI beyond output.

Robyn Foyster, CEO of Foyster Media, moderated an all-female panel discussion on machine learning and AI entrenching gender inequality for future generations of women. The panel pointed out that the jobs that AI is likely to impact the most, and even remove the need for humans completely, were statistically more likely to be held by women. The risk we face is that if we don’t put systems in place to educate both the current workforce and the future workforce on the skills they need for emerging roles, we risk that the gender skill and pay gaps could widen significantly.

This doesn’t mean that we should halt on the utilisation of technology to evolve our processes and roles, but we do need to ensure we understand the impact on our staff and have a plan in place around what the future of our workforce looks like as advancements in technology begin to play a more significant role.

By the end of SXSW Sydney, it was clear that AI is causing a seismic shift in our processes and outputs, and deserves the airtime that it’s had this year. But we’re a long way from cracking exactly the role it should play and how much of our industry we’re willing to hand over to AI. AI is a big opportunity to work smarter, to produce more and to make space to think. But it also comes with risks around diversity, privacy and losing the human aspect of what makes our industry great. The balance of opportunity and risk is critical to get right but the future is, nevertheless, bright.

See Also: SXSW Sydney 2023: Mediaweek recaps Friday

Mediaweek is excited to announce the next round of Sales Team of the Year entries is open. The awards are an initiative to highlight some of the high-quality work done in the industry. 

Each month, a media sales team will be selected by a rotating panel of judges as the nominee for that particular month, culminating in 12 nominees by the end of the 12 months. The judges will be assessing each team on criteria such as proactivity, strategy and execution, and client and agency relationship management.

See Also: Mediaweek’s Sales Team of the Year: Acast brings noise to September

The 12 nominees will then all go into the running to be named Mediaweek’s Sales Team of the Year. 

The form to nominate a team can be found here

The next round of judges are: 

Diane Markovski – founder, Lit Agency
Jessica Bray – head of media, Audience Precision
Sarah Melrose – managing partner, ADMATIC

Markovski, Bray, Melrose

Key Dates for November:

Entries open: Tuesday November 7 
Entries close: Thursday November 30
Winner announced: Monday December 18 

This weekend, the Australian box office made $7,442,830, down 34% from last week’s $11,335,381.

Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s once again took the top spot this week, bringing in $2.83M nationally (down 54%) taking its overall cume to over $10M in Australia.

The Universal and Blumhouse adaptation of the popular video game has now taken $217M globally and for a film with a $20M USD budget, that’s no mean feat!

Coming in second for its third week at the cinema — the same position as last week — was Paramount’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s brand-new western crime drama. The film took $1.09M, down 20% from last week.

For its fourth week at the box office, Trafalgar Releasing’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour still had fans singing along. The concert flick took $1.09M over the weekend, down 15% from last week.

Sitting in the number four spot is the biographical comedy-drama Dumb Money starring Pete Davidson. The Roadshow flick took $334k, down 19% from last week for its second week at the movies.

Finally, rounding out the top five was Paramount’s PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, which in its seventh week of release took $233k, up 6% from last week. 

Other films in the top 10 this week were Roadshow’s The Dive, Universal’s The Exorcist: Believer, Walt Disney’sThe Creator, Madman’s Scarygirl and Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

TOP FIVE

1. Five Nights at Freddy’s – $2,837,257

A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.

The film grossed $2,837,257, averaging $5,936 over 478 screens and has made $10,151,639 in Australian cinemas to date.

EssenceMediacom has announced the appointment of Rohan Nayee as client managing partner for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and BankWest.

Nayee joins from PHD, where he led marketing and new business for the agency, and replaces Pat Crowley.

Crowley, who moved in-house after being appointed by CBA as its general manager of paid and owned media earlier this year, was instrumental in the recruitment and appointment of Nayee.

Nayee has 20 years of industry experience, both agency and client-side, across London and Sydney. He has a wealth of cross-category omnichannel marketing capability, including digital, performance and brand.

Nayee will report to EssenceMediacom Sydney’s managing director, Stephanie (Stevie) Douglas-Neal. She said: ‘Having known Rohan for some time, I am beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with him to support the amazing CBA team.

“We are excited about EssenceMediacom’s proposition of delivering breakthrough thinking for brands in the new communications economy, and what that means for the future of our relationship with the Bank. I have no doubt that Rohan is the best person in market to lead this relationship forward together with Pat, as our new client.”

Nayee said of joining EssenceMediacom: “It’s not often a role comes up with the opportunity to work hand in hand with one of the country’s most influential brands, alongside some of the best people in the industry at a time where banking is everyone’s business.
 
“The opportunity to work with Pat, Stevie, Pippa, and the wider team at CBA and Bankwest was too good to turn down and I can’t wait to play my part in a truly unique agency/client partnership,” he added.
 
Crowley joined Commonwealth Bank as media agency specialist in June as part of the group’s strategy to expand its paid and owned media business.
 
See also: EssenceMediacom’s Pat Crowley goes client-side, joining Commonwealth Bank
 
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Top image: Stevie Douglas-Neal and Rohan Nayee

Pinterest has launched its first brand campaign in Australia, ‘It’s Possible’.

The campaign is part of a global integrated campaign and reinforces how the platform is helping users go from dreaming to doing.

Pinterest aims to help its users go from inspiration to action, allowing consumers to discover their next great idea, make plans, and then shop these ideas into reality.

According to the platform’s 2023 data, consumers are saving more than 1.5 billion Pins per week to more than 10 billion boards. This highlights first-party signals about people’s tastes and interests that indicate what products and styles of interest and plans to purchase. 

Developed in-house by Pinterest’s House of Creative team, the campaign features a combination of live-action, stop-motion and motion graphics to capture four unique narratives that show how people seamlessly integrate the platform into the real world – from planning a holiday to nailing the perfect look for a 90s party.

Xanthe Wells, VP of Global Creative for Pinterest, said: “We constantly hear inspiring stories of how people are creating a life they love by exploring new horizons and making ideas their own.”

“‘It’s Possible’ is a powerful mantra that reinforces how Pinterest can both inspire great ideas and make them happen, from the everyday to the extra special.”
 
The ‘It’s Possible’ campaign launch in Australia aligns with the momentum and performance of the Pinterest business, including:
 
• Highest global monthly active users: Pinterest now reaches 482 million people monthly
• Gen Z is Pinterest’s new powerhouse:  42% of users on the platform are Gen Z, saving ideas at 2.4x compared to other generations.
• A shopping destination: Pinterest is the only platform where shopping is a natural fit and a top consumer request. More than half of our users see Pinterest as a place to shop. 
• Country Road has just launched a new campaign with Pinterest for the festive and summer season, creating Country Road House, a co-branded experience for creators and influencers to see, and experience, Country Road’s new range, aligned to Pinterest trends.
 
The campaign will run across social, display and online from 6 November 2023.
 
• Bad Cook
• Disco Treehouse
• 90s Party
• Securing the Deposit
• Pattern Decor
• Switching Up the Routine

AWARD School have named eleven creative professionals as its 2024 ambassadors.

The group of top graduates will guide and support candidates applying for next year’s course and provide a unique perspective on what it takes to break into and excel at AWARD School.

The creative professionals will also work with peers to encourage a broader, more diverse range of applicants with interests in everything from creative problem-solving and cracking big ideas to storytelling, commercial creativity and entrepreneurship.

Sharon Edmondston, joint national/NSW school head and M&C Saatchi’s group creative director, said: “Our ambassadors provide an incredible amount of support to aspiring AWARD School students and 2024’s creative leaders will again give invaluable advice, tips and guidance for applying for and getting the most out of the 12-week program.”

“We thank them for their time in helping to nurture the next wave of creative talent,” she added. 

AWARD School’s 2024 ambassadors:

• Shanice Love, Senior Designer, VMLY&R COMMERCE, 1st place NSW
• Andrew McLaughlin, Creative, Thinkerbell, National Winner, 1st place VIC
• Sam Marshman, Senior Vice President, Renegade 83, Inc., 2nd place VIC
• Jamie Wyatt, Freelance Art Director, 1st place WA
• Joseph Wilkie, Producer, Guru Productions, 2nd place WA
• Kelly Brightwell, Executive Strategy Director, Khemistry, 1st place QLD
• Crystal Davis, Creative, Publicis Worldwide Australia, 2nd place QLD
• Rhys McMahon, Freelance Creative and Copywriter, Black Sheep Advertising, 1st place SA 
• Althier Alianza, Freelance Art Director, 2nd place SA
• Brittney Angus, Freelance, 1st place Online
• Elise Williams, Fashion Designer, FLANNEL, 2nd place online

Applications for AWARD School 2024 will officially open on February 8, 2024 and will close on February 22, with the successful group of 200 students starting the intensive 12-week program on March 18.

Last month, the AWARD school named Scott Dettrick, creative director, The Monkeys part of Accenture Song and Sharon Edmondston, group creative director, M&C Saatchi Group, as joint NSW and national school heads of AWARD School in 2024.

Along with six state-based industry leaders, Dettrick and Edmondston will oversee more than 100 tutors from across the country who will work together to support and challenge AWARD School students in pushing their creative boundaries and realising their potential.

• Australian Story top prime-time non-news program
• 1.22 million tune in to The Block in Total TV

Overnight TV Ratings, November 6

Primetime News
Seven News 841,000 (6:00pm) / 848,000 (6:30pm)
Nine News 754,000 (6:00pm) / 751,000 (6:30pm)
ABC News 515,000

Daily Current Affairs
A Current Affair 646,000
7.30 462,000
The Project 293,000 7pm

Share summary

Nine won Monday night with a primary share of 180.0% and a network share of 26.4%. 7Two has won multi channels with a 3.8% share.

Seven received a primary share of 25.2% and a network share of 16.5%.

10 took a 14.2% primary share and a network share of 20.7%.

Nine

Nine’s A Current Affair (646,000) looked at the three members of a family who have now been identified who were killed when a car crashed into a pub in the regional Victorian town of Daylesford. Pratibha Sharma, her husband Jatin Chugh, and her nine-year-old daughter Anvis all died on Sunday when a white BMW SUV ploughed into the beer garden at the Royal Hotel.

Then, 312,000 watched My Mum Your Dad. Masi shocked the group with his revelations at dinner and a new Dad arrived causing excitement among the Mums. 

Seven

426,000 began their evening in Summer Bay with Seven’s Home and Away as Felicity’s desperation turned to wrath and Leah and Justin set a date for their wedding. 

Then it was time for the season premiere of Big Brother Australia 2023! Fifteen sexy singles arrived, excited to enter Big Brother’s house, but they quickly discovered not everything was as they expected. The new Housemates quickly discovered a twist, choosing to enter between door A or B — one leading to the luxurious main house, while the other led to a train where the contestants were subjected to subpar conditions and overnight discomfort. Love triangles and lust were already on the menu as AnnaSophia admitted she was attracted to Lewis, Josh and Tay were keen on each other and Ari‘ said she was interested in Jake causing jealousy with Mineé, causing issues in her dynamic with Louis. Last season, 487,000 tuned in for the season premiere, while this year 274,000 watched on.

SEE ALSO: Big Brother 2023 is bringing back a major component of the original series and it’s not just Big Brother Uncut

10

On 10, The Project (293,000 7pm) spoke to Cam Scott who restores old surfboards and leaves them on a fence by the beach in North Bondi, all so everyone can ride a wave and welcomed Matt Preston to the desk to speak about his new book Big Mouth.

The Masked Singer Australia then followed. With the finale airing on November 7, the series took a glorious and glittery trip down memory lane. 379,000 joined them on their journey.

567,000 then saw the season finale of Have You Been Paying Attention? Host Tom Gleisner wrapped up the year with Celia Pacquola, Kitty Flanagan, Anne Edmonds, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang to see if they had been paying attention to 2023. This time last year, 508,000 said goodbye to the show for 2022.

ABC

462,000 watched ABC’s 7.30 explore inside one psychologist’s web of lies. Plus, the team looked at how the markets have priced in an interest rate rise tomorrow as a near certainty and Sarah Ferguson interviewed Jennifer Morgan.

571,000 then watched Australian Story, the top prime-time non-news program of the night. The episode featured Elle McFeast, who wowed TV audiences in the 90s with her bold and brassy satire before a live interview derailed it all.

398,000 also saw Four Corners which detailed the perplexing rise of Andrew Tate, a once-obscure figure who leveraged bombastic online courses to become a global sensation.

Media Watch followed for 391,000.

Total TV Ratings, October 30

1,222,000 watched Nine’s The Block, where for the first time in four years, the houses were open for inspection to fans and potential buyers, up 33%.

998,000 caught 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention? with Urzila Carlson, Lloyd Langford, Alex Ward, Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang, up 26%.

961,000 viewed Seven’s Home and Away where Leah placated Justin with a lie, up 25%.

847,000 caught Australian Story, up 17%.

837,000 tuned into 10’s The Masked Singer Australia — Reveal as AFL legend and radio personality Brendan Fevola was unmasked, up 18%.

738,000 saw Seven’s SAS Australia as Craig McLachlan handed in his number, up 26%.

524,000 sat down for the season premiere of Love Island Australia 2023, up 138%