Story Business, Melbourne

David is the founder of Compton School and co-founder of Wizer. He was previously Head of Screen Business at the Australian Film Television & Radio School, where he led the highly regarded Masters of Screen Arts & Business program. He has been involved in the financing of more than a dozen film and television productions including Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, Dean Cavell’s The Wiggles Movie and Andrew Horne’s The Animated Leunig. As author of Film Assistance: Future Options (Allen & Unwin, 1986), he was policy architect of the Film Finance Corporation established by the Australian Government in 1988. David holds a PhD from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

Andrea is a screen professional who spent three decades working in Africa, Hollywood and Australia, with experience ranging from chasing lions across the African Savannah for wildlife films and documentaries to negotiating deals in the boardrooms of Hollywood. In 2019 she pivoted to become a personal and professional coach for people in the creative industries, inspired by her own close call where she almost died from stress and the dire health outcomes of other creative industry practitioners. With accreditations in coaching, NLP, and Meta dynamics, she founded Successful Creative, running group and individual coaching, and joined Compton School as one of its lead teachers.

I am an animator, game artist, and narrative designer with a passion in telling emotional stories through fantasy and magical realism. I’ve been working in the animation industry for roughly 8 years, before expanding into making video games. Since then I’ve participated in several game jams and collaborated on indie games. I am also a co-founder and writer for Mental Jam, an indie game studio focusing on combining gameplay with mental health support.

Matt Gall is a writer/director with a passion for placing relatable, even contemporary, characters in the midst of larger historical conflicts. His most recent film, a French-language short set in Paris in 1572, drew on the religious violence of the period. He is currently developing the feature adaptation, transposing the story to a rural village. Matt has recently returned to Australia after several years in Los Angeles.

Jo de Fina is an award-winning producer, executive producer and writer with more than 25 years’ experience developing and delivering acclaimed creative projects. A ‘Ones to Watch 2019’, she founded production company The Otto Empire and has built a career bringing ambitious ideas to life through collaboration, strategy and storytelling. Jo is currently developing original television projects and her debut novel, Dawn is currently under submission. Passionate about creating stories with commercial and cultural impact, she is excited to explore new models of storyworld development, audience engagement and cross-platform storytelling through this workshop.

I am a Producer/line producer based in New Zealand working throughout Australasia between feature and TV series drama, short form, and global advertising. I am interested in strategies of how to; create and bridge screen stories between multi-platforms, formats and packaging to develop audience, learn what and how does that future economy of scale look like with long and short form. What finance structures are at play to achieve success, more importantly how can screen stories become sustainable as a business and reach culturally diverse audiences.

I am a sci-fi and fantasy lover who grew up in a small town. In the past I created my own worlds, predominantly physical art in sketchbooks with animals, characters, towns and cities. Now I assist the physical with magic systems, history and culture. For the future I want to write and design tabletop role-playing games and be a creative artist for gaming companies. I currently work with watercolour and ink, creating vivid but relaxed pieces. I hope that this workshop will assist guiding ideas for longevity.

I’m a multi-disciplined creative working across stories, pictures and sound, as a writer and creative director. I create engaging, humourous, entertaining, creative solutions to human problems that are robust, make people think and, hopefully, laugh. I dwell in story and concept development, have a BA in Visual Communication – RMIT and am a Compton, VCA and AFTRS alumni across various disciplines. I co-founded and ran a creative agency for twenty years. Currently, when not creative directing, I’m developing creative projects and writing a genre-busting middle-grade novel.

I have a masters of Screenwriting from VCA and have just started a video production company alongside my mother, Gwen, who has been my biggest role-model and inspiration in joining the film industry. Together, we’ve made one short film with another ready to enter production later this year. Having now delved into the business side of video production, I’m excited to see a workshop dedicated towards understanding the value of story worlds as something of continuous value.

I am a Butchulla woman, based in Naarm. Winner of the 2022 Deadly Funny final, I’ve been part of many comedy shows since then. In 2025 I was a recipient of the Moosehead (part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival) which supported bringing my first solo show, “Six Deadly decades” to the festival. After nearly 3 decades in the workforce as a nurse/midwife, I have taken life experiences and paired it with my infectious and uplifting energy to be a powerhouse on the stage. I am a burgeoning playwright/actor, aiming to create stories that celebrate and showcase First Nations people and our stories through media and a variety of art forms.

I’m an emerging storyteller with a focus on animation and games. I have experience in story and script consultation in indie animation as well as production coordination for animation. I wrote my first short film last year and it’s just started its festival run. I am looking to start developing my own IPs from next year onwards.

I’m a passionate screenwriting student about to graduate RMIT university. I’ve recently developed an interest in telling intellectually stimulating YA stories through a fantasy/sci-fi sense and feel this workshop would be an excellent starting point. I’m a massive fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Adventure Time, Steven Universe and would love to bring a universe for kids exploring neurodivergence and a lack of social connectedness to life.

Isabel Dilena is a Melbourne-based Producer and Actor working across narrative and documentary film. Isabel co-directed and produced Bush Boots with Kynan Clarke as part of the MIFF Footy Shorts initiative- a collaboration between Melbourne International Film Festival, the AFL, and VicScreen. The film premiered at MIFF in 2025 and screened at St Kilda Film Festival in 2026, where it was nominated for Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking. As a Producer, Isabel’s work spans short film, branded content, and development across independent projects. She currently works with as an Associate Producer with Typecast Entertainment, contributing across development and production. As an Actor, Isabel has appeared in television series including My Life is Murder, Neighbours, Hungry Ghosts, and Flunk, as well as national campaigns for brands such as Mazda, Priceline, and Coles. She previously held a lead role in a series for Amazon Prime and Channel 9.

I am the owner and director of COMICS2MOVIES, a multi-award-winning Australian comic and graphic novel publisher. Since founding the company in 2007, I have championed original Australian storytelling, raising over $300,000 through crowdfunding and helping bring creator-owned projects to life. My work has earned international recognition, including award-winning publications and industry nominations, while my passion for publishing continues to connect comics with film, television, and global audiences.

I’m a screenwriter, theatre maker and screenwriting teacher. My first feature film is currently in post production.

I’m an award-winning Australian writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, creating emotionally grounded genre stories that explore identity, grief, memory and transformation. My work has been supported by Screen Australia, VicScreen and SBS, and I recently worked as Script Coordinator on SBS/Wooden Horse’s The Airport Chaplain through the SBS Talent Escalator. I’m currently developing a slate of film and television projects spanning psychological drama, horror and romance, while continuing to teach producing at RMIT. Alongside my original work, I’m building relationships with Australian and international production companies to bring these projects to market and expand my career across development and production.

I’m an RMIT screenwriting student, animator and comic artist. I specialise in fantastical genres (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, superhero, action, etc) with a big focus on worldbuilding. I believe Australia deserves to tell stories with rich worldbuilding and franchise potential.

I’m a recent graduate for a bachelor of screen productions. I have a strong interest in film, comics and video games, desiring to develop my own creative story idea and build upon experiences such as this workshop to refine and improve my knowledge within the field. I am eager to listen to the speakers and collab with fellow attendees on any creative subject that will be discussed.

I’m a recent graduate from RMIT in Game Design. I am also a freelancer, tutor and specialist lighting designer who is planning to one day open a creative studio to work with private and public groups and help make learning engaging and interactive.

Danielle Ross is in the final year of the Professional Screenwriting program at RMIT University and is currently mentored by Victoria Madden at Sweet Potato Films (The Kettering Incident. The Gloaming). She is passionate about authentic, diverse, character-led storytelling – particularly female narratives that explore the complexity of older women’s lives. In 2026, she participated in a Writers’ Room as a note-taker and contributor for a Sydney-based production company and was also selected for ACMI’s Table Reads initiative to further develop her original work through a live script performance.

I’m a Melbourne actor/writer/director/producer with 25 years experience working in film, theatre, tv in Oz and overseas.