Veteran Australian entertainment executives Hugh Marks and Carl Fennessy revealed Wednesday that they have teamed up to launch an ambitious new film and television studio in the Land Down Under.
Named Dreamchaser, the Sydney-based company has the backing of Endeavor Content and is being dubbed “Australia’s first full-service production and distribution studio.”
“We are excited for Hugh and Carl to bring their combined industry expertise to launch Dreamchaser, harnessing Australia’s flourishing creative and production communities,” said Endeavor Content’s co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor. “With Dreamchaser, Australia solidifies its standing as a major global destination for best-in-class content, bringing next-level storytelling from new and established voices from the continent to export there and to the world beyond.”
Marks and Fennessy, who will serve as Co-CEOs of Dreamchaser, bring a wealth of industry nous to the endeavor. Marks is the former head of Australian media heavyweight Nine Entertainment and Fennessy was the co-founder of Endemol Shine Australia.
In a joint statement, the duo described their ambitions to “establish a collection of creative partnerships across the scripted, factual and entertainment genres under one portfolio, with a focus on driving global projects out of the Australian market.”
The pair are bringing along some of their past collaborators to fill key management positions, including Sara Horn as chief operating officer, Megan Rees-Williams as chief financial officer and Monique Keller as the head of development. Horn comes from Endemol Shine Australia, where she was the managing drector of production & operations, managing a team across a production slate that spanned MasterChef, Gogglebox, Survivor, LEGO Masters, Married At First Sight, Ninja Warrior, Big Brother and others. Rees-Williams is a chartered accountant who also previously worked at Endemol Shine Australia, and previously held senior finance positions at ITV in Sydney, London and Los Angeles. Keller comes to Dreamchaser from Fremantle Australia, where she worked as a development executive across factual and scripted projects.
No new productions were unveiled with the announcement, but Dreamchaser said its first months of operation will include the announcement of “a number of new projects, as well as first-look and multi-title picture deals with leading Australian creatives.”
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