
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
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
17/09/2025
NEW YORK Madhive has announced that the Fox Television Stations have joined its Live Sports Marketplace....
17/09/2025
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Sony Electronics has announced that it is partnering with the Newhouse School at Syracuse University to provide state-of-the-art equipment, hands...
17/09/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has announced that the first smart projector using its Roku TV operating system, the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube, is now avail...
16/09/2025
SVG All-Stars: Leigh Michaud, Manager, Remote Operations, ESPNThe UConn grad rose from ESPN's mailroom to become one of its most valuable ops leadersBy Bran...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Friday's Latest From Halls 1-4, Outdoor Exhibits in Amst...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Saturday's Latest From Halls 5-7 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Friday, September 12, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and ...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Sunday's Latest From Halls 8-10 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Saturday, September 13, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and...
16/09/2025
Live From IBC 2025: Monday's Latest From Halls 11-14 in Amsterdam By SVG Staff
Sunday, September 14, 2025 - 17:00
Print This Story
The SVG Europe and ...
16/09/2025
Amazon Prime Video Picks Up Four Hours of Early-Round Masters Coverage in 2026By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - 10:15 a...
16/09/2025
VERSANT Inks Deal for League One Volleyball as Women's Sports Rights Slate G...
16/09/2025
ESPN VP, Corporate Communications, Katina Arnold Named SVP, Disney Advertising C...
16/09/2025
IBC 2025 in Review: SVG Europe's Full Collection of Video Interviews From th...
16/09/2025
Hace una d cada, la m sica latina representaba apenas el 8% de las reproducciones globales en Spotify. Hoy, constituye m s de una cuarta parte (27%) de toda la ...
16/09/2025
A decade ago, Latin music made up just 8% of global Spotify streams. Today, it a...
16/09/2025
Spotify is expanding our video lineup with a new partnership with Zoo 55, part of ITV Studios. For the first time, acclaimed content from ITV Studios is landing...
16/09/2025
At DSEI 2025, James Dunne of L3Harris Maritime UK chaired a panel on aligning the supply chain to the warfighter, where leaders discussed modernising support fo...
16/09/2025
Calrec has strengthened its collaboration with audio metering expert RTW by integrating RTW's new TMxCore metering platform across its full range of Argo IP...
16/09/2025
College Football Scores Top Telecast in August with 16M+ Viewers on FOX, Followe...
16/09/2025
Collaboration marks the first SSP integration of Gracenote IDs, enabling show-le...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM The organizers of IBC2025 are reporting that 43,858 visitors from more than 170 countries attended the event, which had more than 1,300 exhibitors and...
16/09/2025
Wooden Camera announces the release of its new Accessory Collection for the FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55. The highlights of this collection include vital power soluti...
16/09/2025
Anton/Bauer, a leading manufacturer of mobile power solutions for broadcast and cinematic equipment, has announced the launch of Anton/Bauer Fleet Management, a...
16/09/2025
Teradek, a leading provider of video transmission and live production solutions, today announced the launch of Prism Jetpack, a groundbreaking 5G video contribu...
16/09/2025
Astera, the leader in wireless LED lighting solutions, announces the ultra-versatile SolaBulb. Building on the success of the Astera bulb family, SolaBulb intro...
16/09/2025
As the world gathered at TED2025 to explore the provocative theme "Humanity Reimagined", Clear-Com , supported by NETGEAR networking infrastructure, delivered f...
16/09/2025
Bitfocus' Buttons platform celebrated as a catalyst for AV and broadcast convergence
Bitfocus has been named winner of the IABM Impact Award Pro AV Chan...
16/09/2025
Record entries and outstanding innovation celebrated at IBC2025 as the MediaTech community honors its leading people, projects and organizations
IABM announced...
16/09/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC), a leading satellite operator and pay-TV provider in Japan, has partnered with H...
16/09/2025
Telestream congratulates Sky Group, which has been awarded the prestigious IBC Innovation Award for Content Distribution for its MediaMesh platform on Sunday, S...
16/09/2025
Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space
Luxembourg, September 15, 2025 - SES, a leading...
16/09/2025
NOVI, Mich. ENCO has unveiled Raptor, a cloud-based live streaming captioning encoder that injects the speed, power and reliability of real-time AI capabilities...
16/09/2025
NEW YORK Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCUniversal Local have announced that a total of $2.5 million has been awarded in 2025 to 69 nonprofit organizations servicin...
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Martin Euredjian has joined Atomos as director of advanced imaging and will lead innovation for advanced display technology....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Calrec introduced a 48-faced Argo M and showcased its largest Argo software updates at the recently concluded IBC2025....
16/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Lawo introduced its HOME Audio Shuffler app, a replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility, during t...
16/09/2025
CBS is reporting that the 77TH Emmy Awards hosted by Nate Bargatze on Sunday Sept. 14 was seen by more than 7.42 million viewers on the CBS Television Network a...
16/09/2025
The U.K. is driving investments in sovereign AI, using the technology to advance...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Meet the Adversaries That Will Clash in Rulers of Fortune, a S...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Would You Take 30 Million Baht from a Dead Persons Account? E...
16/09/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer and Poster for She Walks ...
16/09/2025
Comscore Unveils The Scoreboard: An Interactive Destination Surfacing Consumer B...
15/09/2025
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...
15/09/2025
AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...