ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA, the dynamic new workshop designed to equip producers with crucial business skills, will take place in November this year in Victoria.
The first time to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere, ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA is a joint venture between the New South Wales Film and Television Office (FTO), Film Victoria, and the Australian Film Commission (AFC) in partnership with the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), and ScreenWest. All parties have identified the need for producers to be equipped with additional business skills and have subsequently joined forces in bringing this innovative program to Australia.
Designed and run by producer Jonathan Olsberg of Olsberg|SPI, the UK's leading specialist management consultancy for the media industries, ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA is a visionary program for producers in film, television and interactive media. Previously held with great success in the UK and Europe, the program will provide producers with practical guidance on developing and maintaining sustainable businesses, negating the too frequent 'hand-to-mouth' existence they experience between productions.
"ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA has been specifically customised for Australian production company owner/managers who are already successful in bringing projects to the screen - but who now wish to focus on developing their companies into stable, growing businesses," explained Olsberg. "Successful independent producers the world over still struggle to create production companies that feel permanently viable. ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA aims to arm Australian producers with the tools to develop their own business strategies. It will focus on issues such as long-term stability, integration and alliances, and the 'holy grail' of financial strength."
Olsberg|SPI is well equipped for the task at hand. In addition to their wealth of film and related media experience, Olsberg and partner Richard Miller, both have backgrounds in investment banking which has proven invaluable in helping producers adopt viable business methodologies.
"Following the success of intensive programs like Aurora," said Jane Smith, Chief Executive of the FTO, "we wanted to provide a similar benefit to producers - as partners we believe sustainable production companies are the backbone of a successful industry."
"Cash flow problems frequently push producers into production prematurely, a scenario which is detrimental not only to them but to our industry as a whole," said AFC Chief Executive Kim Dalton.
"Pivotal to the growth of the industry, are businesses that operate with foresight and strategic intent," added Sandra Sdraulig, Chief Executive of Film Victoria. "This initiative will provide practical support towards that endeavour."
"We want to change the way producers think," said Olsberg. "We want to convert them from defining themselves as individuals who bring projects to the marketplace to defining themselves as individuals who run an ongoing business that brings projects to the marketplace."
ENTERPRISE AUSTRALIA: Business Strategies for the Independent Producer, is a joint venture between Film Victoria, FTO, AFC in partnership with AFTRS and ScreenWest.
Guidelines and application forms are available from the partners' web-sites and offices. Closing date for applications is 22 August 2003.
Jonathan Olsberg and representatives from each participating body are available for interviews.
OLSBERG|SPI COMPANY BACKGROUND
Olsberg|SPI is a specialist strategic consultancy focusing on the film, television and interactive media industries - both UK and international.
SPI's client list encompasses, among others, state organisations (such as the UK's DCMS, Sweden's Film I Vast, Scottish Office), television broadcasters (BBC, Channel 4), training organisations (Media Business School, Skillset, Screen Training Ireland) and independent production companies (GMG Endemol, EuroArts, Renaissance).
SPI's principals, Jonathan Olsberg and Richard Miller, have over thirty years of experience in the international film industry, as distributors and producers. Production credits include the upcoming Head in the Clouds by John Duigan, starring Charleze Theron and Penelope Cruz, Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You and Oliver Parker's Othello (Olsberg) and James Mangold's Cop Land and Heavy, and Maggie Greenwald's Songcatcher (Miller). |
