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.

John is an acclaimed writer, director and producer across film and theatre and the Creative Director of Brown Cabs. In film, he has written and directed: Still We Rise (2023 AIDC Best Documentary / Factual Single, 2023 ADG Award for Best Direction); Off Country (2022 ADG Award for Best Direction, MIFF); Kutcha’s Koorioke (NITV); Katele (2023 Flickerfest – Best Australian Short Film, Melbourne International Film Festival – Best Australian Short Film), Water (Adelaide FF, MIFF), Out of Range (MIFF). He produced Spear (TIFF) and the chapter Sand for The Turning (MIFF, Berlinale) and The Warriors (ABC). His theatre writing credits include The Return (2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama), Heart is a Wasteland and Black Ties. John received an ACMI (Australian Centre for Moving Image) Commission to create multi-channel installation Canopy.  John is also a Board Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre.

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.

Richard has over 25 years of experience in the television industry, with creative and strategic leadership positions across a wide range of genres including factual, ob doc, natural history, true crime, history, arts, social experiment, science, impact and entertainment. In January 2024 he joined Screen Australia, as Head of Documentary. Richard is responsible for driving the strategic direction for the agency’s documentary funding programs as well as implementing broader content department priorities.

Dena joined NITV in 2024, as the Head of Indigenous Commissions and Production, overseeing NITV’s original content slate. Dena’s background is Producing and Directing.  Her work includes the acclaimed children’s series Grace Beside Me, Comedy Series 8MMM Aboriginal Radio, Vampire hunter series Firebite, documentaries Ella, A League of Her Own, Back to Nature and Rebels with a Cause which premiered at MIFF. As well as Factual Series’ Shadow Trackers and First Weapons, which took out GOLD at the New York Festivals Film and TV Awards in 2024.

Jesse and Amanda have been filmmaking partners for twenty-five years. Recent work includes Girls State, Apple Original Films (Sundance 2024), The Mission, National Geographic (Telluride 2023), Mayor Pete, and Boys State, for Apple and A24 (2020 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize). Their film The Overnighters (2014 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize) was released by Drafthouse Films. Other work includes The Family and Payday for Netflix, The Bandit (SXSW), Speedo (PBS), and Con Man for HBO.

Dr. Chadden Hunter is a Queensland filmmaker who has spent much of the last 20 years working alongside Sir David Attenborough on the world’s most seminal and loved nature documentaries.  After undergraduate studies at UQ he completed a PhD on gelada baboons in Ethiopia then went on to work with the BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel, filming everything from tribal ceremonies in Africa to snow leopards in Pakistan. His television series, including Planet Earth 1 and 2, Wild Arabia, Frozen Planet and Seven Worlds One Planet have won over 20 Emmy and BAFTA awards.  Now a full-time Executive Producer with Wildbear Entertainment in Brisbane, his latest film The Platypus Guardian recently aired on the ABC, Amazon and Apple TV.

Marissa McDowell is a Wiradjuri woman, born in Cowra, NSW, Australia. She has over 15 years’ experience working in the First Nations multi-media storytelling space, and is passionate about working with the film industry to share creatively ambitious and diverse First Nations stories that have global appeal. Throughout her career, she has worked with First Nations communities to share stories with a wider audience across commissioning, producing, photography and writing. At National Indigenous Television (NITV), she has overseen the commissioning of original First Nations content, including feature documentaries Skin in the Game, Keeping Hope and the award-winning Rebel with a Cause collection, as well as documentary series Our Law and First Inventors, and children’s series Eddies Lil’ Homies. As a producer, she has also had documentaries screened on SBS/NITV. She has had poetry published through USMOB Writing, and photographs displayed at PhotoAccess and the Sydney Living Museum.

Randall Wood has 30 years’ experience writing, directing, and shooting compelling documentaries. Randall is founder of Storyland Productions, a Queensland-based production company dedicated to making media for the heart and mind. Randall Wood’s films have screened across the globe on networks including PBS, ABC, BBC, National Geographic, ZDF, ARTE, PTS, SBS and in cinemas. Storyland’s latest release is award-winning film Flyways, a global feature about migratory birds for cinema and television release. Outstanding Excellence, Nature Without Borders International Film Festival Finalist for WCSFP Best Natural History Program / Content – Long Format, Best Music in a Documentary Screen Music Awards, 2023.

Maya is a Japanese Australian director and co-founder of the Unquiet Collective. Her short documentary The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone (2022) a Netflix Original, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for a Peabody Award. She directed the acclaimed feature In My Blood It Runs (2019), made in collaboration with those onscreen, which premiered at Hot Docs and screened at over forty festivals and on Netflix, PBS POV (USA), Arte (France) and ABC TV (Australia). In My Blood It Runs won numerous awards including Best Feature Doc at the ADG Awards, was backed by the Sundance Institute Labs and was a New York Times  ‘Critics Pick’. The participants led a multi-year impact campaign focusing on juvenile justice and education reform and the then ten-year-old participant, Dujuan, became the youngest person ever to address the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva. Her first feature Gayby Baby (2015) premiered at Hot Docs and sparked a national debate when it was banned in NSW schools by the state Premier. Her new feature doc Testimony (in development) follows a landmark climate case being brought two Torres Strait Islanders against the federal government of Australia. She works amidst the lands, seas and skies of Gadigal Wangal Country in Sydney.

David Cook is a First Nations writer, director, producer, and actor from Brisbane. Over the past five years, Cook has built a versatile career in the film industry, gaining experience in acting, crew roles, writing, directing, and producing. Cook’s debut feature film, Heart of the Man, which he wrote, produced, and directed, has recently completed post-production and secured distribution in Australia and New Zealand. In addition to feature films, Cook has garnered recognition and numerous accolades for his short documentary Skate or Cry. His feature documentary, Frontline Rangers, is currently in development with support from Screen Queensland. In 2024, Cook attended the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne, where he won two pitching prizes as part of The FACTory – New Talent Showcase. These accolades led to invitations to showcase his feature documentary pitch for Frontline Rangers at Sunny Side of the Doc in France and Doc Edge in New Zealand. Through his company, New Dream Productions, David Cook continues to develop various exciting projects. He remains dedicated to expanding his creative growth and making meaningful contributions to the wider screen industry.