Southern Star International, Australia Nominees:Best Drama Series – All SaintsBest Single Drama and Telemovie Programme – Wire in the BloodBest Children’s Programme – RaggsBest Children’s Programme – Hi-5Southern Star International is one of the largest distributors of English language film and television programming worldwide selling to over 200 countries from offices in Sydney, London and Paris. The division’s library contains over 14,000 hours of television programming, comprising drama and entertainment series and specials, children’s and family live-action and animated programming, together with reality, wildlife and documentary series.Joanne Azzopardi, Sales Executive - TV, Video and Licensing Asia and South Africa, Southern Star International:We are thrilled to be nominated at the prestigious Asian Television Awards. Considering the great popularity that both Raggs and Hi-5 has enjoyed across the Asian region, we are delighted that both shows have been highlighted at ATA 2007.Now that the ATA has been extended to include Australia and New Zealand we are deeply satisfied to be given a chance to be recognized in Asia. The fact that 12 nominations have gone to New Zealand and Australia certainly highlights a significant increase in the level of competition.Overall, I believe the greatest challenge to producing content for regional and international audiences is the need to overcome the preference of audiences to see what’s familiar to their lives and culture on screen. Thus, we have to make programs engrossing or entertaining enough to traverse these cultural differences. I believe the answer lies in well written, well paced stories, characters that viewers can empathize with, as well as high production values.Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Australia Nominee:Best Children’s Programme: MortifiedAs a non-profit organization, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation develops, produces and distributes television programs for children including entertainment and educational programs. Its programs have screened in over 100 countries and have won over 95 local and international awards. Also acting as a funding body for producers of children’s programming, ACTF offers script development funding and production investment. The ACTF is funded by the Commonwealth Government and the governments of each State and Territory in Australia.Roberta Di Vito, International Marketing, Australian Children’s Television Foundation:We are very excited about being nominated for the category of Best Children’s Programme alongside other great children’s series from across Asia and Australia. This nomination is a real credit to the producers, director, writers and cast of the series for creating a show that appeals to kids around the world.With this being our debut at the Asian Television Awards, it is definitely a pleasant surprise to have had our submission nominated. I believe Australia and New Zealand’s inclusion in the ATA will have a very positive impact on the competition.As with the nominees for the Best Children’s Programme which are all very different, kids can relate to them whether they are from Asia, Australia or New Zealand. In Mortified, we have a series filled with great characters, strong stories, emotions and humour with universal themes that children can relate to, regardless of the country in which they live.South Pacific Pictures, New Zealand Nominees:Best Drama Performance by an Actress: Antony Starr forOutrageous FortuneBest Drama Performance by an Actress: Robyn Malcolm forOutrageous FortuneBest Direction: Outrageous FortuneBest Editing: Outrageous FortuneBased in New Zealand, South Pacific Pictures produces television programming and film. In the 19 years of its operations, the company has produced more than 3000 hours of programming. Drama series, feature films, and more recently, entertainment, reality programming and documentaries are all part of the company’s programming mix. South Pacific Pictures’ current slate includes work for New Zealand, Australian, Canadian and UK broadcasters. South Pacific Pictures operates from a purpose-built studio complex in West Auckland and is owned by Endeavour Entertainment and All3Media.Simon Bennett, Head of Drama, South Pacific Pictures:We are thrilled and proud that Outrageous Fortune has the opportunity to compete with the best television programmes from around the Asia-Pacific region. The nomination at this year’s ATA adds to Outrageous Fortune’s local success where the series has delivered both ratings and critical acclaim. Into its third series, the show has also piqued the interest of overseas networks looking to broadcast and adapt the series.Companies in Australia and New Zealand have been producing high quality television programming. The inclusion of participants from the two territories can only enliven the competition with a greater variety of works being showcased.In the case of Outrageous Fortune, we made the show primarily for a New Zealand audience with the ‘Westie’ culture of West Auckland being integral to the show. While audiences within wider New Zealand do recognize the authenticity of the portrayal, I believe regional and international audiences enjoy the specificity and exoticness of the world and characters of the series, while recognizing universal themes and human aspirations.Infotainment International, AustraliaNominee:Best News Presenter / Anchor: Dr Deane Hutton for Weekly Science StoriesInfotainment International is headed by Dr Deane Hutton, a futurist and science communicator based in South Australia. The company manages the public speaking and television production businesses that Dr Hutton is involved in, as well as handling the production of corporate, documentary and training videos for clients from the public and private sectors. Dr. Hutton’s work in television includes 18 years as a writer-presenter of shows such as Curiosity Show and Hey Hey It’s Saturday.Dr Deane Hutton, Infotainment International:Australia is part of Asia Pacific and I am excited and delighted that Science News Stories is competing with the best news stories from other parts of Asia. I believe that producers in each country have developed their own particular styles and treatment in television communication. By coming together in an event such as the Asian Television Awards, producers from across the region are able to share ideas and strategies in making films and TV programming.In producing programmes for regional or international audiences, I advocate the use of dramatic and spectacular visuals, as well as simple and straightforward verbal explanations to help shows travel.

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