Talented young Victorian producer Sarah Freeman has received a career-boosting opportunity in Los Angeles thanks to Film Victoria in partnership with award-winning production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.
Commencing in early 2019, Sarah will undertake a six month placement in Los Angeles working with LuckyChap Entertainment (LuckyChap), founded by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara.
In just six months, Film Victoria’s dedicated effort to create opportunities that upskill Victorian practitioners has resulted in 16 domestic and international professional placements, including this placement with LuckyChap.
LuckyChap produced the award-winning feature film I, Tonya. The team recently wrapped production on the independent film Dreamland starring Margot Robbie and Travis Fimmel, and are currently in pre-production on Birds of Prey (and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) with Warner Bros. Studios, Kroll & Co. Entertainment and Clubhouse Pictures.
The production company also has several other projects currently in development and a first look production deal with Warner Bros. Studios. It’s impressive slate of projects include a book adaptation of Bad Monkeys, written by Jessica Knoll and co-produced with Universal/Dylan Clark Productions, as well as the much-anticipated Marian, which stars Margot Robbie and is being produced in collaboration with Donald De Line and Amy Pascal.
In late 2017, LuckyChap expanded its business with a television division and is currently in production on Dollface, starring Kat Dennings with Hulu, ABC Signature Studios and Clubhouse Pictures.
LuckyChap has also teamed up with Australia’s ABC to create a 10-part television series based on modern versions of the works of Shakespeare, told from female perspectives and to be led by an all-female creative team.
Through this producer placement, Sarah will work within the LuckyChap team to develop and package independent films, strategise potential co-production and financing opportunities, write script coverage and draft pitch documents, and gain invaluable insights into Hollywood agencies, studios and production companies.
A graduate of Swinburne’s Film and Television School in Melbourne, Sarah started her career in television commercial production. A move to Matchbox Pictures to work alongside executive producer Tony Ayres (The Slap, Nowhere Boys) led to producing roles on the first two series of TV comedy drama, Mustangs FC.
On receiving the news of her placement, Sarah Freeman said: “I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to experience working within the US film industry with Margot, Tom and Josey across LuckyChap’s feature film slate. This Film Victoria placement is an incredible next step in the development of my career as a creative producer.”
LuckyChap Entertainment said: “We are incredibly excited to be taking part in Film Victoria’s Placement Program and we are so grateful to Caroline Pitcher and the whole team for delivering on this opportunity. As a company with a strong Australian heritage it is important to us that we support emerging talent and provide a platform to build on, both at home and abroad. In Sarah, we believe we have found someone who shares the company’s ethos of championing strong female voices and creating stories that challenge the status quo. With her drive and personality, Sarah will be a welcome addition to the family unit we already have in place, and it is exciting to think of this as a stepping stone for future business.”
Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said: “Film Victoria is dedicated to supporting emerging and mid-career talent through industry placements and a suite of other initiatives. Forging mutually collaborative relationships with international production companies is a key priority for us, and we’re thrilled to have partnered with the outstanding team at LuckyChap Entertainment, and to support Sarah in this stellar opportunity to learn from some of the best.”
Film Victoria is the only state funding agency in Australia that provides an ongoing placements program, and in the past six months has placed 16 Victorian practitioners in roles in Australia and abroad. With a focus on diversity and facilitating gender parity within the industry, the placements span everything from writers placements on Neighbours through to a director placement on The Whistleblower, with a number leading to ongoing employment opportunities.
Sarah Freeman is an emerging producer passionate about telling female-driven, inclusive stories. After an extensive career in television commercial production, Sarah moved to Matchbox Pictures to work alongside executive producer Tony Ayres across a range of television series and feature film projects. In 2017 Sarah undertook a producer’s attachment through the Screen Australia Gender Matters initiative on the first season of ABC comedy-drama Mustangs FC. She is associate producer on the second season of Mustangs FC and recently produced half-hour comedy Why Are You Like This for Screen Australia and ABC’s Fresh Blood Pilot Season.
To learn more about Film Victoria’s skills development opportunities, see the Film Victoria website.