WEBVTT - Multi-award winning Aust production company MATCHBOX

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris, and

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<v Speaker 1>on this podcast, I'll be going behind the scenes with

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<v Speaker 1>the biggest players in television. I'd love to start this

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<v Speaker 1>week's podcast by suggesting some other content that you could

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<v Speaker 1>check out. There is a podcast series called Big Brother's

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<v Speaker 1>Big Eye, and there you will find three fanboys who

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<v Speaker 1>are commenting on the current series. They have been super

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<v Speaker 1>fans for years and basically have all grown up watching

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<v Speaker 1>the show, and they do a really good job. It's

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<v Speaker 1>great to see some opinions being shared. And while I've

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<v Speaker 1>been focusing on all television away from Big Brother this year,

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<v Speaker 1>I still love hearing what people think of the show.

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<v Speaker 1>But it might not be as good as Margaret Pomorance

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<v Speaker 1>dragging Big Brother for three whole minutes online, which you

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<v Speaker 1>might want to check out. A good way to see

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<v Speaker 1>that is on TV tonight, as I think they've posted it.

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<v Speaker 1>It's bloody hilarious and I know you will love it.

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<v Speaker 1>This week I saw an advanced screening of Acorn Original's

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<v Speaker 1>series two of Missus Fisher's Modern Murder Mystery that will

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<v Speaker 1>be available on June seventh, which I really liked. It's

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<v Speaker 1>super camp and I grew up watching, she wrote, so

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<v Speaker 1>I love a good murder mystery. However, I love Joel

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<v Speaker 1>Jackson even more. You might have seen him in the

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<v Speaker 1>award winning role of Peter Allen and the Boy from OZ.

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<v Speaker 1>He is so sexy and I'm just going to shut

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<v Speaker 1>up about him right now because I've started to embarrass myself.

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<v Speaker 1>Check out the trailer for that show and let me

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<v Speaker 1>know what you think on Twitter. My Twitter handle is

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<v Speaker 1>Benjamin J.

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<v Speaker 2>Morris.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up next week on the podcast, I'll have Scott Ryan,

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<v Speaker 1>the creator, writer and star of Mister end Between, which

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<v Speaker 1>we'll launch on Foxtel on May twenty six at eight thirty.

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<v Speaker 1>It was shot in Sydney and you all know how

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<v Speaker 1>much I love Australian content. On today's episode, I'll be

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<v Speaker 1>chatting with Alistair McKinnon, who is the Matchbox Pictures MD.

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<v Speaker 1>He's got a very interesting story which led him to

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<v Speaker 1>some great experience working at ABC Australia, but now he's

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<v Speaker 1>at the helm of Matchbox. We talk about everything from

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<v Speaker 1>Stateless with Cate Blanchette, the upcoming series Things I Know

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<v Speaker 1>to Be True with Nicole Kidman, and then we move

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<v Speaker 1>into the Real Housewives of Melbourne, where we discuss who

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<v Speaker 1>of the housewives will be on Celebrity go or should

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<v Speaker 1>I say, who should be on Celebrity goggle Box. If

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<v Speaker 1>you love the ins and outs of the television industry,

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<v Speaker 1>well press subscribe to this podcast and in the meantime

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<v Speaker 1>let's get started. Good today's guest, I'd like to welcome

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<v Speaker 1>Alistair McKinnon to TV Reload.

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<v Speaker 2>Luckily, Australian audiences do love watching Australian stories. It's scary

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<v Speaker 2>having to carry a secret, it's even scarier putting yourself

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<v Speaker 2>out there. You make absolutely the best work that you

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<v Speaker 2>can with the resources that you have. I think the

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<v Speaker 2>producers have brought together an amazing array of talent. I

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<v Speaker 2>think winning an Emmy is as good as winning an Oscar?

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<v Speaker 2>Has I actually been offended even looking at your Well,

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<v Speaker 2>Jackie's doing Housewives of Melbourne at the moment, so so

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<v Speaker 2>I think I think she'd be great on a Celebrity

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<v Speaker 2>boggle Box.

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<v Speaker 3>Stayless for Me turns the expected storytelling on its head.

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<v Speaker 2>We're a broad Church at Matchbox and I'm proud of

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<v Speaker 2>all of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey mate, how are you?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm very well? Thanks Ben? How are you doing?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm actually doing really well, And if I'm honest, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>just really excited to have you here on TV Reload

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<v Speaker 1>talking about television and film, which is my favorite thing,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's what we have in common because it's your

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<v Speaker 1>favorite thing as well.

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<v Speaker 2>Indeed, I've made a career of it, so I'm delighted

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<v Speaker 2>to be here and talking to you.

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<v Speaker 1>Then, well, that's nice to hear. My first question I

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<v Speaker 1>have for you is what was your master class of

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<v Speaker 1>television and film? You know, what sparked the spark inside

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<v Speaker 1>of you growing up that made you want to work

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<v Speaker 1>in this industry.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, it's probably a couple of things. I mean, I

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<v Speaker 2>was obsessed with film growing up. So I grew up

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<v Speaker 2>in a relatively small country town in Victoria, and it

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<v Speaker 2>was pretty broad. You know, I was watching everything. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>this is the eighties, So when I think back to

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<v Speaker 2>that time, it was things like, you know, the John

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<v Speaker 2>Hughes films towards the late eighties, you know, things like

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<v Speaker 2>Working Girl and Aliens, and you know, I sort of

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<v Speaker 2>devoured more. But I was also really obsessed with classic

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<v Speaker 2>Golden Age of Hollywood as well, So you know, I

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<v Speaker 2>was really into all of those Katherine Hepburn and Spencer,

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<v Speaker 2>Tracy Movies, Davis, and just used to watch film all

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<v Speaker 2>the time. I mean it was my number one past

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<v Speaker 2>and I was not a sports playing child, so I

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<v Speaker 2>was very much indoors watching, glued to the vhs. I

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<v Speaker 2>had a very well used membership at our local video shop.

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<v Speaker 2>And then I think on the TV side, I was

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<v Speaker 2>kind of quite into those. It's probably a bit revealing overall,

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<v Speaker 2>but I was quite into some of those quite high camp,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, event miniseriies, so things like The Thornbirds and

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<v Speaker 2>Returned to Eden, things like that that were just such

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<v Speaker 2>high drama that now would be the stuff of satire

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<v Speaker 2>and spoof, but at the time were kind of these

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<v Speaker 2>conversation pieces that just the whole world was talking about.

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<v Speaker 2>So I was always very into that. And then, of course,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, as a young tenang, I love neighbors like

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<v Speaker 2>everyone else, Jason and Kylie and Guy Pierce and those

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<v Speaker 2>soaps so look pretty broad for me, I would say.

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<v Speaker 1>I just realized that we must be the same age

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<v Speaker 1>because Aliens and Work are in my top ten films

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<v Speaker 1>of all time. Aliens.

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<v Speaker 2>Aliens is my favorite film of all time.

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<v Speaker 1>It's my favorite film. Okay, we don't want to be

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<v Speaker 1>those annoying people on a podcast. I like broccoli. No,

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<v Speaker 1>I like broccoli, but I think it's amazing that we

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<v Speaker 1>have that same film. But also I wouldn't swim in

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<v Speaker 1>our pool at home at nighttime because of Return to Eden.

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<v Speaker 3>My name is Stephanie Harper and this is Eden here,

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<v Speaker 3>and my father was keen on the day he died

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<v Speaker 3>seventeen years ago.

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<v Speaker 2>I was twenty three, lonely and afraid.

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<v Speaker 3>If I'd known then of the nightmare that lay ahead,

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<v Speaker 3>I think I'd have chosen to.

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<v Speaker 2>Die with him. Yeah, I mean it's a classic. I

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<v Speaker 2>still have Returned to Eden on DVD, not that I

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<v Speaker 2>have a dvdy same or but I have a copy

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<v Speaker 2>that I can watch if I get the right equipment.

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<v Speaker 1>And just to give people an idea of what that is.

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<v Speaker 1>In that mini series, which was just to classic in

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<v Speaker 1>the eighties, there was a crocodile scene in someone's swimming

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<v Speaker 1>pool in their backyard and it ruined people for swimming

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<v Speaker 1>and swimming pools. Yeah, for generations, it's a muugh wlatch.

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<v Speaker 1>How did you get into television then? How do you

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<v Speaker 1>transcend from being just passionate about it and then getting

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<v Speaker 1>into this industry and really owning it.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, I think I was always pretty focused on it,

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<v Speaker 2>and it was always the direction I wanted to go in.

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<v Speaker 2>I think at various times I thought maybe I wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to be a writer or a director, and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>didn't really particularly have any aptitude for either of those

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<v Speaker 2>creative endeavors. I ended up doing studying law at university,

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<v Speaker 2>but I did go to film school as well at VCA,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think I got to the end of sort

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<v Speaker 2>of much to my parents' sort of pain, I think,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, nine years of university jumping between law and

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<v Speaker 2>film and all of that, and realized that I was

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<v Speaker 2>probably definitely more suited to that business side. And then,

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<v Speaker 2>almost by chance, I've been living in London working for

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<v Speaker 2>my uncle who was a documentary filmmaker, and I moved

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<v Speaker 2>back to Australia to Sydney, and one of the first

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<v Speaker 2>jobs I got was at the ABC. It was meant

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<v Speaker 2>to be sort of like a temporary thing while I

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<v Speaker 2>was settling in and then kind of stuck around, and

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<v Speaker 2>then I ended up getting a job in the legal

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<v Speaker 2>department there. So my first kind of industry job was

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<v Speaker 2>actually within the legal team at the ABC, and in

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<v Speaker 2>there you're sort of doing things like, you know, there's

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<v Speaker 2>some proper law stuff like defamation actions and pre publication advice,

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<v Speaker 2>and I was always trying to drift closer to the content.

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<v Speaker 2>And so from there I went to the Australian Film Commission,

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<v Speaker 2>was working in legal there. I did a stin at

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<v Speaker 2>the Writers Guild in policy. Then I was at Screen Australia,

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<v Speaker 2>also in policy. I worked at OZ Film for a

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<v Speaker 2>time doing international production attraction and then found my way

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<v Speaker 2>to SBS Business Affairs, which was you know, I stayed.

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<v Speaker 2>I really enjoyed a lot and ended up as the

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<v Speaker 2>head of Business Affairs, but was still trying very much

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<v Speaker 2>to move closer to content. And then Greer Simpkin, who's

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<v Speaker 2>a good friend who at the time as a deputy

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<v Speaker 2>head of Fiction at the ABC, was leaving, which was

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<v Speaker 2>had created this kind of very rare opportunity because people

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<v Speaker 2>in those jobs tend to hang on to them because

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<v Speaker 2>they're great jobs. And I managed to segue myself over

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<v Speaker 2>into the fiction department at the ABC, and shortly not

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<v Speaker 2>too long after that, Corrolsplan, who was the then head

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<v Speaker 2>of Fiction, resigned or retired and I found myself as

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<v Speaker 2>the acting head of fiction suddenly at the ABC until amazing.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a combination of intention and ambition and always coupled,

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<v Speaker 2>I think, with a little bit of luck and timing.

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<v Speaker 2>I think sometimes you can't really necessarily map those things

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<v Speaker 2>out in a really controlled way. You're at the mercy

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<v Speaker 2>of external forces. But you know, I've definitely had some

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<v Speaker 2>luck along the way.

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<v Speaker 1>I always say to people, you know, nothing happens in

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<v Speaker 1>a straight line, and I think that the greatest people

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<v Speaker 1>are the ones that your passion and your skill set

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<v Speaker 1>comes together, and I think that's ultimately your story.

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<v Speaker 2>I certainly would never, however, many years ago, have imagined

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<v Speaker 2>or envisaged myself running a production company I'm doing now

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<v Speaker 2>certainly not one of the scale of Matchbox, But now

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<v Speaker 2>that I'm in that role, it feels like the perfect

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<v Speaker 2>fit for me, and I'm loving it, and it does

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<v Speaker 2>feel like it is the culmination of all of these

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<v Speaker 2>various jobs I've had, some were good, some were bad.

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<v Speaker 2>That along the way, you're meeting people, you understanding of

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<v Speaker 2>the industry and how it works kind of just is

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<v Speaker 2>building and building.

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<v Speaker 1>And you find yourself on Zoom chats with people like

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<v Speaker 1>Cate Blanchette and Nicole kimm and I imagine and they're

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<v Speaker 1>not a zoom chat with me.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, look that that is the Triumvirate right there. You've

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<v Speaker 2>mailed it. Yes, you do get to meet some pretty

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<v Speaker 2>extraordinary people, and you have, you know, some pretty wild experiences.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, going to the Berlinali for a red carpet

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<v Speaker 2>premiere with Cape Blanchett for Stateless.

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<v Speaker 1>Stateless is a six part limited series that's set in

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<v Speaker 1>Australia but deals with really universal themes.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, they're the kind of great privileges that come

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<v Speaker 2>along with working in an industry like this and also

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<v Speaker 2>a job like this. So you know, I'm very lucky.

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<v Speaker 1>You sometimes just have to pinch yourself at those moments

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<v Speaker 1>and think this is otherworldly, but you kind of have

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<v Speaker 1>to acknowledge it in a way, don't you.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's right. Look, I certainly never take anything for granted,

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<v Speaker 2>and none of it is particularly easy, by the way.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think to get to those places is

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<v Speaker 2>the combined effort of so many people. I mean, even

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<v Speaker 2>just within Matchbox. You know, we're a pretty big team,

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<v Speaker 2>but you know, a very talented, passionate team, But then

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<v Speaker 2>also all the other people you're working with the writers,

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<v Speaker 2>the directors, all of the creatives that come together and

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<v Speaker 2>for things to work. Always say, it's just as hard.

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<v Speaker 2>No one sets out to make a bad show or

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<v Speaker 2>a bad film, and it's just as hard to like

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<v Speaker 2>a good one as it is to make a bad one.

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<v Speaker 2>And you're just relying on the sort of alchemy and

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<v Speaker 2>so many elements kind of converging at the right time.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, it's a lot of hard work, I think

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<v Speaker 2>from so many people. It's such a collaborative industry to

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<v Speaker 2>get you there. So when you do have those sorts

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<v Speaker 2>of successes or those highs or those moments, yeah, you

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<v Speaker 2>definitely can't take it for granted.

0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.120
<v Speaker 1>What would you say is something that you brought from

0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:07.240
<v Speaker 1>that experience at ABC into match Box.

0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:10.800
<v Speaker 2>Look, I think one of the really helpful things for

0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:14.360
<v Speaker 2>that is really understanding the internal workings of a broadcaster,

0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.880
<v Speaker 2>having that insight about what's driving decision making, how those

0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:21.160
<v Speaker 2>decisions are made. Sometimes when as a production company you

0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.640
<v Speaker 2>might be frustrated at how long something's taking. Having worked there,

0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.440
<v Speaker 2>I can say, well, look, this is the process. That's

0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.280
<v Speaker 2>how that has to happen. So I think you know,

0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:31.520
<v Speaker 2>we is needs to be patient or so I think

0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:34.839
<v Speaker 2>it just helped bridge maybe a bit of a relationship

0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:37.199
<v Speaker 2>gap that can exist from time to time, not always,

0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:38.680
<v Speaker 2>but you know sometimes when that's there.

0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:41.600
<v Speaker 1>Since taking over from Chris, what would you say is

0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:44.160
<v Speaker 1>your proudest moment being at Matchbox now?

0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:46.440
<v Speaker 2>Well, look, I mean there's been many, some of which

0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.120
<v Speaker 2>I can't necessarily take credit for because there were things

0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:52.240
<v Speaker 2>that were in train or in place before I got there.

0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:54.960
<v Speaker 2>But I think one of the big things when I

0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.560
<v Speaker 2>was coming in was trying to push match Box into

0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.800
<v Speaker 2>being not just one of the top or the leading

0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:06.920
<v Speaker 2>drama producer in Australia, but really pushing it to become

0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:11.120
<v Speaker 2>more of a global drama brand. So I think, you know,

0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:14.000
<v Speaker 2>the explosion of the streaming and we all know and

0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:16.960
<v Speaker 2>talk about that a lot, and there's lots of industry

0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:19.960
<v Speaker 2>debate at the moment about what that means and Netflix

0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:22.560
<v Speaker 2>and Amazon and how do they kind of fit into

0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.080
<v Speaker 2>the ecosystem here, But certainly even five years ago, that

0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.640
<v Speaker 2>opportunity wasn't really there so much. So I think my

0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:31.720
<v Speaker 2>main missions so I've got here is to really try

0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.960
<v Speaker 2>and push out into the world more So, I think

0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.160
<v Speaker 2>one of the things that I'm most excited about and

0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:40.240
<v Speaker 2>you know, there are others coming down the line, but

0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:44.000
<v Speaker 2>was certainly getting a series order from Amazon for Things

0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:46.520
<v Speaker 2>I Don't be True with Nicole Kidman, you know, partnering

0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:51.119
<v Speaker 2>with Blossom on that show, you know, Andrew Babell's exceptional

0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:54.440
<v Speaker 2>play and his beautiful writing, all of that coming together,

0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.920
<v Speaker 2>and then seeing the excitement from Amazon for that work

0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:01.280
<v Speaker 2>and working with Nicole and at Blossom on that has

0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:05.760
<v Speaker 2>been a really exciting, I think, demonstration of what that

0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:10.000
<v Speaker 2>ambition looks like in practice. So it's one thing to say, yeah,

0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:11.800
<v Speaker 2>we want to be on the world stage and we

0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:15.679
<v Speaker 2>want to be making global shows and converting that is

0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:18.960
<v Speaker 2>not straightforward and it's not easy. So for me, things

0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.240
<v Speaker 2>I know to be true, that getting that across the

0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:25.600
<v Speaker 2>line and now working towards bringing that to Scream feels

0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:28.560
<v Speaker 2>that is something I'm pretty excited about and pretty proud of.

0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.800
<v Speaker 1>Did you have a fascination for Nicole growing up?

0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:31.960
<v Speaker 2>Like?

0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:33.120
<v Speaker 1>Is that a surreal moment?

0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:36.120
<v Speaker 2>Bangkok Hilso was one of you know, I was obsessed

0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:38.040
<v Speaker 2>with that show. That was kind of again, that was

0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:42.320
<v Speaker 2>one of those great TV mini series events of that era. Yes,

0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:45.439
<v Speaker 2>and Vietnam and Bem expand it's come on. I mean, like,

0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:48.960
<v Speaker 2>you know, there was so much she was iconic in Australia,

0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:51.320
<v Speaker 2>you know, long before she became that this sort of

0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:52.240
<v Speaker 2>global icon.

0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:58.200
<v Speaker 3>I think that many soldiers who served in Vietnam went

0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:02.679
<v Speaker 3>believing that they were doing the right thing. But I

0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.640
<v Speaker 3>think the issues of Australian and American involvement are much

0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:07.120
<v Speaker 3>clearer now.

0:14:07.160 --> 0:14:10.320
<v Speaker 2>Don't really give us stuff, what do you think? Yeah, no,

0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:13.240
<v Speaker 2>I mean it's absolutely thrilling to be working with her.

0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:15.959
<v Speaker 1>She's incredible and a lot of people say, you know,

0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.400
<v Speaker 1>when you get a chance to meet Nicole, she's more

0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:20.960
<v Speaker 1>impressive in real life than what you'd imagined.

0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:21.560
<v Speaker 3>You know.

0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:24.000
<v Speaker 1>I think we quite often can sometimes have a bit

0:14:24.000 --> 0:14:26.920
<v Speaker 1>of a disconnect on celebrity, but when it comes to

0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:29.840
<v Speaker 1>someone who's just reading the books and getting the work

0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.400
<v Speaker 1>done and passionate about story. You know, everyone that's working

0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:35.960
<v Speaker 1>with her since Nine Perfect Strangers is just in Australia

0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:37.440
<v Speaker 1>is just like, it's unbelievable.

0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.400
<v Speaker 2>I think, you know, just incredibly hard working, incredibly talented,

0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:46.040
<v Speaker 2>and incredibly generous. And so I think being able to

0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.000
<v Speaker 2>work with her as a gift absolutely undereniably.

0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:51.320
<v Speaker 1>I was going to say, can you explain a little

0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:56.320
<v Speaker 1>bit for maybe the non television industry professionals what that

0:14:56.480 --> 0:15:01.080
<v Speaker 1>collaboration of NBC International and Matchbox Pictures is, like how

0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.160
<v Speaker 1>that came together and the importance of it.

0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:05.560
<v Speaker 2>Well, so I mean, going all the way back, I mean,

0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:07.680
<v Speaker 2>and this is obviously long before my time. I mean,

0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:11.960
<v Speaker 2>Matchbox was founded by producing creatives who I think you

0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:15.000
<v Speaker 2>know ten We celebrated our tenth birthday a year ago,

0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:16.920
<v Speaker 2>a year and a half ago, so you know, eleven

0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:19.480
<v Speaker 2>years ago or so, coming together because I think they

0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:21.840
<v Speaker 2>thought it's such a hard slog when you're a one

0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:24.120
<v Speaker 2>man band or you know, you're trying to keep your

0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:26.040
<v Speaker 2>head above order, no matter how talented you are. And

0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.400
<v Speaker 2>I think they realized that by joining forces they could

0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.360
<v Speaker 2>be much stronger as a group, which is how it

0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:35.120
<v Speaker 2>turned out. And then NBC picked up on that and

0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.080
<v Speaker 2>after about sort of five or six years, ended up

0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:42.920
<v Speaker 2>buying the company out. That hasn't really changed, I think

0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.680
<v Speaker 2>anything about what Matchbox stands for or it's DNA and

0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:48.880
<v Speaker 2>in terms of the sorts of projects it makes and

0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:51.360
<v Speaker 2>the values that we have as a company, the stories

0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.160
<v Speaker 2>we tell the people that we want to represent on screen.

0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:56.840
<v Speaker 2>But what it does mean is that we have this

0:15:57.000 --> 0:16:02.080
<v Speaker 2>fantastic resource across the studio group in terms of experience

0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.400
<v Speaker 2>and talent and advice, and you know, we can get

0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:08.200
<v Speaker 2>access to people that you might not normally readily be

0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:12.720
<v Speaker 2>able to get access to. NBCU is enormous and when

0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.520
<v Speaker 2>you expand that out to include Universal Pictures and Focus

0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.160
<v Speaker 2>and there is an incredible wealth of talent on the

0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:21.480
<v Speaker 2>creative side, but also on the business side and on

0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:24.720
<v Speaker 2>the strategic side. And so even though we still very

0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:29.520
<v Speaker 2>much function as an independent Australian production company and we

0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.520
<v Speaker 2>have incredible autonomy in what we do well.

0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.640
<v Speaker 1>I guess the exceptional growth that you guys have had

0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.760
<v Speaker 1>has just led to that. And I want to know

0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:41.080
<v Speaker 1>how vital it is to collaborate with international partners and

0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:42.440
<v Speaker 1>what that means for Matchbox.

0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:46.280
<v Speaker 2>It's pretty essential because I think it's getting harder and

0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:50.760
<v Speaker 2>harder to put together budgets here. You know, there's been

0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:54.920
<v Speaker 2>a lot of inflationary effects on the cost of making television,

0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:57.400
<v Speaker 2>but it hasn't been a correlating increase in terms of

0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.760
<v Speaker 2>the sorts of license fees that broadcasters pay. Competition for

0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:04.240
<v Speaker 2>eyeballs is fiercer than ever, so I think for some

0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:08.000
<v Speaker 2>buyers or broadcaster as they think, well, maybe our value

0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.880
<v Speaker 2>is actually declining because we're getting smaller audiences. Why would

0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:13.200
<v Speaker 2>we pay more for that? But the challenge if you're

0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:17.400
<v Speaker 2>an Australian production company is that your shows, whether it's

0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:19.840
<v Speaker 2>in direct partnership with a streamer like a Netflix or

0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.679
<v Speaker 2>an Amazon, or whether it's something you know, they're very

0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.800
<v Speaker 2>good acquirers of Australian content. I mean, if you go

0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:27.399
<v Speaker 2>to Netflix, they're great at picking up a lot of

0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:30.040
<v Speaker 2>Australian drama. But then that means that your drama is

0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.600
<v Speaker 2>sitting side by side with something that had five and

0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.119
<v Speaker 2>ten times the budget. And so I'm kind of always

0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:40.560
<v Speaker 2>very conscious of you make absolutely the best work that

0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:42.520
<v Speaker 2>you can with the resources that you have, but then

0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.480
<v Speaker 2>when suddenly you're slapped next to Bridgeton, it's hard not

0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:49.200
<v Speaker 2>to be concerned about how people then might differentiate, say, oh,

0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:51.760
<v Speaker 2>those Australian shows they don't look as polished as the

0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:54.400
<v Speaker 2>big American ones or the UK ones. Maybe I'll lean

0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.920
<v Speaker 2>that way, but I think those international partnerships are becoming

0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.480
<v Speaker 2>more important. It's a very long winded way of saying

0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.240
<v Speaker 2>in terms of like putting together the sorts of budgets

0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.399
<v Speaker 2>you need, I guess, to compete in that global space.

0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:09.080
<v Speaker 2>It's not really enough to be making a show on

0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.919
<v Speaker 2>a traditional budget model and expect that to really land,

0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:16.439
<v Speaker 2>necessarily with an American audience or what have you. That said,

0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:20.400
<v Speaker 2>you then do have breakouts which surprise everybody. I mean

0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:23.480
<v Speaker 2>Safe Harbor, which was a series we did for SBS,

0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:27.760
<v Speaker 2>fantastic series. You know, it looks a billion dollars. I mean,

0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:29.919
<v Speaker 2>you know, the value is very much on screen for that.

0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.840
<v Speaker 2>Incredibly talented people all over it, and that ended up

0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.760
<v Speaker 2>becoming a huge success for us with global sales and

0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:39.800
<v Speaker 2>won an international Emmy Award. So you know, there are

0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.359
<v Speaker 2>exceptions to the rule, but I think in general we

0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:46.080
<v Speaker 2>are in a situation of spiraling inflation on budgets and

0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.160
<v Speaker 2>it's getting harder and harder to put together the finance

0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:52.119
<v Speaker 2>for series. So yeah, international money is becoming more and

0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:52.760
<v Speaker 2>more important.

0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:54.840
<v Speaker 1>I think it's funny that you talk about the quality

0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.960
<v Speaker 1>and comparing it against other markets and other countries, because

0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:02.560
<v Speaker 1>you know the family law, seven types of ambiguity, total control.

0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:06.040
<v Speaker 1>You know, they're all so beautifully shot. Doesn't matter whether

0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:08.040
<v Speaker 1>it's a drama or a comedy. I feel like if

0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:11.120
<v Speaker 1>you see the Matchbox come up, I get a sense

0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:13.520
<v Speaker 1>of what I already know what to expect. There's a

0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:17.720
<v Speaker 1>quality that comes across with all of the work. Is

0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.359
<v Speaker 1>there a way in making sure that there is that

0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:21.520
<v Speaker 1>kind of brand element?

0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:24.600
<v Speaker 2>Look, I think there is a kind of Matchbox DNA,

0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:27.639
<v Speaker 2>And I think Matchbox, because it has always had such

0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.560
<v Speaker 2>a high standard for what we do and don't do,

0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:33.840
<v Speaker 2>means that you are regularly attracting and working with the

0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:36.919
<v Speaker 2>very best people. So that's very helpful. I mean, I

0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.600
<v Speaker 2>think we've sort of talked Debbie Lee, who's our head

0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:42.320
<v Speaker 2>of scripted. We always talk about the fact that we

0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:44.639
<v Speaker 2>never would make anything or we'd never take anything on

0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:48.040
<v Speaker 2>to develop unless there was somebody in the creative team

0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:50.120
<v Speaker 2>that was prepared to kind of sweat blood at two

0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:53.240
<v Speaker 2>in the morning, someone is prepared to absolutely die in

0:19:53.280 --> 0:19:56.159
<v Speaker 2>a ditch for that idea or that show, and if

0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:58.760
<v Speaker 2>it doesn't pass that threshold, then we don't do it.

0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:02.720
<v Speaker 2>We would never take something off because for opportunistic reasons,

0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:05.280
<v Speaker 2>you know, oh, hey, someone wants someone's got this idea

0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:07.760
<v Speaker 2>and they've already got you know, a broadcast interested and

0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:10.879
<v Speaker 2>lined up. If it doesn't really resonate for us. We

0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:13.159
<v Speaker 2>would never do it just because we could. And I

0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:17.600
<v Speaker 2>think that means you end up with a catalog like

0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:19.720
<v Speaker 2>the one that we have, you know, the library of content.

0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.199
<v Speaker 1>It's interesting, you know, I wonder whether or not actors

0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:27.199
<v Speaker 1>are choosing to make television content over film content. Do

0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:28.639
<v Speaker 1>you think that's the case. Do you think actors are

0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:32.000
<v Speaker 1>being more drawn to making television content over taking film roles.

0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.760
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think you can't deny, you know, the

0:20:35.840 --> 0:20:39.760
<v Speaker 2>absolute explosion of you know, traditionally the Hollywood movie stars

0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:43.760
<v Speaker 2>doing television now. I mean watching Kate Winslet in Mayor

0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:46.800
<v Speaker 2>of Eastown at the moment, and I think you could

0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:49.159
<v Speaker 2>not say that she has given a better performance in

0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:51.080
<v Speaker 2>any film she's ever done. I mean, I think it's

0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.160
<v Speaker 2>her best work. I think it's an astonishingly good series.

0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:57.440
<v Speaker 2>And I think actors have come to realize that a

0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.120
<v Speaker 2>lot of those really top line actors have come to

0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:03.359
<v Speaker 2>see that there is no real differentiation in terms of

0:21:03.400 --> 0:21:05.480
<v Speaker 2>the quality and ambition that you can have. I mean,

0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:09.280
<v Speaker 2>TV series now go anywhere and do anything. They have

0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:14.800
<v Speaker 2>budgets wildly exceeding film, and so you see that reflected

0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:18.800
<v Speaker 2>everyone from Julia Roberts to George Clooney to Kate winslet

0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:21.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, they're all doing television, and I think there's

0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:24.840
<v Speaker 2>no kind of snobbishness there anymore. I think winning an

0:21:24.840 --> 0:21:27.960
<v Speaker 2>Emmy is as good as winning an Oscar. I think

0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:31.680
<v Speaker 2>that's a really fantastic change, because there are so many

0:21:31.720 --> 0:21:35.080
<v Speaker 2>stories that can't be told in nineteen minutes or are

0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:37.120
<v Speaker 2>so truncated, particularly if you're looking at things like book

0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:41.399
<v Speaker 2>adaptations or we're actually having that longer format to be

0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:43.480
<v Speaker 2>able to tell stories just means you can bring so

0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:46.240
<v Speaker 2>much more to it. And especially in a year where

0:21:46.280 --> 0:21:49.320
<v Speaker 2>people were pretty much stuck at home and people weren't

0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:52.480
<v Speaker 2>going to movie theaters anyway, and you had time to kill,

0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:57.480
<v Speaker 2>people could really engage with the longer format. So yeah,

0:21:57.560 --> 0:22:00.240
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think actors havenorned TV and way that

0:22:00.280 --> 0:22:01.680
<v Speaker 2>they never were before. For sure.

0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:05.199
<v Speaker 1>I can honestly tell you that my favorite moments in

0:22:05.240 --> 0:22:08.600
<v Speaker 1>the last sixteen months have all been watching television at home,

0:22:08.840 --> 0:22:10.440
<v Speaker 1>and that is a sign of the times, I guess,

0:22:10.480 --> 0:22:13.520
<v Speaker 1>with having lockdowns and things like that. But I can

0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:16.120
<v Speaker 1>tell you Big Little Lies was a great book, and

0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:18.840
<v Speaker 1>having the privilege of the luxury, I guess I don't

0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:21.160
<v Speaker 1>know how to describe it. Being told in long form

0:22:21.760 --> 0:22:24.119
<v Speaker 1>just proved that there's there's a need, there's a thirst

0:22:24.160 --> 0:22:26.960
<v Speaker 1>for it. People want, people want to They're willing to

0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:31.080
<v Speaker 1>commit to this content, you know, they and they're well.

0:22:30.960 --> 0:22:33.800
<v Speaker 2>And I think I may I may not be completely

0:22:33.920 --> 0:22:36.280
<v Speaker 2>right about this, but I think that sort of long

0:22:36.320 --> 0:22:41.119
<v Speaker 2>form premium TV storytelling has kind of replaced in some

0:22:41.240 --> 0:22:44.320
<v Speaker 2>ways what used to be the mid budget feature film.

0:22:44.800 --> 0:22:49.760
<v Speaker 2>So feature become these big event films like Quiet Place Too,

0:22:50.000 --> 0:22:52.280
<v Speaker 2>or the Marvel films, or you know, these kind of

0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:57.800
<v Speaker 2>you know sci fi or you know, effects laden mega blockbusters, Avengers,

0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:02.159
<v Speaker 2>et cetera, or really arthouse more indie things, you know

0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:04.560
<v Speaker 2>The Father recently, you know, those sorts of films that

0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:08.080
<v Speaker 2>are speaking to a much more niche market. That sort

0:23:08.119 --> 0:23:11.280
<v Speaker 2>of mid range, mid budget film, I think is finding

0:23:11.320 --> 0:23:13.720
<v Speaker 2>it much much harder to get an audience, and I

0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:17.760
<v Speaker 2>think they're harder to finance. And so it feels an observation,

0:23:17.880 --> 0:23:19.920
<v Speaker 2>It feels to me like that sort of premium TV

0:23:20.040 --> 0:23:22.639
<v Speaker 2>has really taken the place of that middle range. So

0:23:22.680 --> 0:23:24.439
<v Speaker 2>you've got the megabudget at the top, you've got the

0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:28.119
<v Speaker 2>low budget at the bottom, and in the middle, there's television.

0:23:27.840 --> 0:23:30.439
<v Speaker 1>And you're producing alongside as we were talking about before,

0:23:30.520 --> 0:23:33.879
<v Speaker 1>but you're producing with Nicole Kimmen with Blossom Films, well

0:23:33.960 --> 0:23:37.320
<v Speaker 1>underneath the Blossom Films banner and association with Jen Chapman Films.

0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:40.199
<v Speaker 1>What can you tell us about things I know to

0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:41.000
<v Speaker 1>be true?

0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:43.600
<v Speaker 2>Oh gosh, I mean, well, I suppose a lot of

0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:47.160
<v Speaker 2>people have seen the play because it's been a really

0:23:47.200 --> 0:23:50.960
<v Speaker 2>successful theater production, and you know it was a Belvoir,

0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:55.960
<v Speaker 2>but it also had international runs in America and in Europe,

0:23:56.040 --> 0:23:59.199
<v Speaker 2>in the UK and in Spain. So I mean, I

0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:01.040
<v Speaker 2>don't know if this is a so much. And because

0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:02.480
<v Speaker 2>a lot of people have seen it, I know that

0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:05.760
<v Speaker 2>every audience sees that ends up crying by the end

0:24:05.760 --> 0:24:08.280
<v Speaker 2>of it because it's so moving. But was that this

0:24:08.400 --> 0:24:12.280
<v Speaker 2>very Australian story that Andrew created said in the Adelaide

0:24:12.320 --> 0:24:16.960
<v Speaker 2>suburbs resonated equally wherever it was performed. And I think

0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:20.840
<v Speaker 2>it was something interesting too when Amazon, who our ultimate

0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:23.440
<v Speaker 2>partners on it, when they read the scripts, they had

0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.600
<v Speaker 2>exactly the same reaction to It's just this very universal

0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:30.520
<v Speaker 2>story that I think is so right for the times

0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:34.199
<v Speaker 2>as well, because it's about family and connection at a

0:24:34.240 --> 0:24:38.360
<v Speaker 2>time when I think we've all been either separated from family,

0:24:38.520 --> 0:24:41.280
<v Speaker 2>trying to get back together with family, trying to reconnect

0:24:41.600 --> 0:24:44.359
<v Speaker 2>and thinking about world and relationship in a different way.

0:24:44.480 --> 0:24:47.120
<v Speaker 2>I think it's something that audiences are going to really love.

0:24:47.160 --> 0:24:49.080
<v Speaker 2>And I mean, and that's why you know, Amanda Higgs,

0:24:49.119 --> 0:24:53.480
<v Speaker 2>who's an incredible producer, who was the person that saw

0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.760
<v Speaker 2>the play and you know went after those rights, you know,

0:24:56.840 --> 0:24:59.720
<v Speaker 2>immediately thank goodness for her. But of course, you know,

0:24:59.720 --> 0:25:02.480
<v Speaker 2>you don't get to work with legends like Jan Chapman

0:25:02.560 --> 0:25:06.840
<v Speaker 2>and companies like Blossom if you don't have something pretty special.

0:25:07.000 --> 0:25:08.760
<v Speaker 2>So I don't know that that's so much of a

0:25:08.840 --> 0:25:10.800
<v Speaker 2>tease other than to say I think it's going to

0:25:10.800 --> 0:25:13.960
<v Speaker 2>be pretty exceptional, so people should be looking forward to it.

0:25:14.040 --> 0:25:16.120
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well, I think it ultimately, like Big Little Lies

0:25:16.160 --> 0:25:19.040
<v Speaker 1>and The Undoing have sort of reinvented television drama in

0:25:19.080 --> 0:25:21.360
<v Speaker 1>a way. You know, now with Nicole coming back into

0:25:21.400 --> 0:25:24.119
<v Speaker 1>Australia to do Nine Perfect Strangers, was it a good

0:25:24.160 --> 0:25:27.720
<v Speaker 1>opportunity to get involved with some of the best global

0:25:27.800 --> 0:25:30.680
<v Speaker 1>storytellers at that point? Like, was that a moment where

0:25:30.720 --> 0:25:33.560
<v Speaker 1>you're thinking, well, we can then tap into that as

0:25:33.600 --> 0:25:36.439
<v Speaker 1>much as we can tap into our resources through NBC.

0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:39.640
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Well, I mean, I think the amazing thing about well,

0:25:39.680 --> 0:25:44.560
<v Speaker 2>this kind of side bar from COVID or you know,

0:25:44.600 --> 0:25:48.320
<v Speaker 2>an impact of COVID and Australia's successful handling of it

0:25:48.440 --> 0:25:50.520
<v Speaker 2>or keeping it kind of relatively under control is of

0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:52.840
<v Speaker 2>course we can see there is just so much American

0:25:52.880 --> 0:25:55.359
<v Speaker 2>production that's come out to Australia, you know, and some

0:25:55.440 --> 0:25:57.440
<v Speaker 2>of those you know, we're involved with, you know, Young

0:25:57.520 --> 0:26:00.600
<v Speaker 2>Rock and Lebrea, which are shooting in Melbourne at the moment, Exotic,

0:26:01.040 --> 0:26:03.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, we're looking after on the ground. But you know,

0:26:03.040 --> 0:26:05.600
<v Speaker 2>there are so many other productions out here from Netflix

0:26:05.640 --> 0:26:08.800
<v Speaker 2>and made up stories and that's a great thing for

0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:12.159
<v Speaker 2>the industry because well there's pros and coms right. So

0:26:12.320 --> 0:26:15.560
<v Speaker 2>on the one hand, you have the opportunity for Cruise

0:26:16.080 --> 0:26:19.440
<v Speaker 2>one to be working at full capacity. Everybody's busy as

0:26:19.440 --> 0:26:21.520
<v Speaker 2>hell and it's and that's a powerful thing. And people

0:26:21.560 --> 0:26:24.520
<v Speaker 2>are getting exposure to budgets that they might never have

0:26:24.600 --> 0:26:26.840
<v Speaker 2>normally been able to work with, and you're working with

0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:29.760
<v Speaker 2>technology that you have been able to work with. So

0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:32.120
<v Speaker 2>there's a huge kind of learning and upskilling that goes

0:26:32.160 --> 0:26:35.719
<v Speaker 2>along with that. The downside, of course, being that competition

0:26:35.880 --> 0:26:40.040
<v Speaker 2>for cruse and writers and directors has never been more ferocious,

0:26:40.119 --> 0:26:42.280
<v Speaker 2>and people are just so busy that sometimes if you're

0:26:42.280 --> 0:26:44.840
<v Speaker 2>trying to crew up a show, you literally just can't

0:26:44.880 --> 0:26:47.840
<v Speaker 2>find the people. Not because you can't find the best people,

0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:51.080
<v Speaker 2>you actually just can't find anyone. I mean, we were,

0:26:51.840 --> 0:26:53.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, on some of our shows you're kind of

0:26:53.600 --> 0:26:56.800
<v Speaker 2>trying to get builders or people that have or electricians

0:26:56.840 --> 0:26:59.399
<v Speaker 2>that have never worked in the industry before trying to

0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:02.080
<v Speaker 2>draw their men just because you can't find the people

0:27:02.080 --> 0:27:04.879
<v Speaker 2>that are normally doing those roles because there's just so

0:27:05.000 --> 0:27:07.479
<v Speaker 2>much going on, and I think we're pretty much at

0:27:07.520 --> 0:27:11.560
<v Speaker 2>industry capacity. But to your point, yes, it means suddenly

0:27:11.560 --> 0:27:13.720
<v Speaker 2>there's all of these people in town. There's people you're

0:27:13.720 --> 0:27:17.400
<v Speaker 2>meeting and talking to and able to swap stories with,

0:27:17.680 --> 0:27:21.000
<v Speaker 2>and I think it feels like a really great opportunity

0:27:21.040 --> 0:27:25.280
<v Speaker 2>for everybody to kind of think differently about their ambition

0:27:25.520 --> 0:27:28.320
<v Speaker 2>and who they're working with and finding other ways to

0:27:28.359 --> 0:27:33.440
<v Speaker 2>collaborate and work because we're all scrambling for the same resources.

0:27:33.760 --> 0:27:35.959
<v Speaker 1>How important would you say it is to show the

0:27:35.960 --> 0:27:39.320
<v Speaker 1>rest of the world who we are in Australia you know,

0:27:39.400 --> 0:27:41.800
<v Speaker 1>especially in this industry, how important do you think it

0:27:41.840 --> 0:27:43.840
<v Speaker 1>is for us to be able to share our culture

0:27:43.880 --> 0:27:44.840
<v Speaker 1>on a bigger scale.

0:27:45.200 --> 0:27:47.760
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean I think that's vitally important. You know,

0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:51.679
<v Speaker 2>Australians have always punched well above their weight when it

0:27:51.720 --> 0:27:53.720
<v Speaker 2>comes to the industry. You know, there are so many

0:27:53.760 --> 0:27:57.080
<v Speaker 2>Australians in Hollywood and in the UK. Inded, there are

0:27:57.080 --> 0:27:59.439
<v Speaker 2>Australians who don't even know are Australian. You know, there

0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:02.080
<v Speaker 2>are actually and people that never really did any work

0:28:02.119 --> 0:28:04.280
<v Speaker 2>in Australia that went straight to Hollywood and now have

0:28:04.359 --> 0:28:07.240
<v Speaker 2>successful careers and you probably wouldn't even realize because you've

0:28:07.240 --> 0:28:09.480
<v Speaker 2>only ever heard them speaking with an American accent. Even when

0:28:09.520 --> 0:28:11.959
<v Speaker 2>I was working at the ABC and I was traveling

0:28:12.000 --> 0:28:14.960
<v Speaker 2>to LA to kind of try and create co productions

0:28:15.000 --> 0:28:16.840
<v Speaker 2>and find partners so I can try and leverage the

0:28:16.840 --> 0:28:20.520
<v Speaker 2>ABC budgets further, any agent you spoke to, anywhere you went,

0:28:20.560 --> 0:28:23.000
<v Speaker 2>any buyer you went to, they were all very well

0:28:23.040 --> 0:28:26.720
<v Speaker 2>aware of the Australian extraordinary talent that was coming out

0:28:26.760 --> 0:28:28.480
<v Speaker 2>of here. I mean, I think if you look at

0:28:28.560 --> 0:28:31.960
<v Speaker 2>the top actors in the world, given our population size,

0:28:32.080 --> 0:28:35.920
<v Speaker 2>we are disproportionately represented so I think in terms of

0:28:35.960 --> 0:28:38.400
<v Speaker 2>Australians going out into the world and taking their talent

0:28:38.440 --> 0:28:41.120
<v Speaker 2>to the world, that's kind of that's always been there.

0:28:41.480 --> 0:28:43.720
<v Speaker 2>But I think it is really important that we are

0:28:43.760 --> 0:28:47.960
<v Speaker 2>telling Australians stories as well and that they are traveling.

0:28:48.000 --> 0:28:50.960
<v Speaker 2>And I think so when you see shows like Mystery

0:28:51.040 --> 0:28:54.280
<v Speaker 2>Road for example, which is you got a very uniquely

0:28:54.320 --> 0:28:57.240
<v Speaker 2>distinctive Australian flavor, it's important to tell them that sort

0:28:57.240 --> 0:28:59.320
<v Speaker 2>of story or Stateless even which you know is a

0:28:59.400 --> 0:29:01.960
<v Speaker 2>very global story but actually something that's very particular to

0:29:02.040 --> 0:29:05.840
<v Speaker 2>Australia's you know, engine program at the time. And for

0:29:05.920 --> 0:29:08.800
<v Speaker 2>that to end up globally on Netflix, I think is

0:29:08.840 --> 0:29:11.240
<v Speaker 2>a wonderful thing because it's helping to kind of inform

0:29:11.280 --> 0:29:13.520
<v Speaker 2>the world about who we are and what we do

0:29:13.640 --> 0:29:16.520
<v Speaker 2>for better or worse. You know, it can't all be happy.

0:29:16.920 --> 0:29:21.280
<v Speaker 2>But I think when you if you're doing something more generic,

0:29:21.440 --> 0:29:24.000
<v Speaker 2>if you're doing sort of like an Australian procedural, you're

0:29:24.000 --> 0:29:26.160
<v Speaker 2>always going to have a much harder time trying to

0:29:26.360 --> 0:29:29.720
<v Speaker 2>cut through and get any kind of recognition internationally. Because

0:29:29.920 --> 0:29:32.719
<v Speaker 2>you look at the US, for example, they do procedurals

0:29:32.720 --> 0:29:35.920
<v Speaker 2>so well. They do them by you in huge numbers,

0:29:36.000 --> 0:29:38.400
<v Speaker 2>shows like Law and Order and SPU and those kinds

0:29:38.400 --> 0:29:40.880
<v Speaker 2>of things. If we were making those sorts of shows,

0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:42.560
<v Speaker 2>they're going to have a lot of trouble breaking out,

0:29:42.640 --> 0:29:46.840
<v Speaker 2>I think outside. So it's only really those uniquely Australian

0:29:46.920 --> 0:29:50.440
<v Speaker 2>stories that are going to have the best chance of traveling.

0:29:50.680 --> 0:29:54.120
<v Speaker 2>So in a way, they kind of one creates the other.

0:29:54.760 --> 0:29:56.080
<v Speaker 2>It's kind of like an infinite loop.

0:29:56.160 --> 0:29:59.360
<v Speaker 1>Really has our storytelling changed in the last few years?

0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:02.280
<v Speaker 1>Are we sort of turning a corner with Australian storytelling?

0:30:02.320 --> 0:30:04.000
<v Speaker 1>And the reason why I asked that is that for

0:30:04.080 --> 0:30:06.800
<v Speaker 1>a while people said we only could tell stories that

0:30:06.840 --> 0:30:09.120
<v Speaker 1>were quite bleak about our country.

0:30:09.440 --> 0:30:11.840
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think our storytelling

0:30:11.920 --> 0:30:15.840
<v Speaker 2>has definitely become a lot more sophisticated, and I think

0:30:15.920 --> 0:30:21.080
<v Speaker 2>that we definitely can compete with the best of television

0:30:21.120 --> 0:30:24.360
<v Speaker 2>being made anywhere in the world. We've always been really

0:30:24.400 --> 0:30:28.440
<v Speaker 2>great at comedy, but I think sometimes our comedy is

0:30:28.480 --> 0:30:32.120
<v Speaker 2>so Australian that maybe that doesn't travel so well overseas,

0:30:32.160 --> 0:30:34.360
<v Speaker 2>so that ends up being like a very domestic play.

0:30:34.640 --> 0:30:37.160
<v Speaker 2>And I take your point about dramas often being quite

0:30:37.200 --> 0:30:40.600
<v Speaker 2>sort of heavy and serious, but I do think there

0:30:40.680 --> 0:30:43.640
<v Speaker 2>is much more diversity out there now in terms of

0:30:43.640 --> 0:30:46.040
<v Speaker 2>what's being made and what people are looking for. And

0:30:46.080 --> 0:30:48.959
<v Speaker 2>I think there's also been a shift though to in

0:30:49.320 --> 0:30:52.600
<v Speaker 2>what people's expectations are of a drama. And I think,

0:30:52.640 --> 0:30:54.720
<v Speaker 2>you know, it used to be, you know, a half

0:30:54.760 --> 0:30:58.360
<v Speaker 2>hour is a comedy, and now it is a drama drama.

0:30:58.840 --> 0:31:00.760
<v Speaker 2>And I think now you have half hours that are

0:31:00.840 --> 0:31:04.160
<v Speaker 2>dramas and hours that are light sort of drama das.

0:31:04.360 --> 0:31:08.680
<v Speaker 2>And I think there's much more nuance in those categories

0:31:09.080 --> 0:31:11.840
<v Speaker 2>and what audiences expect from those categories. And I think

0:31:11.920 --> 0:31:13.560
<v Speaker 2>you can see that playing out and the sorts of

0:31:13.560 --> 0:31:14.480
<v Speaker 2>shows that are coming through.

0:31:14.760 --> 0:31:17.320
<v Speaker 1>Kate Blanchette said that, you know, drama needs to be

0:31:17.480 --> 0:31:20.560
<v Speaker 1>challenging and impolite, which I loved that heading. I thought

0:31:20.560 --> 0:31:23.720
<v Speaker 1>it was amazing. What did you learn from working alongside

0:31:23.760 --> 0:31:25.440
<v Speaker 1>someone like Kate Blanchette.

0:31:25.200 --> 0:31:30.600
<v Speaker 2>Oh my god. I mean, Kate is just ferociously intelligent

0:31:31.080 --> 0:31:36.920
<v Speaker 2>and really does have an incredible social awareness and social conscience.

0:31:36.960 --> 0:31:39.560
<v Speaker 2>And I think everything that she does, you know, from

0:31:39.560 --> 0:31:42.680
<v Speaker 2>my observation, everything that she does, and certainly working with her,

0:31:42.880 --> 0:31:46.960
<v Speaker 2>is done with such purpose and intent. There's nothing frivolous.

0:31:47.000 --> 0:31:49.360
<v Speaker 2>About the decision making, you know, all the way through

0:31:49.400 --> 0:31:53.280
<v Speaker 2>something like stateless. And she was absolutely tireless on that

0:31:53.400 --> 0:31:56.520
<v Speaker 2>show in terms of casting and the creative and you

0:31:56.520 --> 0:32:00.160
<v Speaker 2>know her, she was determined to make that show as

0:32:00.160 --> 0:32:02.800
<v Speaker 2>good as it possibly could be, and you know, really

0:32:02.840 --> 0:32:04.960
<v Speaker 2>backed it up. So I think, what did I learn?

0:32:05.000 --> 0:32:07.760
<v Speaker 2>I mean, well, apart from being in the presence of greatness,

0:32:07.760 --> 0:32:11.680
<v Speaker 2>I mean getting to watch her perform and being on set,

0:32:11.720 --> 0:32:15.160
<v Speaker 2>particularly when she did that big song and dance number

0:32:15.480 --> 0:32:18.440
<v Speaker 2>early on in the series, was an incredible gift. But

0:32:18.560 --> 0:32:22.720
<v Speaker 2>also I think just seeing just that tireless pursuit of excellence,

0:32:23.480 --> 0:32:28.920
<v Speaker 2>never accepting second best, never accepting no, and just always

0:32:29.000 --> 0:32:32.360
<v Speaker 2>pushing to get the best possible outcome. And Kate and

0:32:32.400 --> 0:32:34.840
<v Speaker 2>I mean everyone on that show indeed did it. It

0:32:34.880 --> 0:32:36.960
<v Speaker 2>wasn't certainly it wasn't just her, but certainly that is

0:32:36.960 --> 0:32:39.080
<v Speaker 2>something that you know, I witnessed.

0:32:38.800 --> 0:32:41.320
<v Speaker 1>That show was just so amazing. And you guys really

0:32:41.360 --> 0:32:44.600
<v Speaker 1>know how to sort of present a balanced diet of content.

0:32:45.120 --> 0:32:48.000
<v Speaker 1>You know, do you enjoy the Real Housewives of Melbourne

0:32:48.040 --> 0:32:50.000
<v Speaker 1>as much as making these other programs.

0:32:50.480 --> 0:32:53.600
<v Speaker 2>Look, I'm not ashamed to admit I am a fan

0:32:53.640 --> 0:32:56.640
<v Speaker 2>of the Housewives franchise. I love The Real Housewives and Melbourne.

0:32:56.640 --> 0:32:58.320
<v Speaker 2>We're in the middle of production at the moment with

0:32:59.120 --> 0:33:02.600
<v Speaker 2>a fabulous cast of new faces and some of the

0:33:02.640 --> 0:33:05.440
<v Speaker 2>original cast members as well. But I think when I

0:33:05.480 --> 0:33:07.080
<v Speaker 2>came into the job, because I'm a bit of a

0:33:07.320 --> 0:33:10.240
<v Speaker 2>squat about these things, and I knew that Housewives was

0:33:10.280 --> 0:33:13.240
<v Speaker 2>one of ours, I hadn't before, but I did actually

0:33:13.240 --> 0:33:16.600
<v Speaker 2>start watching a lot of the International Housewives, So I

0:33:16.640 --> 0:33:20.760
<v Speaker 2>mean Beverly Hills, New York, Atlanta. I've I've seen more

0:33:20.800 --> 0:33:24.040
<v Speaker 2>than that than I should probably admit. And I'm a fan.

0:33:24.160 --> 0:33:26.560
<v Speaker 2>I mean, I think it's not you know, people can

0:33:26.600 --> 0:33:29.000
<v Speaker 2>be people can sort of go, oh god, that reality

0:33:29.120 --> 0:33:32.160
<v Speaker 2>sort of trash or you know, people people can be

0:33:32.240 --> 0:33:36.400
<v Speaker 2>quite negative about it. But actually those shows are wildly

0:33:36.440 --> 0:33:40.440
<v Speaker 2>successful and connect with audiences and provide form of escapism

0:33:40.600 --> 0:33:44.240
<v Speaker 2>or entertainment that you know, sometimes that is just in

0:33:44.280 --> 0:33:47.040
<v Speaker 2>a mixed diet of whatever TV you want to watch.

0:33:47.240 --> 0:33:50.959
<v Speaker 2>Everything can't be stateless, and sometimes watching a couple of

0:33:50.960 --> 0:33:54.720
<v Speaker 2>housewives go at it over something like you know, trivial

0:33:55.120 --> 0:33:57.520
<v Speaker 2>is the best way to turn off. And those shows

0:33:57.520 --> 0:34:01.120
<v Speaker 2>are incredibly well made, and you know, there are incredibly

0:34:01.120 --> 0:34:04.880
<v Speaker 2>skilled producers who are managing those They're not easy to

0:34:04.920 --> 0:34:07.600
<v Speaker 2>make because in a way, and you know, and sometimes

0:34:07.600 --> 0:34:10.000
<v Speaker 2>people think, oh, it's all fake and it's scripted, and

0:34:10.040 --> 0:34:13.040
<v Speaker 2>it's not the case. You know, people are experiencing things

0:34:13.080 --> 0:34:15.680
<v Speaker 2>in real time and having real reactions. And I have

0:34:15.719 --> 0:34:17.640
<v Speaker 2>a lot of respect for housewives. I think. I think

0:34:17.640 --> 0:34:20.960
<v Speaker 2>it's an incredible and I got a wildly successful franchise.

0:34:21.520 --> 0:34:23.600
<v Speaker 2>I can't wait for Melbourne this year. I think it's

0:34:23.840 --> 0:34:26.280
<v Speaker 2>it's shaping up to be a cracker of a series,

0:34:26.320 --> 0:34:26.760
<v Speaker 2>this one.

0:34:26.920 --> 0:34:29.120
<v Speaker 1>Who is creating all the drama in this new series

0:34:29.160 --> 0:34:30.080
<v Speaker 1>that's happening at the moment.

0:34:30.440 --> 0:34:32.359
<v Speaker 2>Look, I mean I think, well, we're early, we're early

0:34:32.440 --> 0:34:35.440
<v Speaker 2>days in the process. But I mean I think if

0:34:35.480 --> 0:34:38.520
<v Speaker 2>you imagine that we've got you know, Gamble and Janet

0:34:38.600 --> 0:34:41.160
<v Speaker 2>and Jackie from the sort of original cast, and then

0:34:41.160 --> 0:34:43.600
<v Speaker 2>you've got a whole new group that creates a completely

0:34:43.640 --> 0:34:46.399
<v Speaker 2>new dynamic. And as people are kind of working out

0:34:46.440 --> 0:34:49.440
<v Speaker 2>who's who and who's friends with who and relationships are

0:34:49.480 --> 0:34:52.120
<v Speaker 2>being forged, so it will certainly be a lot of drama.

0:34:52.160 --> 0:34:55.440
<v Speaker 1>Again, if you were a housewife, what sort of personality

0:34:55.440 --> 0:34:56.120
<v Speaker 1>type would you be?

0:34:56.600 --> 0:35:01.840
<v Speaker 2>Good? Agree, Maybe I'd be a Bethny frank maybe a

0:35:01.880 --> 0:35:03.840
<v Speaker 2>slightly more reserved Bethany Frankle.

0:35:04.400 --> 0:35:06.800
<v Speaker 1>Well, that's the reason why that show is so popular

0:35:06.880 --> 0:35:08.799
<v Speaker 1>is because we all can relate in some way. There's

0:35:08.840 --> 0:35:11.360
<v Speaker 1>usually a character type or somebody that you know, you

0:35:11.360 --> 0:35:12.160
<v Speaker 1>can resonate with.

0:35:12.440 --> 0:35:16.759
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, I mean Bethany is somebody who I mean,

0:35:17.080 --> 0:35:21.880
<v Speaker 2>I think wildly entertaining, because certainly somebody who is just

0:35:22.239 --> 0:35:27.440
<v Speaker 2>relentlessly honest, very forcefully so sometimes but you know, man,

0:35:27.560 --> 0:35:30.000
<v Speaker 2>did she over the years that she was in New York,

0:35:30.440 --> 0:35:31.760
<v Speaker 2>did she deliver the goods?

0:35:32.080 --> 0:35:35.840
<v Speaker 1>So Confessions of an Oversharer it's basically the title of

0:35:35.880 --> 0:35:36.279
<v Speaker 1>her book.

0:35:36.560 --> 0:35:40.400
<v Speaker 2>She auditioned for Wheelhousewives of New York, spent you know,

0:35:40.520 --> 0:35:42.960
<v Speaker 2>seven grand on an audition tape or something, and has

0:35:43.000 --> 0:35:45.319
<v Speaker 2>now leveraged her role on that show to like one

0:35:45.400 --> 0:35:48.520
<v Speaker 2>hundred million dollar empire that she now sits on top of.

0:35:48.680 --> 0:35:51.160
<v Speaker 2>So you can't see I mean that is that is

0:35:51.200 --> 0:35:52.719
<v Speaker 2>that is a woman who knows what she's doing.

0:35:53.040 --> 0:35:56.600
<v Speaker 1>There's a rumor going around this week about celebrity goggle Box.

0:35:56.800 --> 0:36:00.440
<v Speaker 1>It's happening, so that's not a rumor, but that Lydia

0:36:01.000 --> 0:36:04.560
<v Speaker 1>and Jackie have both been asked to do Celebrity goggle

0:36:04.560 --> 0:36:08.319
<v Speaker 1>Box and I want to be great. No, Well, they're

0:36:08.320 --> 0:36:10.000
<v Speaker 1>only going to pick one of them apparently, So who

0:36:10.000 --> 0:36:12.960
<v Speaker 1>would be better on Celebrity goggle Box, Lydia or Jackie.

0:36:13.120 --> 0:36:16.200
<v Speaker 2>Well, Jackie's doing Housewives of Melbourne at the moment, so

0:36:16.520 --> 0:36:18.200
<v Speaker 2>I'd love to see Lydia do it. So I think

0:36:18.440 --> 0:36:21.040
<v Speaker 2>I think she'd be great on a celebrity goggle Box.

0:36:22.200 --> 0:36:25.080
<v Speaker 3>Don't suck on your own fucking head.

0:36:25.840 --> 0:36:28.000
<v Speaker 2>Lydia had a lot of great moments over the years.

0:36:28.160 --> 0:36:30.799
<v Speaker 2>I think one of my favorites was what's a great line?

0:36:30.840 --> 0:36:32.839
<v Speaker 2>When Gina's cutting her off or something and she says,

0:36:32.840 --> 0:36:33.720
<v Speaker 2>can I please Spock?

0:36:34.880 --> 0:36:38.799
<v Speaker 1>Why is it that I'm being blamed that I'm being

0:36:38.880 --> 0:36:40.160
<v Speaker 1>say you've actually said.

0:36:39.920 --> 0:36:43.160
<v Speaker 2>The worst Spock? Spock? Can I speak?

0:36:43.280 --> 0:36:44.440
<v Speaker 3>I don't know, can you Spock?

0:36:45.440 --> 0:36:47.160
<v Speaker 1>Do you think we'd ever see any of the original

0:36:47.160 --> 0:36:51.719
<v Speaker 1>people coming back? You know, there's been Pettiflower, Andrea Moss, Susie.

0:36:51.800 --> 0:36:53.239
<v Speaker 1>I'm just trying to think of all the people that

0:36:53.280 --> 0:36:54.759
<v Speaker 1>have now gone. Do you think that any of these

0:36:54.800 --> 0:36:56.319
<v Speaker 1>people ever come back in a friend role?

0:36:56.480 --> 0:36:58.239
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Look, I think it's always possible. I mean, I

0:36:58.239 --> 0:37:00.640
<v Speaker 2>think you're always open minded about you know what's the

0:37:00.719 --> 0:37:03.880
<v Speaker 2>right makeup and what's the right dynamic, and it just

0:37:03.920 --> 0:37:06.800
<v Speaker 2>comes down to timing and who else is around and

0:37:07.360 --> 0:37:08.960
<v Speaker 2>what you're looking to do with the show and what

0:37:09.080 --> 0:37:11.400
<v Speaker 2>sort of direction you're intending to go in. But I mean,

0:37:11.400 --> 0:37:14.040
<v Speaker 2>I think if you look at all of the international franchises,

0:37:14.040 --> 0:37:16.480
<v Speaker 2>some of which are in you know, season thirteen and beyond,

0:37:16.920 --> 0:37:18.759
<v Speaker 2>there is a bit of that kind of fluidity if

0:37:18.760 --> 0:37:21.040
<v Speaker 2>people might step out for a few years, come back

0:37:21.680 --> 0:37:24.680
<v Speaker 2>or come back as a friend, and so yeah, we'd

0:37:24.760 --> 0:37:28.160
<v Speaker 2>certainly be open to that. As to who specifically, I

0:37:28.200 --> 0:37:30.680
<v Speaker 2>don't know, you'd have to sort of go through. There's

0:37:30.719 --> 0:37:33.760
<v Speaker 2>been I mean, there's been some interesting characters over the years,

0:37:33.760 --> 0:37:35.919
<v Speaker 2>but sure, you know, I think you never say never.

0:37:36.480 --> 0:37:38.120
<v Speaker 1>Now, I want to pitch an idea to you before

0:37:38.160 --> 0:37:41.200
<v Speaker 1>you go, because I enjoy the show overseas, which is

0:37:41.200 --> 0:37:43.120
<v Speaker 1>the only Way is Essex, and I think that there's

0:37:43.120 --> 0:37:46.640
<v Speaker 1>a real market for the Only Way is Melbourne, because

0:37:46.680 --> 0:37:49.760
<v Speaker 1>it wouldn't be nice to see young people on screen

0:37:50.080 --> 0:37:53.080
<v Speaker 1>in this sort of semi scripted reality format similar to

0:37:53.080 --> 0:37:55.600
<v Speaker 1>what Essex is. You know, it's real, but some of

0:37:55.600 --> 0:37:58.239
<v Speaker 1>it's set up for your entertainment. Do you think that

0:37:58.280 --> 0:38:00.880
<v Speaker 1>there is a possibility for the Way is Melbourne.

0:38:01.040 --> 0:38:02.920
<v Speaker 2>Look, I mean I'm a fan of Taui as well,

0:38:03.040 --> 0:38:05.640
<v Speaker 2>and I look, to be honest with you, I hadn't

0:38:05.680 --> 0:38:07.759
<v Speaker 2>really thought about that before, but yeah, I think that's

0:38:07.760 --> 0:38:10.560
<v Speaker 2>a good idea, Ben, good pitch, Definitely, that's I mean,

0:38:10.560 --> 0:38:12.640
<v Speaker 2>I think I think the only Way is Essex is

0:38:12.680 --> 0:38:16.520
<v Speaker 2>a really fun show. And again there's been some fantastic

0:38:16.600 --> 0:38:19.520
<v Speaker 2>characters that have come out of that and become quite

0:38:19.640 --> 0:38:23.280
<v Speaker 2>well known celebrities, you know, people you know, fan favorites

0:38:23.640 --> 0:38:26.160
<v Speaker 2>in the UK. And yeah, I take your point about

0:38:26.280 --> 0:38:29.160
<v Speaker 2>that kind of depiction of younger people and opportunities for

0:38:29.200 --> 0:38:32.400
<v Speaker 2>younger people to be in that space. So yeah, good idea.

0:38:32.520 --> 0:38:35.160
<v Speaker 1>I think, you know, we need to bring younger audiences

0:38:35.200 --> 0:38:37.439
<v Speaker 1>back into the fold, and there is a lot more

0:38:37.520 --> 0:38:40.839
<v Speaker 1>content being made for probably a little bit older audiences.

0:38:41.400 --> 0:38:43.960
<v Speaker 1>It would be good to tell some story about because

0:38:44.000 --> 0:38:47.440
<v Speaker 1>I'm forty and I find myself learning so much from

0:38:47.520 --> 0:38:50.440
<v Speaker 1>younger people that's so different to who I was at

0:38:50.440 --> 0:38:53.120
<v Speaker 1>that age. Yeah, so I'm fascinated in my own right

0:38:53.239 --> 0:38:54.640
<v Speaker 1>of wanting to know what's going on.

0:38:55.000 --> 0:38:57.320
<v Speaker 2>It's too I mean, I think I think the really

0:38:57.360 --> 0:39:00.359
<v Speaker 2>younger audiences. A lot of them don't watch television at all.

0:39:00.760 --> 0:39:02.759
<v Speaker 2>And when I say provision, I don't mean kind of

0:39:03.080 --> 0:39:05.680
<v Speaker 2>literally television on a wall, because not many people are

0:39:05.719 --> 0:39:07.759
<v Speaker 2>doing that these days, But I mean they don't watch

0:39:07.800 --> 0:39:10.920
<v Speaker 2>that kind of traditional drama. You know, They're watching YouTube

0:39:11.040 --> 0:39:14.879
<v Speaker 2>and shorts and TikTok. And I think it's an ongoing

0:39:14.960 --> 0:39:17.319
<v Speaker 2>kind of challenge for the industry is how do you

0:39:17.360 --> 0:39:19.279
<v Speaker 2>really connect? And I think when you crack it and

0:39:19.320 --> 0:39:22.279
<v Speaker 2>you make the right show, the audience is there. And

0:39:22.360 --> 0:39:25.560
<v Speaker 2>I think, you know, the americud market probably does it

0:39:25.600 --> 0:39:27.360
<v Speaker 2>a bit more successfully than we do. At the moment,

0:39:27.400 --> 0:39:30.160
<v Speaker 2>there's not a huge amount of programming coming out of

0:39:30.160 --> 0:39:35.000
<v Speaker 2>Australia that I think is targeting that generation kids, yes, teens, yes,

0:39:35.080 --> 0:39:37.359
<v Speaker 2>but you know, we don't do a lot of ya

0:39:37.640 --> 0:39:39.280
<v Speaker 2>and we don't do a lot that's kind of speaking

0:39:39.280 --> 0:39:40.840
<v Speaker 2>to them. So yeah, I think there's definitely work to

0:39:40.840 --> 0:39:43.520
<v Speaker 2>be done. But they're a tough market to crack at

0:39:43.560 --> 0:39:46.400
<v Speaker 2>the moment because they've just got so many other options

0:39:46.440 --> 0:39:49.719
<v Speaker 2>for how they spend their screen time, including making their

0:39:49.760 --> 0:39:51.160
<v Speaker 2>own you know, like a lot of them are the

0:39:51.200 --> 0:39:54.319
<v Speaker 2>start their own they're the stars of their own kind

0:39:54.360 --> 0:39:56.799
<v Speaker 2>of screen creations, So you know, how do you get

0:39:56.840 --> 0:40:00.120
<v Speaker 2>Kate Planchette to keep to compete with someone who's watching themselves.

0:40:01.040 --> 0:40:03.200
<v Speaker 1>The last question I have for you is, what is

0:40:03.239 --> 0:40:06.040
<v Speaker 1>a funny story from behind the scenes at Matchbox? You know,

0:40:06.160 --> 0:40:09.120
<v Speaker 1>something of a funny anecdote or a moment, you know

0:40:09.160 --> 0:40:11.040
<v Speaker 1>when you tell people what it is that you do for.

0:40:11.040 --> 0:40:15.040
<v Speaker 2>Work for us. I mean, all of that goal probably

0:40:15.120 --> 0:40:18.120
<v Speaker 2>comes in the making of Housewives, probably too many to

0:40:18.200 --> 0:40:21.439
<v Speaker 2>even mention. Some things then that I could not even

0:40:21.480 --> 0:40:23.799
<v Speaker 2>repeat on this podcast because of the way the show

0:40:23.920 --> 0:40:26.919
<v Speaker 2>is made and all reality in fact. So you'd see

0:40:26.920 --> 0:40:29.080
<v Speaker 2>this if you watch Kardashians or any of those shows

0:40:29.080 --> 0:40:33.719
<v Speaker 2>where you're watching you know, sequences of life or you

0:40:33.719 --> 0:40:35.680
<v Speaker 2>know things that have played out, and then you have

0:40:35.800 --> 0:40:39.040
<v Speaker 2>somebody's direct to camera interview where they're talking as though

0:40:39.080 --> 0:40:41.799
<v Speaker 2>it's in real time, but obviously that's filmed at a

0:40:41.840 --> 0:40:44.520
<v Speaker 2>different time, and so often you would need to show

0:40:45.080 --> 0:40:47.319
<v Speaker 2>you have to show Pete to remind them of like

0:40:47.400 --> 0:40:50.080
<v Speaker 2>four months ago this moment was happening, what we're thinking,

0:40:50.239 --> 0:40:52.360
<v Speaker 2>So then somebody is having to speak to that in

0:40:52.400 --> 0:40:56.600
<v Speaker 2>their direct camera. But what the Housewives franchise globally have done,

0:40:56.760 --> 0:41:00.239
<v Speaker 2>is that they generally save up showing everybody the episodes

0:41:00.280 --> 0:41:03.160
<v Speaker 2>until just before the reunion, so that actually what happens

0:41:03.239 --> 0:41:06.239
<v Speaker 2>is those reunion specials, which you know for Beverly Hills

0:41:06.239 --> 0:41:08.440
<v Speaker 2>and New York Rum, you know, they're three partners, and

0:41:08.480 --> 0:41:11.360
<v Speaker 2>that's because all of the women watched the whole show

0:41:11.719 --> 0:41:14.520
<v Speaker 2>for the first time just before, so suddenly they see

0:41:14.560 --> 0:41:17.479
<v Speaker 2>what everybody's been saying in their direct cameras or things

0:41:17.480 --> 0:41:19.239
<v Speaker 2>that maybe they were saying behind their back. So you

0:41:19.239 --> 0:41:20.759
<v Speaker 2>said one thing to me here and then you said

0:41:20.800 --> 0:41:25.560
<v Speaker 2>something else there, and so obviously what that does is

0:41:25.640 --> 0:41:27.640
<v Speaker 2>mean that by the time everyone's sitting, you know, in

0:41:27.640 --> 0:41:30.839
<v Speaker 2>they're dressed in the nines at the reunion, there are

0:41:30.880 --> 0:41:33.440
<v Speaker 2>some raw wounds that maybe have been reopened, and so

0:41:33.600 --> 0:41:35.839
<v Speaker 2>it's an opportunity for everybody that's thrashed that out there.

0:41:36.400 --> 0:41:38.759
<v Speaker 1>Insignificant ass hair is what comes to mind when I

0:41:38.760 --> 0:41:44.520
<v Speaker 1>think about Real Housewives of Melbourne reunion. You are not the.

0:41:44.520 --> 0:41:47.480
<v Speaker 3>Same way even Curio insignificant ass here.

0:41:49.520 --> 0:41:52.600
<v Speaker 1>That's when you're like, I have come so far and

0:41:52.640 --> 0:41:54.840
<v Speaker 1>I am the head of Matchbox and some of the

0:41:54.880 --> 0:41:59.120
<v Speaker 1>content I may involve Cape Blanchette saying some magnificent words,

0:41:59.680 --> 0:42:04.040
<v Speaker 1>and then I have Genieliano saying insignificant ass here.

0:42:04.320 --> 0:42:06.960
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but we're a broad church at match Box, and

0:42:07.000 --> 0:42:07.960
<v Speaker 2>I'm proud of all that.

0:42:08.480 --> 0:42:10.040
<v Speaker 1>Well, I just want to say thank you so much

0:42:10.080 --> 0:42:13.279
<v Speaker 1>for making some of the best Australian content I've ever

0:42:13.320 --> 0:42:16.040
<v Speaker 1>seen and working on that. I think it's important for

0:42:16.080 --> 0:42:19.400
<v Speaker 1>people to realize that you might see the actors, but

0:42:19.480 --> 0:42:22.520
<v Speaker 1>it's about the people that get these stories made, the writers,

0:42:23.360 --> 0:42:26.200
<v Speaker 1>the cameraman, everybody that works on it. It's so collaborative.

0:42:26.400 --> 0:42:29.359
<v Speaker 1>And you have done a fantastic job since you've been

0:42:29.360 --> 0:42:33.799
<v Speaker 1>at Matchbox, bringing in some international dollars and adding to

0:42:33.840 --> 0:42:36.080
<v Speaker 1>the conversation. And I want to say thank you for that.

0:42:36.280 --> 0:42:38.600
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Ben, It's been a real pleasure.