
SBS has announced the appointment of Julie Eckersley as its new Head of Scripted, to oversee an expanding slate of locally commissioned fiction content, and related industry initiatives championing inclusion in the Australian screen sector.
Julie is an award-winning Creative Producer with a career spanning more than 20 years. She brings extensive industry experience to the role at SBS, which has seen her work as a producer and in development across a range of genres, including drama, comedy, animation, documentary and children's content. As well as working independently, her experience includes nine years at Matchbox Pictures where she worked on award-winning Australian projects including the landmark SBS series, The Family Law, ABC drama series, Glitch, and Australias first kung fu comedy, Maximum Choppage, among others, driven by her passion for creating bold and distinctive stories, and supporting new voices. She's also worked across many elements of production throughout her career, developing and producing projects with Australian TV networks, as well as internationally with Netflix and NBCU International.
SBS has also announced that Donna Chang has been promoted to Commissioning Editor, Scripted. Donna joined SBS in 2020 as Development Executive, Scripted, from Lingo Pictures where she was Head of Development. Prior to that, Donna worked at Screen Australia as a Development Executive, and has also been a Story Development External Assessor since 2015. She previously spent several years working as a Production Executive with Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free, in London. Working closely with Julie, Donna will take on an expanded role in developing and delivering SBS's pipeline of commissioned scripted projects which reflect and explore an inclusive vision of Australia.
The appointments come as SBS's focus on developing and showcasing under-represented talent has seen its scripted offering expand to not only include premium television series, but a growing collection of original short form content for SBS On Demand. Also, in partnership with the broader industry, through initiatives RIDE and Originate, SBS is investing in the development of low budget feature films exploring uniquely Australian stories, and landmark initiatives like the Emerging Writers Incubator, which brings the sector together to support meaningful career pathways for screenwriters from under-represented backgrounds.
Marshall Heald, SBS's Director of Content, Television & Online, said: We have a fantastic slate of new scripted programming in development and production, and it's an exciting time to welcome Julie to the team. We're thrilled to have someone with her extensive experience and passion for our Charter to lead our Scripted offering, working closely together with Donna in a larger role that will fully recognise and utilise her exceptional talents.
On her appointment, Julie said: All Australians should feel seen on our screens and Im thrilled to join SBS as they lead the way in achieving this. My focus will be on supporting talent, in front of and behind the camera, as we create stories that celebrate and explore our diverse perspectives and shared humanity. Im looking for great stories that are entertaining, surprising and full of heart.
Donna added: At the core of our Scripted slate and industry initiatives is a commitment to making great local drama that showcases under-represented voices and talent. It's a privilege to work in service of these stories at SBS, and I look forward to continuing this work with Julie.
SBS would also like to acknowledge Penny Win, who has been Acting as the Head of SBS Scripted during this transitional period. Over the last six months, Penny has played a critical role in the ongoing development of SBS's fiction slate, and will continue to work with SBS to support the development of fiction projects into the future.
SBS's upcoming scripted slate includes its most ambitious drama series to date, New Gold Mountain, a four-part revisionist Western telling the untold story of the Australian gold rush from the perspective of Chinese miners, with Yoson An and Alyssa Sutherland leading an ensemble cast including local breakout talent, Mabel Li; and Iggy and Ace, a short-form drama series exploring friendship, addiction and recovery through a queer lens, set to premiere on SBS On Demand and developed through the SBS, NITV, and Screen Australia Digital Originals initiative.
Julie Eckersley commences with SBS on 5 July 2021.
For a PDF version of this media release, click here.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Sony Electronics has announced the SEL814G, the company's first fisheye zoom G Lens for full-frame Alpha E-mount cameras. The lens will be available in Octo...
09/09/2026
Telestream has announced an expansion of its Practical AI capabilities across th...
09/09/2026
Haivision and Chyron have announced a technology partnership integrating Haivisi...
09/09/2026
Omaha Productions has released ManningCast: Heist, a short film featuring Peyton and Eli Manning attempting to break into NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's o...
09/09/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate the next evolution of XVR at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
XVR is Imagine's channel-in-a-b...
09/09/2026
swXtch.io has announced abbe, an AI-based orchestration layer for live media workflows, making its world premiere at IBC2026 (Meeting Room 5.MR13, Hall 5, Septe...
09/09/2026
NFL Films has announced the second season of Inside the NFL on X as an X Original, premiering Wednesday, September 9. The series marks Inside the NFL's 50th...
09/09/2026
LiveU has announced an expanded partnership with The Associated Press, deploying the largest fleet of LU900Q intelligent production units in the industry as par...
09/09/2026
Diversified has announced plans to consolidate its four existing New Jersey locations into a new facility in Newark, expected to be fully operational by the end...
09/09/2026
Wisycom will exhibit new RF products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.D60, September 11-14), including the MATF Wideband Antenna Matrix, PFL Portable RF over Fiber Box, and ...
09/09/2026
Guntermann & Drunck (G&D) and VuWall, both Panoptec companies, will introduce vsNEO at IBC2026 (Stand 8.B63, September 11, RAI Amsterdam). Pre-orders open in ea...
09/09/2026
Mo-Sys has completed a business restructuring and relocated to a new facility in Canada Water, London. As part of the reorganization, Selin Kemal has been promo...
09/09/2026
Aicox has integrated TAG Video Systems' Core monitoring platform into Telef nica's TSAmediaHUB audiovisual contribution and distribution infrastructure....
09/09/2026
Blackmagic Design has released DaVinci Resolve 21.1, a free update available now through the Blackmagic Design website. The release adds new AI tools, workflow ...
09/09/2026
ESPN and Apple Music have announced a collaboration on music curation for Monday...
09/09/2026
Sacramento Production Services has completed a wireless audio overhaul at Sutter Health Park, home of the Athletics during their three-year residency in Sacrame...
09/09/2026
NDI and NVIDIA have announced a collaboration to develop AI-powered workflows enabling broadcasters to create and distribute multilingual content from a single ...
09/09/2026
Christopher Chip Adams, Troy Aikman, Jim Dove, Jim Eady, Bucky Gunts, Robert A. Iger, Charlie Jablonski, Robert Kraft, Tom Rinaldi, and Dick Stockton to be ho...
09/09/2026
ND2 returns as the primary unit, While FNIA gets SSQC and new flexible Rover...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
NITV to bring First Nations netball to audiences nationwide
9 September, 2026
Media releases
Every match of the 2026 First Nations Tournament will be live ...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
09/09/2026
Italy launch follows UK and Germany as Nielsen expands product across EMEA
Milan, Italy, September 9, 2026 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, ...
09/09/2026
Planned solutions tackle accuracy, cost and latency barriers to deploying AI at ...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, introduces its new Model 791 Control Console at IBC 2026 (N...
09/09/2026
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects and visualization, is headin...
09/09/2026
NUGEN Audio unveils DialogCheck v1.2, the latest evolution of its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at IBC 2026 (Pod P27). With a sharpene...
09/09/2026
Trusted Partner Network Launches Fix It or Risk It to Help the Entertainment Industry Tackle Everyday Security Risks
Industry-Wide Campaign Launches at IBC2...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/09/2026
AI has moved firmly beyond experimentation in UK advertising, with more than eight in ten marketers (83%) now actively using or piloting AI in production, accor...
09/09/2026
IBC2026 - Stand 7.D22
At IBC2026, Pixitmedia by DataCore will showcase its latest capabilities designed to simplify distributed production, accelerate workflow...
09/09/2026
Stockholm, Sweden September 9th, 2026 At IBC2026, on booth 1.B47, Net Insight will showcase Open Live Media, its architecture for delivering resilient live ...
09/09/2026
Net Insight today announced that DMC Production Norway is continuing the use of its Open Live Media technology for premium European football, deploying Nimbra 5...
09/09/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, will showcase four new AI-native capabilities at IBC2026, Hall 5, S...
09/09/2026
Limecraft today announces version 2026.6 of its AI-powered production platform, extending capabilities for connected media operations. An AI-assisted approach t...
09/09/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of its Practical AI strategy, evolving its comprehensive portfoli...
09/09/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the appointment of Brian Doheny as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
09/09/2026
LiveU is now a Clarus Integrated Reseller, bringing Starlink's fast, reliable broadband directly into LiveU's cellular bonding EcoSystem through a singl...
09/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...