Australia’s leading local streaming service Stan today announced it is ramping up its slate of
local and internationally produced Stan Original television series and films, with volume to increase to over 30 productions a year over the next five years.
With the loss of the Showtime library at the end of 2020, Nine are working hard to fill the gaps and cement Stan’s place within the lucrative streaming market by differentiating the service as the home of Australian original content.
As part of this major investment strategy, Nine will direct the focus of its own production capabilities towards the acceleration of original productions for Stan.
Stan will also continue to build on its relationships with both state and national screen organisations in the development of its forthcoming slate – continuing initiatives such as the Stan and Film Victoria Development Fund and the Screen Queensland and Stan Premium Drama Development Fund.
The expanded original production slate will include investments and co-productions with international partners, including Hollywood studios and major international networks, adding to the global reach and relevance of Stan Originals.
Mike Sneesby, Stan CEO, said:
“Stan continues to experience significant growth, reaching a scale that is delivering strong positive cash flow. As part of our strategy to bring the world’s best content to Australians, we will shift greater investment into Stan Original productions through our local and international partnerships. This strategy is further bolstered by Nine’s production capabilities as we maximise the efficiency of our content investment across the group’s market leading television platforms.”
New slate of upcoming original productions – Stan today announced:
- New original production and development slate reflects its biggest commitment to locally produced content yet.
- Eden – an eight-part, hour-long original drama series from Australia’s rising creative star Vanessa Gazy, and the creators of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Skins, is currently in production.
- Bump – a ten-part, half-hour original drama series that stars Claudia Karvan, and reunites the creative team behind Love My Way and The Secret Life of Us, is currently in production.
- Dom and Adrian: 2020 – an original comedy special from the creators of the Bondi Hipsters, Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier, is currently in production.
- After the Night – a four-part true crime docuseries exploring the harrowing legacy of one of Australia’s deadliest serial killers: Eric Edgar Cooke, is currently in production.
- Christiaan Van Vuuren to direct a new Stan Original Film written by Elliot Vella, Gretel Vella & Timothy Walker that is in advanced development.
EDEN
Stan has commissioned Eden, a brand new eight-part Stan Original Series which lays bare the dark and secret lives of a raft of characters in a place that looks very much like paradise. Inspired by the iconic beauty of the town of Byron Bay, the series is currently shooting in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales with major production investment from Screen Australia.
From the creators of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and the reboot of Seachange, Every Cloud Productions’ Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, and the creator of the U.K. cult hit Skins, Bryan Elsley, Eden will star a diverse cast of young actors, led by Sophie Wilde and BeBe Bettencourt, alongside Keiynan Lonsdale (The Flash), Cody Fern (American Horror Story), Cassandra Sorrell (The Ugliest Duckling), Claude Jabbour (Stateless), Alexandria Steffensen (Happy Feet), Christopher James Baker (Ozark) and Samuel Johnson (Molly). Acclaimed filmmaker John Curran (Stan Original Series Bloom, Tracks, Chappaquiddick) will serve as set-up director on the series, with AACTA Award-winner Mirrah Foulkes (Judy & Punch) also attached to direct.
Exploring the unseen lives of a collective of locals after the disappearance of a young woman, Eden was created by Australia’s own award-winning emerging writer-director Vanessa Gazy (Highway), who will serve as head writer and executive produce the series. The eight-part, one-hour drama has been developed in collaboration with Bryan Elsley and is based on an original concept by Deb Cox. Elsley, who founded the U.K.’s Balloon Entertainment with comedian Harry Enfield, previously worked with Every Cloud on the web series Deadlock. Fiona McConaghy (Stan Original Series The Gloaming) will produce the series.
Nick Forward, Chief Content Officer at Stan, said:
“With the creative force of Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox working behind the scenes, in tandem with the U.K.’s formidable Bryan Elsley and our own rising star Vanessa Gazy, Eden promises to be an extraordinary original series.”
Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia, said:
“We were very impressed by the scripts from exciting new talent, creator Vanessa Gazy, teaming up with Bryan Elsley and Every Cloud Productions who have a track record of creating premium drama. The team have used a unique storytelling style to create a captivating mystery set against the distinctive Australian backdrop of Byron Bay, and I can’t wait to see it.”
Deb Cox, Every Cloud Productions, said:
“It’s been wonderful working with Stan to build on our long-term experience of drawing stories from the region and to revisit our previous creative collaboration with Bryan Elsley. Introducing Vanessa’s fearless storytelling to that mix has created a series dramatically unlike any other previously seen on Australian television.”
Bryan Elsley, Balloon Entertainment, said:
“What’s really exciting about Eden has been the discovery of such terrific writing talent in Australia. Our all-female writing team, led by Vanessa Gazy, have brought fresh and distinctive
voices. Combining their talents with a knock-out cast will make for exhilarating television.”
Maartje Horchner, EVP Content, all3media, noted:
“We are so pleased to see two of our celebrated producers working together with us on this fabulous series. We have been involved in Eden since it’s concept stage – and with Stan’s commitment it’s great to see a show going into production this year. The combined talents of Bryan Elsley’s team with Deb and Fiona at Every Cloud have secured great young talent in the cast of this character based mystery – and we are confident that this will be a destination series for leading platforms around the world.”
Grainne Brunsdon, Head of Screen NSW, said:
“I’m thrilled the production of Eden will bring focus to the Northern Rivers region, using the breathtaking landscapes for on-screen locations, while also increasing local jobs and boosting the region’s economy. We look forward to tuning into Eden on Stan in the near future.”
BUMP
Stan today announced that production has commenced on the new Stan Original Series Bump, with major production investment from Screen Australia – and will premiere exclusively on Stan in 2020/2021.
Stan Original Series Bump is a 10-part drama series that centres around Oly (played by Nathalie Morris), an ambitious and high-achieving teenage girl who has a surprise baby; and the complications that ensue for two families. Set in and around a high school in contemporary inner Sydney and following the main characters home, Bump explores unexpected motherhood, unwelcome new relatives, and unintended consequences with humour and emotional honesty.
The series stars Claudia Karvan (Stan Original Series The Other Guy), who leads as Oly’s mother Angie and also acts as a producer of the series. Claudia is joined by a diverse cast of new and exciting talent including, Nathalie Morris (Oly), Carlos Sanson Jnr, Catalina Palma, Safia Arain, Paula Garcia, Ioane Saula, Peter Thurnwald and Ricardo Scheihing Vasquez who play the school friends and Chilean family of the young father of Oly’s baby.
The Stan Original Series is produced by Roadshow Rough Diamond (Stan Original Series Romper Stomper, Australian Gangster) and reunites Claudia Karvan with her fellow Love My Way producer John Edwards (Stan’s Romper Stomper, The Secret Life of Us). Dan Edwards (Stan’s Romper Stomper) will also produce.
Directors are Geoff Bennett (Stan Original Series Wolf Creek), Gracie Otto (Stan’s The Other Guy) and Leticia Caceres (The True History of Billie the Kid). The series is created and co-written by Kelsey Munro and Kelsey is joined in the writing team by Jessica Tuckwell, Timothy Lee, Mithila Gupta and Steven Arriagada.
Bump is a sharply funny and fast-paced relationship drama which explores the unplanned and life-changing consequences of the impulsive moments in life.
Nick Forward, Chief Content Officer at Stan, said:
“We’re really looking forward to working with Claudia Karvan, John and Dan Edwards, Kelsey Munro and the emerging new talent in the Stan Original Series Bump. The series promises to be raw, honest, heartbreaking, thoughtful, funny and fresh.”
Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia, said:
“We’re thrilled to support emerging creator Kelsey Munro who has teamed up with experienced producers Claudia Karvan, John Edwards and Daniel Edwards, along with an impressive lineup of writers and directors, to bring this funny and emotional family drama to life.”
Claudia Karvan, star and producer, said:
“Bump feels truthful, funny and alive. It has a strong sense of place and its examination of intimate relationships is surprising and unsettlingly recognisable which is testament to the talent and honesty of our writers. I can’t wait to play Angie and be a part of this new Latino/Anglo family, brought together by a shocking, cryptic teen pregnancy no less.”
DOM AND ADRIAN 2020
Stan has announced that production has commenced on the new Stan Original Dom and Adrian: 2020, and will premiere exclusively on Stan in 2020, with principal production investment from Screen Australia.
Created by Nick Boshier and Christiaan Van Vuuren, two of the creators of social media hit Bondi Hipsters, and TV series, Soul Mates, Dom and Adrian: 2020 stars Christiaan as Dom and Nick as Adrian. Dom and Adrian: 2020 is a mockumentary chronicling their journey through the garbage fire that is 2020.
Having been billed to play at a premier bush doof, Dom and Adrian’s USB’ing (DJing with pre-loaded USBs) career was on precipice of taking off… when the bushfires hit. They were next booked to play a bushfire fundraiser when the floods washed through. Then they were going to headline a flood-relief show when the hail storms came down.
And now, the night before their biggest gig yet, raising money for the #PanelBeatBondiAiD movement, the whole country was thrown into lockdown because of one little global pandemic, “Such a nanny state!”. In spite of the initial personal turmoil, the two best friends quickly see all this as an opportunity to refocus, “pivot” and evolve creatively – but as time goes on, it’s not only their creativity and entrepreneurial-ship that’s tested, but their friendship and
sanity.
Across the mockumentary special, Dom and Adrian try desperately to remain positive, make rent and redefine their lives. And hey, there’s always regrowth after a fire – so by traversing madness, 5/6G conspiracy theories, being baited by the illuminati and philosophical clashes, Dom and Adrian are forced to rediscover why they’re best friends in the first place.
Dom and Adrian said:
“The number 2020 used to be synonymous with good eyesight. But given how much of a bin fire 2020 has been, we’re fully going to have to find a new number to define good eyesight. The fall of capitalism has made us a lot more resourceful and there’s a lot of interesting ways you can eat ibis.”
Nick Forward, Chief Content Officer at Stan, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with Christiaan, Nick and the team. We’re huge fans of everything the boys have done and we’re really looking forward to being able to bring some laugher and lightness to 2020 – all through the lense of the Bondi Hipsters.”
Lee Naimo, Senior Online Investment Manager at Screen Australia, said:
“We are delighted that Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier are teaming up with Easy Tiger Productions and producer Julia Corcoran to bring the unique and often hilarious points of view of Bondi Hipsters Dom and Adrian to Stan and YouTube. The Bondi Hipsters were part of that first wave of Australian online content creators to carve out a niche with online sketch comedy and we can’t wait to see them further develop these iconic characters as they cope with isolation and the challenges of 2020.”
Stan Original special Dom and Adrian: 2020 is created by Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nick Boshier and produced by Julia Corcoran in partnership with Easy Tiger, with Christiaan Van Vuuren also directing. Additional social content will be developed by the creators to accompany the special on Stan.
A viral hit with millennial audiences, the Van Vuuren Bros, Bondi Hipsters and Soul Mates YouTube channels have a collective subscriber base of over 150,000 and boast over 25+ million views to date.
AFTER THE NIGHT
Stan will be delving into some dark Australian history with a new four-part original true crime
docu-series that you can’t look away from, titled After the Night coming soon.
Created and directed by Thomas Meadmore, the acclaimed Australian filmmaker behind the documentaries The Spy Who Fell to Earth, The Outsider and How to Lose Jobs & Alienate Girlfriends, the new Stan Original Series is about one of Australia’s deadliest serial killers Eric Edgar Cooke, known as ‘The Night Caller,’ who terrorised and destroyed a local Australian community, murdering eight people and assaulting and attempting to kill many more.
In the early 1960s, Perth was a sunny, peaceful and innocent city, suddenly devastated by a spate of horrific, disparate, seemingly senseless killings, which local police failed to connect and attribute to one man until it was far too late.
The docuseries explores the killer’s harrowing legacy of tragedy, grief, responsibility and redemption – as seen through the eyes of a filmmaker returning to his childhood home, Perth, and spending time with those closest to the killer and his victims, whose lives he altered irrevocably.
With unprecedented access to the killer’s wife and the two men wrongly convicted of his crimes, this is a series about the devastating aftermath of serial murder, and how his victims have come together through grief and injustice in the pursuit of closure and redemption.
The Stan Original Series After the Night is created and directed by Thomas Meadmore and produced by BAFTA-nominated Salon Pictures (Churchill, McQueen) and EQ Media Group (Body Hack, Uncharted with Sam Neill, Koala Rescue, Rhys Darby: Big in Japan), with support from Screen Australia.
Nick Forward, Chief Content Officer at Stan, said:
“Stan is committed to bringing Australian stories to audiences and we’re privileged to be working with Thomas Meadmore, Salon Pictures and EQ Media Group, to shed light on this never-before-told tragic, yet captivating, true crime chapter in Australian history.”
Thomas Meadmore, creator and director, said:
“Growing up, mum’s tale of the man who randomly knocked on the neighbours’ door in the night and shot the person who answered terrified me. It is amazing that Stan, alongside my other production partners, have afforded me the opportunity to fully explore the legacy of this epic home town story and the people it affected – some in the most profound ways possible.”
Brendan Dahill, General Manager and Executive Producer at EQ Media Group, said:
