As new CEO Deirdre Brennan settles in and starts building her dream team, Screen Australia has promoted Grainne Brunsdon from director of content to COO. 

Brunsdon has spent more than two decades working for TV and film industry orgs and funding bodies down under. Officially starting in her new role on April 1, she’s taking over from Michael Brealey, who left SA in December 2023.

Screen Australia is on a mission to expand under Brennan’s leadership and provide more efffective support to the country’s content creators and producers. 

Before joining Screen Australia in 2022, Brunsdon was the head of Screen NSW, overseeing this territory’s funding program for supporting feature films and TV series. Her other career highlights include introducing 50:50 (a 2020 initiative addressing gender parity in Australia’s screen industry) and Screenability NSW (which provides opportunities for creators with disabilities).

Screen Australia plays a key role in supporting local kids programming and allocated US$8 million to projects and businesses targeting this audience last year. The org is aiming to do even more going forward as Aussie producers grapple with more global competition, fewer local commissions and complex new technologies.