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Viewers can now binge on all of the bite sized sketch comedy series called FRESH BLOOD anytime on ABC COMEDY on iview or on ABC COMEDY on YouTube. But now four of those 20 sketch comedy teams have been selected as Fresh Blood’s Class of 2017,
These four will now receive $75,000 each to produce a half-hour pilot to premiere on ABC iview in 2018.
The four projects are Be Your Own Boss created by Becky Lucas and Cameron James; animation Koala Man created by Michael Cusack; The Angus Project created by Nina Oyama and Angus Thompson; and Why Are You Like This created by Naomi Higgins, Mark Samual Bonanno and Humyara Mahbub.
Fresh Blood is the highly successful joint initiative between ABC and Screen Australia created in 2013 to unearth a new generation of comedic talent. Previous recipients have included Aunty Donna, Fancy Boy and Skit Box.
In December 2017, the 20 teams participated in an exclusive workshop led by industry representatives to learn the skills required to build a sustainable career. Each team was subsequently invited to submit ideas for half-hour comedy pilots, and from those submissions four teams have been selected for production funding.
All four pilots will be delivered by June 2018 and will premiere on ABC COMEDY in the second half of the year. ABC and Screen Australia hope to take one of these four pilots to a full series in 2019.
Sally Caplan, Head of Production at Screen Australia said: “There is no shortage of comedy talent in Australia and we are incredibly grateful to ABC iview for providing a premium online platform for these Fresh Blood voices to be heard. We’re thrilled that this program has attracted so many projects that are female driven and display such diversity.”
More information about the films can be found at :
https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2017/12-13-fresh-blood-phase-two
The four pilots that will go into production are: BE YOUR OWN BOSS 30 mins Created by Becky Lucas, Cameron James Synopsis A mockumentary series that dips into the lives and struggles of several desperate couples that are living the Australian Dream – to be your own boss. KOALA MAN 30 mins Created by Michael Cusack Synopsis Koala Man is about a local suburban superhero with no special powers but a strong and burning passion to snuff out petty crime and bring order to the community. THE ANGUS PROJECT 30 mins Producer Craig Anderson Created by Nina Oyama and Angus Thompson Synopsis Angus, a hard partying guy with cerebral palsy and his reckless carer Erika, get up to no good in a conservative country town. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS 30 mins Created by Naomi Higgins, Mark Samual Bonanno, Humyara Mahbub Synopsis Why Are You Like This is a sharp, dialogue driven comedy that is unforgivingly harsh. Best friends Penny and Mia inadvertently dissect the dark side of human nature - premises that are often taboo - all the while blissfully ignorant of how many people they upset.