Australia Archives - Documentary Business

Rupert Murdoch’s Dark Power: How His Kingmaker Father Inspired the ‘Aussie Prince’

2023 April 23 / Australia

Fox Corp.’s eye-popping $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over defamation charges aired on Rupert Murdoch‘s Fox News prompts the question: How did Rupert become Rupert? My short answer: Look to the father! Keith Murdoch was the Australian kingmaker who taught the young Rupert how to forge political influence from media ownership. For Australia’s solemnly observed …

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AIDC: Local Content Quotas for Aussie Streamers. Conversations with Simon Nasht & Dan Goldberg

2023 March 21 / Australia, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Documentary Production, PACT, Webinars

I recently mingled with 800 delegates attending AIDC – the Australian International Documentary Conference – on a beautiful, late Summer day in Melbourne. Two award-winning producers described local industry highlights: Industry veteran Simon Nasht (Smith&Nasht) spoke about the uncertain impact on producers of forthcoming local content quotas on Netflix and the scaled-up streamers. And Mint Pictures’ …

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Rupert Murdoch’s Dark Power: My ANZAC Day Reflection on the How a Kingmaker Father Inspired the ‘Aussie Prince’ (Updated)

2022 April 24 / Australia, Documentary TV, Internet Economy, UK

Rupert Murdoch stepped into his father’s shoes when he took aim at power and profit. Keith Murdoch was the Australian kingmaker who taught the young Rupert how to forge political influence from media ownership. The son’s values differ from the father: Rupert’s incites racial and class resentment saturated with bigotry. His objectives: Build profitable audiences, …

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Afghanistan in Documentaries: Sunny Side’s Story of the Month. Plus: Is Barack Obama a celebrity-fixated documentary producer?

2021 August 30 / Australia, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Coronavirus, discovery+, Disney +, Distribution, Documentary Production, Facebook, Inclusivity, Internet Economy, Monthly News Roundup, Network Profile, Off The Fence, Osprey, Panels, Public Television, Streaming Video, Sunny Side of the Doc, UK, VOD, Women and Film

Essential Afghan Documentaries – War boosters & critics: 15 key documentaries about Afghanistan, From ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’ to ‘Hell and Back Again‘ // Variety ‘Pat Tillman‘ and other films both critical and supportive of the war // Washington Post Art Workers in France Mobilize to Help Afghan Creators // Artnet Women journalists fear brutal Taliban // Vice Director’s escape from …

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Documentary Decision-makers Guide. New and Updated from Sunny Side. 260 Buyers. 42 Countries! Save $69.95!!!

2021 August 9 / Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Distribution, Foundation Funding, Funding a Documentary, Netflix, Network Profile, Pitching, Sunny Side of the Doc

Who are key documentary buyers worldwide? What programs and series do they want? How can you reach them? 260 decision-makers / 137 companies / 42 countries The expanded and updated Sunny Side of the Doc Guide to Documentary Decision Makers is now available for $99.95. That’s a 33% instant savings of $50 off the regular …

Documentary Decision-makers Guide. New and Updated from Sunny Side. 260 Buyers. 42 Countries! Save $69.95!!! Read More »

SUNNY SIDE OF THE DOC – NEWS ROUNDUP, June 2021: Unscripted Investment Frenzy & more

2021 June 14 / Australia, Conferences & Markets, Disney +, Documentary Production, Inclusivity, Internet Economy, Monthly News Roundup, Netflix, Public Television, Streaming Video, Sunny Side of the Doc, UK, Unscripted TV, VOD, Women and Film

Story of the Month: Investors Target Unscripted Production. There’s a frenzy of investment in unscripted production // Wall Street Journal. New SVOD’s fail to understand that success depends on streaming addiction // Lightshed Partners. Netflix Australia: Revenues surge but avoids taxes and local production // The Age + Documentary Business. Audiences want more documentaries in streaming libraries …

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Netflix Shrinks Australia’s Local Production Spend: My back-of-envelope lesson

2021 May 27 / Australia, Case Study, Commissioning Process, Netflix, Streaming Video

The rise of the streamers has an overall negative impact on global spending on television production. Why? Channels greenlight 200-600 hours / year to populate their linear, 7-day schedules with original programs. Streamers buy enough new programs to attract and retain subscribers. The following Australian example is revealing… if you accept my back-of-envelope calculations and …

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QUOLL FARM: A $600k Wildlife hit for ABC Australia, Smithsonian, ZDF/Arte & NHK

2021 February 28 / Australia, Case Study, Commissioning Process, Conferences & Markets, Coronavirus, Documentary Budget, Funding a Documentary, Pitching, Public Television, ZDF-E

Quoll Farm is a classic natural history film about a very cute and little-known Australian marsupial, the Eastern Quoll. It has a gentle conservation message, and like several recent films, notably My Octopus Teacher, there’s a story of human redemption as part of the wildlife package. I was totally charmed by the antics of the …

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