Screen Australia and Google Australia have announced the four recipients of this year’s Skip Ahead initiative who will share in $480,000 of production funding: Luke Goodall and Marc Gallagher (Goodall & Gallagher), Mithuna Yoganathan (Looking Glass Universe), Saksham Sharma (Saksham Magic), and Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnan Silva of Hot Department (on Grouse House).
The successful teams will participate in workshops in February to develop their projects with industry experts, including Skip Ahead alumni Adele Vuko. Now in its seventh year, the Skip Ahead initiative supports Australian online content creators who have YouTube channels with a substantial existing subscriber base and/or content which has reached significant viewership, to expand their vision and create more ambitious content to grow their audience.
Since its inception, Skip Ahead has supported the likes of Aunty Donna, Skit Box, and Bush Tucker Bunjie to help them take the next step and build their careers in the industry. The Van Vuuren Bros’ comedy series Over and Out, funded through Skip Ahead 4, went on to win Best Short Form Series at Canneseries in 2019. From Skip Ahead 6, Celebration Nation was nominated for an AACTA Award and Small Footprint has hit over 1.1 million views across the series.
Screen Australia’s head of online, Lee Naimo said, “Skip Ahead is one of our longest running and most successful initiatives and we are proud to be partnering again with Google Australia to give these creatives a powerful launch pad. Each of these teams are already producing unique and engaging content that is resonating with audiences and this is a fantastic opportunity for them to take their project to the next level.”
“We know the power of Skip Ahead to propel the careers of some of Australia’s best online content creators, like Superwog whose initial pilot was incubated in Skip Ahead 3, and last year the first episode of Superwog Season 2 was announced as the #2 most watched YouTube video in Australia. We are beyond proud to see the Skip Ahead alumni succeed and continue to find large audiences.”
Lucinda Longcroft, director, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google Australia, said, “We are so proud of this partnership with Screen Australia and to be able to support local creators to further build their ideas and create longer form, quality videos. Over the last six years, we’ve seen the impact Skip Ahead can have on their careers and the recognition, both in Australia and globally, these projects can achieve. We have another four incredible creative teams for Skip Ahead 7 – and we’re excited to begin work with them and to see their concepts become a reality!”
THE FUNDED PROJECTS ARE:
Hot Department: Dark Web: This 6 x 5 minute comedy will explore the strangest parts of the internet, following interlinked sketches centring around various characters’ online browsing habits when they think no one is watching. A chunky, retro computer will lead viewers into a rabbit hole of lost tapes, cursed deep web videos, surreal infomercials, viral music videos, deranged TikToks and needy viruses. Dark Web is created by writers Honor Wolff and Patrick Durnan Silva of comedy duo Hot Department. Emma Holland joins the writing team with writer/director Liam Fitzgibbon and executive producers Max Miller and Jono Mastrippolito. The series will release on the Grouse House channel which was launched by Skip Ahead alumni, Aunty Donna.
Quantum Experiments At Home: In this 6-part series physicist Mithuna Yoganathan will demystify quantum mechanics and guide viewers step by step through experiments they can do at home. Directed and produced by Yoganathan, and produced by Emma Watts, this project will release on YouTube channel Looking Glass Universe, which aims to help build people’s confidence to learn science.
The Followers: A true crime parody about a wellness cult in the Aussie bush and a rookie journalist’s endeavour to uncover their dark secrets. This 5 x 5 minute comedy will be written, produced and directed by Luke Goodall and Marc Gallagher, and produced by Jessica Pearce. The series will be released on YouTube channel Goodall & Gallagher.
Unknown Filter: This 5 x 5 minute thriller series is centred on Saksham, a university student who goes viral on his YouTube live stream, when the app detects an unknown face in the darkness and viewers discover that it is not a glitch but a spirit following and guiding Saksham. Writer and producer Saksham Sharma teams up with director/producer Enzo Tedeschi (Deadhouse Dark). This series will release on Saksham Magic.