The podcast from prolific director & producer Lee Rogers – chatting with the trail blazers, artists, thought leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs and creators – stellar individuals who inspire us to live large.
Tony Ayres. You may not know his name but you will certainly know his work. The Slap. Wanted. Glitch. Nowhere Boys. The Family Law. Seven Types of Ambiguity. The Home Song Stories and current hit, Stateless – co-created and produced with Cate Blanchett. Tony is mid-production on upcoming US Netflix series Clickbait.
Emmy, BAFTA, AFI and ACCTA winner, Tony is one of Australia’s most prolific writers, producers and directors – AND one of the nicest guys in the biz.
Some of the things Tony had to say on The Blank Canvas….
On making film and television drama:
“You’re putting nitro and glycerine together. You want it to go off on the screen but sometimes it goes off in your hands.”
Advice for wannabe filmmakers:
“Before you make something, have something to say. If you wanna be a filmmaker more than you want to tell a story, you’re in trouble.”
As a kid:
“I used to go to bed at night making up stories, controlling the narrative and being the victor. I’d recreate a world where I could be in control.”
On producing cult series “Bogan Pride” with Rebel Wilson:
“Worst reviews of anything I’ve ever worked on. People loved or hated it. That’s not a bad thing. I feel like it was ahead of its time.”
On exploring the spiritual domain of high concept series Glitch and Nowhere Boys:
“I certainly believe in the human spirit.”
Working with actors:
“I try to listen to the best idea and respond to the actors a though I’m the first person who’s seen it. It’s not rocket science. Keep direction as clear and simple as possible”.
Stateless (ABC/Netflix globally)
“Even though we had Cate Blanchett involved, it still took a while to get the financing together because it was a show about mental health and refugees. You know, they’re not exactly popular go-to entertainment subjects…but we sort of doggedly persisted and then a big shift came when Yvonne Strahovski came onboard.”
TONY AYRES – BIO
Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian showrunner, writer and director, and is one of the founding members of internationally renowned Australian production company Matchbox Pictures, now owned by NBC Universal Studios. In 2018 Tony established his own production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), developing and producing feature films and television for global audiences and international marketplaces.
Tony was the showrunner on International Emmy and BAFTA nominated series, The Slap and an EP on its US remake. He co-created and was Executive Producer on multi-award winning series Glitch (3 seasons). He was also an executive producer on International Emmy nominated Wanted (3 seasons), and multi-award winning series The Devil’s Playground, Old School, Underground: The Julian Assange Story, and The Straits. He executive produced comedy series The Family Law (3 seasons), Bogan Pride and Maximum Choppage. He produced miniseries Barracuda and the multi-award winning Seven Types of Ambiguity. He directed the multi-award winning TV movie, Saved.
In children’s TV, Tony created and executive produced the International Emmy and BAFTA award winning Nowhere Boys and the telemovie based on the series, Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows. The series is internationally acclaimed, winning the AACTA Award for Best Children’s Television Series, two Logies, three Kidscreen Awards, a Rockie, and a Prix Jeunesse Award.
In feature films, Tony directed Cut Snake (2015), The Home Song Stories (2007) winner of 24 international and Australian awards, and Walking on Water (2002), which premiered at the Berlinale. He also EP’d feature films Ali’s Wedding and Lou.
Currently Tony is the showrunner for upcoming US Netflix series Clickbait, and co-created and EP’d the Matchbox/ABC refugee detention centre drama Stateless alongside Cate Blanchett and Elise McCredie. Stateless stars Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Dominic West and Cate Blanchett. Netflix acquired the worldwide rights after its world premiere at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series in 2020.
“2020 has had its way with us all and is pushing us beyond our comfort zones, I’m hoping these conversations will inspire people to keep punching and keep creating in their lives”, says Lee.