Writing Kids' Content

This Thursday, join screenwriters Ceinwen Langley (Itch) and Julie Kalceff (First Day) alongside ABC’s Development Executive for Children’s Content, Michael Drake, and Komixx Entertainment Group's Managing Director Australia and Global Head of Production, Amanda Morrison, as they discuss the writing and development of Australian children's television.

Moderated by AWG’s Aaron McCann, the webinar will cover topics including:

• What it's like working in a children’s TV writers’ room,
• What the ABC looks for when developing new children’s content, and
• The importance of children’s content for Australian and International audiences.

The discussion will be followed by a short audience Q&A.

WHEN: Thursday 14 October, 3pm AEDT (Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart)  /  2.30pm ACDT (Adelaide)  /  2pm AEST (Brisbane)  /  1.30pm ACST (Darwin)  /  12pm AWST (Perth)  

WHERE: Via ZOOM online. 

RSVP: Essential for all attendees. RSVP via the link above. Attendees will receive a link to the panel one hour before the start time. 

For those who cannot attend, the webinar is being recorded and will be made available to AWG members on AWG On Demand.

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Ceinwen Langley has been writing professionally for over ten years — a career which has seen her write nearly fifty episodes of Australian broadcast television, multiple interactive stories for the popular mobile app game Choices: Stories You Play, and two young adult novels: The Edge of the Woods and The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist, the former of which is currently being developed for the screen. 

When she isn’t writing, you can find Ceinwen gardening, cross-stitching, reading, baking, drinking gin, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and snuggling with her bony dog. She documents most of these things on her Instagram, Twitter and TikTok accounts @feedthewriter.

Amanda Morrison has worked in the content industry for over 25 years. She has unique working knowledge within both the traditional and new media content production markets. Her experience includes online content, television, film and interactive media production across a range of technology platforms. 

Amanda is the Managing Director Australia and the Global Head of Production for Komixx Entertainment Group working across iGeneration Studios and Komixx shows internationally.  She was Executive Producer and Series Producer for two seasons of the ABC ME (20 episodes x 22 min) series ITCH and the Executive Producer for the BBC children’s animation series Dog Loves Books currently airing on ABC Kids. She is a new media pioneer, working for NTL (UK) within the founding management team that launched the world’s first digital interactive services. She has held various management roles with large media companies and produced content for networks including Channel 4 (UK), Channel 5 (UK) and Robyn Kerhsaw Productions (Australia).

She holds a BA, Arts Management from WAAPA and completed the International Institute for Television Leadership - Asia Australia Media Executive Leadership Program. She is an every-house member of Soho House.

Michael Drake is a development executive for ABC children’s content where he manages the ABC Me slate for primary school aged children. Michael looks after a vast slate of projects including scripted drama and comedy, animation and factual. He also works across the development slate for internally produced series. Specialising in scripted narrative, Michael has worked on Hardball S2, Itch S2 and MaveriX in live action, and Strange Chores, 100% Wolf and the AWGIE-winning Space Nova in animation, the latter of which he also executive produced. An experienced writer and editor, Michael also developed and script produced The Wonder Gang, ABC Kids’ new flagship pre-school series. He also produced and script produced Mackaroy Uncovered Australia’s first scripted podcast for children which received an AWGIE nomination for best writing in audio.

Julie Kalceff is an award-winning Australian writer, director and producer best known for writing, directing and co-producing the television series First Day. This ground-breaking story of a 12-year-old transgender girl starting high school was the first Australian series to star a transgender actor in the lead role. It has sold to multiple territories worldwide including Hulu (US) and CBBC (UK).

In April 2021, the series won a GLAAD Media Award (Children and Youth) which honour media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQIA+ community and the issues that affect their lives. In 2020, First Day was nominated for two AACTA Awards (Australian Academy Awards) for Best Children's Program and Best Screenplay in Television. That same year, the series won its category at the prestigious Rose d'Or Awards which are voted on by over 80 international judges. In 2021 the series won the International Emmy Award for Kids: Live-Action.

Also in 2020, Julie was announced as part of a "powerhouse female directing team" that is spearheading the anthology drama feature Here Out West. Julie first gained international attention when she created, wrote, directed and produced the global hit digital drama series Starting From Now. Attracting critical and popular acclaim, it is one of the most watched web series in the world - amassing over 170 million views in 230 countries. The series also sold to and played on broadcast television in Australia. Julie was the sole writer and director on all 30 episodes of the series and was a producer on all five seasons. In 2018, Julie was selected to participate in Screen Australia's Talent USA Program that introduces the best emerging Australian talent to the international market. A graduate of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School with a Masters Degree in Scriptwriting, Julie founded and is director of the Sydney-based production company Common Language Films. Julie specializes in utilizing humour to tell dramatic, character-driven, female-centric stories that appeal to a wide audience. She is passionate about authentic representation and inclusion, both on screen and behind the camera. Julie’s work explores themes such as identity, belonging and resilience in the face of adversity.