Netflix has announced a deal worth a cool half million to train emerging crew in the Northern Rivers region, while Byron Bay studios is increasing its roster of senior staff. The linking element between both these announcements is Screenworks, the industry and professional development organisation which focused first on Northern Rivers, then on Northern NSW, and is now claiming a national agenda as well.
For twenty years it has plugged away supporting local filmmakers and accumulated a lot of smarts along the way. Part of the payoff is a deal with Netflix, focused not on individual productions but on the long term infrastructure needs of its potential workforce.
