Penny Smallacombe Joins Blackfella Films as Head of Scripted Content
Penny Smallacombe, a Maramanindji woman from the Northern Territory, is set to leave her role at Netflix ANZ to become the new head of scripted at Blackfella Films.
During her tenure at Netflix, Smallacombe was instrumental in leading the Grow Creative program, aimed at nurturing and advancing local talent in the Australian film and TV industry. She notably played a key role in the development of Netflix’s forthcoming series Desert King.
Before her stint at Netflix, Smallacombe amassed a wealth of experience in the industry. She worked as a producer at Bunya Productions and served as the head of First Nations at Screen Australia for six years. In this capacity, she oversaw significant projects including the ABC series Mystery Road, Sweet Country, Total Control, Goldstone, Little J and Big Cuz, Grace Beside Me, We Don’t Need a Map, Maralinga Tjarutja, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, and She Who Must Be Loved.
Her career also includes a significant period at the ABC in the Indigenous Programs Unit, contributing to shows like Message Sticks and Landline, and doing research for Australian Story. Additionally, she held a position as a senior programmer at NITV.
Regarding her new position at Blackfella Films, Smallacombe expressed deep gratitude and admiration for the work of producer Darren Dale. She highlighted Blackfella Films’ groundbreaking contributions to the Australian screen industry through works like Redfern Now, Mabo, First Australians, and First Wars. Smallacombe remarked, “I can’t wait to see what we can do together.“
This appointment follows the departure of Rachel Perkins, a founder of Blackfella Films, approximately 18 months ago. Perkins established the Indigenous-led production company in 1992 with Michael Riley and later formed a creative partnership with Dale in 2001.
Dale welcomed Smallacombe, praising her as,
“an outstanding creative executive who brings an invaluable depth of experience in development and production across film and television.”
He also commended her deep understanding of First Nations storytelling, which aligns with Blackfella Films’ ethos and legacy.
