Regionality Sunshine Coast Speakers & Decision Makers 2026

Sally Chesher
Investment and Development Manager, Documentary, Screen Australia

Sally has a long track record of story development and producing across many genres and platforms. Appointed as an Investment and Development Manager, Documentary for Screen Australia in December 2021, she oversees a slate of factual content in development and production. Recent projects as Investment Manager include Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator; The People vs Robodebt; The Wolves Always Come at Night; Revealed: Renee Gracie; Shipwreck Hunters and Mockbuster among many others. Previously, she worked at the ABC as an Executive Producer, overseeing the development, production and delivery of a slate of Arts projects. Previously, she was Development Manager for Arts, Comedy, Entertainment and Factual at ABC. Before that, she worked in the scripted narrative space in development and production. 

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STEPHEN OLIVER
COMMISSIONING EDITOR, ABC

As a Commissioning Editor for ABC, Stephen is passionate about telling stories with real world impact. Previously an award-winning filmmaker, Stephen has brought expertise in both high-end program-making and game-changing impact campaigns to his commissioning role at the ABC with great success. Recent commissions include: Judgement: Cases That Changed AustraliaRolf Harris: Primetime Predator and Ages of Ice.

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Bethan Arwel-Lewis
Senior Commissioning Editor, Factual, SBS

Bethan Arwel-Lewis is a Senior Commissioning Editor of Factual for SBS Australia, and is responsible for commissioning original factual content for the broadcaster. She has worked across a diverse collection of distinctive and award-winning series both in Australia and the UK. Some of her most recent commissions for SBS include the AACTA winning The People Vs Robodebt, The Jury: Death on the Staircase, the returnable hit series The Hospital: In the Deep End and the multi award winning feature documentary Hitler’s Jewish Soldier.

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Ian Lynch
Content Director, Screen Queensland

Ian is an experienced producer, director, and manager of teams in the creative production of network broadcast, online, and streaming content. He joined Screen Queensland after a career in the UK, as well as working on projects for US and Australian broadcasters.  His international credits include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITN, Sky, Discovery, National Geographic, PBS and HGTV. His Australian credits include the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent and Four Corners, as well as work for SBS and Audible Australia.  At Screen Queensland, Ian has supported feature documentaries including Good Thing Production’s Rodeo Dreams, Andy Huang’s Replica, WildBear’s Joh: The Last King of Queensland and Wes Greene’s The Gold; as well as factual series Onion TV’s The Rise of the Dolphins: Season 2025, Seven’s Gem Hunters Down Under and National Geographic’s Baby Animals Down Under.

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Danielle Ah Boo
Head of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit, Screen Queensland

Danielle Ah Boo is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman, born and raised on Thursday Island. Ms Ah Boo is Screen Queensland’s Head of First Nations, a leadership role to uplift First Nations voices across the state’s screen industry. Ms Ah Boo has previously worked in production for First Nations-founded agency Carbon Creative and more recently as a financial accountant with Arrow Energy. Her role at Screen Queensland is to elevate awareness of the cultural significance of First Nations storytelling and amplifying First Nations voices in the screen industry, as truth-telling holds immense significance in shaping our nations’s history.

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Erin Rosenberg
Marketing & Partnerships Executive, DocPlay

Erin Rosenberg is a documentary marketer and programmer with experience in exhibition, festivals, and distribution. She is currently Marketing & Partnerships Executive at the documentary specialist streaming platform DocPlay.

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Stephanie King
Impact Director, Documentary Australia

Stephanie King is a filmmaker, impact producer and advocate working on unceded Gadigal lands.

Her films have screened and been awarded at international festivals, released in cinemas nationally, and shown on SBS, NITV, Nine, Al Jazeera, The Guardian and others. She is a former recipient of Screen Australia’s Enterprise People and fellow with UnionDocs, New York. As an impact producer, strategist or advisor, Stephanie has worked on over 20 productions, including Delikado, Incarceration Nation, Trailblazers, Climate Changers and Guided By Horses.

In her role as Impact Director at Documentary Australia, Stephanie leads impact and filmmaker programs, assesses applications for fiscal sponsorship and supports sector advocacy. She is interested in documentaries that align with Documentary Australia’s issue areas – environment, First Nations, health and wellbeing, human rights and social justice, women and girls, youth and education, and the arts. As the lead on the new Women’s Voices initiative, she is interested in documentaries by women and gender-diverse directors that can shift the narrative on gender equality and justice.

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Farhad Meher-Homji
Co-Founder & Head of Strategy, Changer

Farhad is the Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at Changer, where he leads the development and execution of the company’s global programs in collaboration with partners like YouTube. He has worked with some of the world’s most successful creators, helping them accelerate channel growth, diversify revenue streams and unlock the full potential of their audiences.

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Bettina Dalton
Executive Producer/Principal, Wildbear Entertainment

Bettina is an Emmy nominated Producer and founding Principal of WildBear Entertainment. While Bettina’s first passion is stories of the natural world, and our place in it, she has produced and directed diverse genres of award-winning content for most international television broadcasters, including ZDF, Arte, NDR, BBC, PBS, National Geographic, Discovery, Stan and Australian broadcasters ABC and Nine Network. Her recent projects include the Sundance selected and Emmy® nominated feature documentary “Playing With Sharks” about the life and legacy of pioneering Australian underwater diver, filmmaker and shark advocate, Valerie Taylor, which was acquired by Nat Geo Disney. Her theatrical feature documentary “Rachel’s Farm” (and associated Impact campaign) about Rachel Ward’s journey to become a “regenerative” farmer featured in Film festivals around the world. Her most recent feature documentary, multi award winning “Every Little Thing” was selected into the Sundance 2024 US documentary competition, SXSW, CPHDOX, HOTDOCS and Sydney Film Festival. Bettina’s latest television series for the Seven Network and Blue Ant Media, ‘Salvage Rescue Down Under’ is currently filming on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Bettina is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy.

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Louise Hayse
Secretary, Sunshine Coast Screen Collective

Louise Hayse is the Training and Operations Manager at fxphd, one of the world’s leading providers of professional training for the visual effects, animation and games industries. As Secretary of the Sunshine Coast Screen Collective, she focuses on building industry capability and creating sustainable opportunities for regional screen and games practitioners. Louise works across strategic partnerships, workforce development, and industry initiatives that connect emerging talent with education, production, and business opportunities, helping to grow the Sunshine Coast as a recognised creative hub.

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Dan Munday
Executive Producer and Co-Founder, Sunny Coast Showdown

Dan has created, developed, sold and produced unscripted content for domestic and international buyers and has a proven track record of creating partnerships in media that deliver for all parties. Previously Head of Unscripted at Matchbox/NBC Universal, SVP of unscripted development at MGM and EVP of unscripted of Mark Burnett Productions – (Survivor / The Apprentice et al). Dan is currently an Executive Producer and Co-Founder of the Sunny Coast Showdown film and TV incubator.

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