We're doing Fresh Blood 3!

I recently got to fly to Sydney to participate in a series of workshops with the ABC and Screen Australia for their Fresh Blood 3 initiative. How cool is that?!

Most of the ten teams participating in this year's cohort (everyone is rad, FYI)

It was pretty special and I had a whirlwind of a time. I'm teamed up with my friends Annie Louey and Joshua Ladgrove on a show called 'I'm So Sorry For Your Loss.' It's based on Annie's experience working in a funeral home shortly after her father passed away unexpectedly.

Me, Annie Louey, and Joshua Ladgrove at the Fresh Blood 3 workshops

It's a project we're all passionately obsessed with and can't wait to bring to life. The first round granted us a $50,000 budget to create 3 x 5 minute short films/ sketches. Final delivery is mid-January in 2024. We're officially in the scripting and pre-production process now.

Sam Lingham and Broden Kelly (left) Lee Naimo and Nina Oyama (right)

The workshops themselves were a series of lectures presented by professionals in the industry, almost all of whom had participated in the previous Fresh Blood programs. This included writer/performers Nina Oyama, Adele Vuko, Jenevieve Chang, Freudian Nip, and some of the Aunty Donna boys Broden Kelly & Sam Lingham. Bjorn Stewart spoke to use about comedy directing, and we had a keynote speech from writers & showrunners Kate McCartney & Kate McLennan of Amazon's recent hit 'Deadloch.'

Bjorn Stewart (left) Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan (right)

It was a huge three days of information-overload plus fun socialising events after our workshops each day. Meeting new people, learning about the other projects in Fresh Blood 3, plus hearing about the experiences of people who have participated in previous years was extremely valuable. I felt very looked after and taken care of by the organisers, too. I jetted home feeling optimistic and excited for the next stage of our project, plus everyone else's too!