It's giving Netflix for social media

Spearheading Digital Content

As a millennial filmmaker, it’s been integral to my career to adapt to change and adopt new formats and technologies as swiftly as they arise. In our digital age, shifts occur quickly, and it’s my job as a director to be ahead of the curve and stay informed about the latest trends… at least that’s what I tell myself to justify being chronically online.

Short Form Videos

From my perspective, filmmaking boils down to using moving images to tell stories, entertain, provoke thought, and connect with audiences. Whether it’s a 3-hour feature, a multi-season television series, or a 15-second commercial spot, the sentiment remains the same. Now more than ever, audiences are preferring short-form content, and rather than viewing that as a barrier in opposition to traditional notions of filmmaking, I see it as an opportunity to be seized. In recent years, I’ve focused my attention on writing, producing, and directing what I’d like to call “micro-shorts.” I recently created very short films that, rather than adhering to a traditional narrative structure, use powerful visuals that can capture an audience’s attention, even on their mobile phones. These include Contrition, Sun on My Back, and Chrysalis, which can all be viewed on my portfolio.

From Making Web Series to Producing TV

One of my filmmaking goals is to produce an Australian comedy television series that resonates with a generation of female audiences. While the traditional pathway for emerging directors to start making television has changed, one way in the door is by making a viral web series. Broad City is an excellent example of this: created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, Comedy Central’s Broad City was developed from the pair’s independent web series. The same trajectory can be seen for Australian comedy collaborators Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, whose first success was with their web series Bleak. Nikki Brown and I want to follow in these iconic comedy queens’ footsteps and have recently launched our own Australian comedy production company, Laughlines.

Newest Vertical Series

As the director of two TikTok series set in Sydney in 2022 and 2023, and the writer of another set on Queensland’s Gold Coast in 2024, I was feeling ready to put my hat in the ring to write, produce, and direct a vertical series of my own. I was one of the lucky recipients of Screen Queensland funding through the Channel Lab Short Cuts initiative, which supported Queensland filmmakers to make short-form series for online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube. You can read more about the initiative here.

Co-created with the brilliant Nikki Brown, Run Club is a 5-episode dark comedy series for Instagram Reels. Filmed in 2024, Run Club is a visually vibrant yet wickedly dark take on the ‘run club’ trend that’s been taking social media by storm. An exploration of female friendship that takes a hard look at the cost of pursuing success, Run Club is made even more topical by its tongue-in-cheek critique of the Australian housing crisis.

Returning to Brisbane

When I returned to Brisbane after living and working in Sydney, I fell back in love with the city—the sunrises, the riverfront, the copious amounts of people wearing activewear—everything! Set in the suburbs I’ve been lucky to call home, Newstead and Hamilton, Run Club feels like one of the first things I’ve made that truly shows my voice because it’s set in my home. Combining my love of comedy with my unbridled enthusiasm for dodging cyclists on the riverwalk before dawn, I feel like Run Club has solidified my place as an old-but-new Brisbane director.

Don’t walk… run to my Instagram for a sneak peek at Run Club! Or check out some of our Brisbane Run Club press coverage.