Sally Caplan Named Head of Production at Screen Australia

SYDNEY — Former eOne International managing director Sally Caplan has been named head of production at national agency Screen Australia, while Jane Supit will join the agency as head of legal services.

And adding to the theme of Brits moving down under, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) has poached the British Film Institute’s is director of marketing, communications and audience Christopher Travers to take up the role of marketing and development director at the Melbourne-based film culture agency.

As head of production at Screen Australia, Caplan will be responsible for creative and operational direction for Screen Australia financed features, TV dramas and documentaries, overseeing the management of projects from development and/or production investment through to delivery. She joins the agency early in the new year after relocating form the U.K., replacing Martha Coleman who departed recently to join Goalpost Pictures Australia.

Upcoming features to receive direct investment from Screen Australia Include Kim Farrant’s Strangerland starring Nicole Kidman and Guy Pearce, and 3D animated feature Maya The Bee Movie.

During her time at eOne Caplan oversaw the group’s international film sales based in the U.K. Before joining eOne, she headed the Premiere Fund of the U.K. Film Council for five years, where she was responsible for funding and overseeing the production from script stage of more than 45 films, including titles such as The King’s Speech, Miss Potter and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

Supit joins Screen Australia as head of legal services, having acted in the role, seconded from the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS), since August.

The appointments are the first senior executive roles named since Graeme Mason took over as CEO of the agency last month.

“Sally is a highly respected and seasoned veteran in the international film industry whose roles have covered all aspects of the business from creative to commercial. Having spent five years in a similar role at the U.K. Film Council, she has been extremely successful in combining her strong creative, commercial and business acumen within a government body,” Mason said.

“Jane has a great breadth of experience in working within a government framework and her solid commercial experience and specialist knowledge in intellectual property issues in the area of information communication technology will be invaluable to Screen Australia as the screen industry increasingly moves to multi-platform formats, he added.

Meanwhile at ACMI, Travers’ appointment will help steer the center in its second decade.

ACMI director and CEO Tony Sweeney said: “We must continue to innovate our arts and culture practice — and crucially, evolve the ways we engage and grow audiences as the shape and influence of digital media and marketing channels changes rapidly. Chris’ extensive experience and strengths in development and relationship management, communication, marketing, digital media and audience engagement will be invaluable”.

At the BFI, Travers has been responsible for the BFI’s international marketing of UK film at festivals such as Cannes and Berlin, marketing of the London Film Festival, U.K.-wide seasons like GOTHIC: The Dark Heart of Film, and the marketing of BFI’s own extensive national and South Bank programming across five cinemas, BFI Imax and the BFI Mediatheque. He also led a re-brand of the organization in 2012, the launch of a content-on-demand service BFI Player and a re-launch of the BFI membership program.