Queensland University of Technology CRICOS No J RM nd Australian Producer Survey 2012: Understanding Australian Screen Content Producers: Wave 2 Principal Author: Mark Ryan Other Authors: Stuart Cunningham, Deb Verhoeven

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Research Description The Australian Screen Producer Survey (ASPS) is a nation-wide survey conducted in 2008/9 and 2011 by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI), the media marketing firm Bergent Research, and the Centre for Screen Business at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). The aim of the 2012 ASPS was to better understand the practice of screen production in a period of industry transition, and to recognise the persistence of established production cultures that serve to distinguish different industry sectors.

Queensland University of Technology CRICOS No J Research Statement Research Background The project addresses a deficit in screen producer research which has either relied on analyzing observed workflows within work cultures or on data drawn from personal experiences. Prior to the survey there was very little research focussed on the screen producer; producer studies also needed more empirical grounding across subfields of screen production (not only film and television, but also commercial/corporate and new media). Research Contribution Innovation The report is the first large-scale quantitative survey of producers, collecting data on producers’ backgrounds, education, professional development, experiences and funding sources for their work. The second survey collects data on international partnerships, tax incentives, levels of debt, and attitudes to government support and industry leadership. New knowledge In terms of innovation the survey generates new knowledge about screen producers in Australia, including findings which reveal an increasing number of producers working in digital media (from 8% in 2008 to 14% in 2011). The 2011 ASPS also reveals there are more younger producers (aged 20 to 24) than in 2008/9, as well as more television producers aged 35 to 39.

CRICOS No J a university for the world real R Research Statement (Continued) Research Significance Evidence of excellence The findings of the report were released and published as a chapter entitled ‘The Producer in Film and Television’ (2014) in Beyond the Bottom-Line: The Producer in Film and Television, published by Bloomsbury. The top-line findings of the report were released via the ARC CCI’s website. An interactive website has also been developed which enables users to customise searches of the data collated from the survey.