Dreamchaser is a contemporary Australian content studio. We partner with Australia’s leading creators to develop, finance, produce, and distribute premium content across all genres for the global film and television market. Our aim is to harness the dreams of Australian creatives and make them a reality.
Founded and led by two of Australia’s most successful and trusted executives – Hugh Marks, one of the country’s leading broadcasters, producers & CEOs, and Carl Fennessy, an internationally acclaimed producer and content entrepreneur – Dreamchaser brings together an experienced management team with a proven record of world-class, full-service execution.
With the backing of global content powerhouse Fifth Season, Dreamchaser provides a unique home for creators to develop exceptional programming slates, cultivate distinctive creative identities and bring the next generation of Australia’s most ambitious and imaginative stories to the world.
MEET
THE
TEAM
Hugh Marks has over 25 years’ experience as a senior executive in content production, broadcasting and digital media, both in Australia and overseas. Hugh’s most recent role was as CEO of Nine Entertainment. Over his five years as CEO of Nine, Hugh transformed the business from a legacy broadcasting business with a market capitalisation under A$1 Billion to a future focussed A$5 Billion digital media business with market leading interests across each of Broadcasting, Publishing, Streaming, Marketplaces and Radio. Including driving and successfully integrating Australia’s largest recent media transaction through the merger with Fairfax Media and acquisition of minorities in Macquarie Radio.
Prior to Hugh joining Nine for the second time in his career in 2015 (he also worked at Nine between 1995 and 2002, joining as legal counsel and becoming head of Nine Films and Television), he had ownership and management interests in a number of independent companies providing content for broadcast and pay TV, talent management, and digital video production. Hugh was an authority member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority for more than two years. Previously he was CEO of the ASX listed Southern Star Group, Australia’s then largest independent production and distribution group.
Carl began his career in Australia at the Seven and Nine networks in Melbourne. In 1993, he joined forces with his brother Mark to launch their first production company Crackerjack.
Crackerjack quickly became one of Australia’s leading independent production companies, known for popular series Comedy Inc., CNNNN, Backberner, The Choir Of Hard Knocks and Jamie’s Kitchen Australia.
In 2006, Carl and Mark sold Crackerjack to UK production giant FremantleMedia. Carl served as Chief Operating Officer of FMA until 2009. At FremantleMedia, Carl and Mark oversaw hits such as MasterChef Australia, Australian Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, The Biggest Loser, The Farmer Wants A Wife and Australia’s Got Talent.
In 2010, the brothers launched Shine Australia where Carl and Mark served as joint-CEOs. Shine quickly became the dominant production company in the Australian market with an extraordinary slate of programming including MasterChef, The Voice, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, The Bachelor and Gogglebox.
In 2011, Carl was appointed CEO of Shine America and relocated his family to Los Angeles. His production credits at Shine America include the US productions of MasterChef, The Biggest Loser, The Office, The Bridge, Minute To Win It, The Face and more.
In 2015, Carl and Mark oversaw the merger of Shine and Endemol to form Endemol Shine Australia. The company became the largest production company in Australian history. Production credits at ESA include Australian Survivor, Big Brother, Australian Ninja Warrior, Married At First Sight, LEGO Masters, Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds and Offspring.
Since 2010, programs produced under Carl’s leadership have collectively been awarded with 12 Logies, 34 AACTA Awards and an International Emmy Award. In 2017, Carl and Mark also topped the Australian Financial Review’s Power List as the most powerful influence on Australian culture.
Monique Keller is the Managing Director for Dreamchaser. Prior to this she worked with Fremantle Australia on a slate of factual and scripted projects and with Audible ANZ to commission and oversee a slate of award-winning original podcasts. Monique was based in Los Angeles for several years and worked with Amazon Studios as an original movies executive on over 30 award winning narrative and documentary titles. Monique is an alumnus of USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program, and judges for the Producers Guild of America’s Debra Hill Fellowship and the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship.
Sara Horn is the Chief Operating Officer for Dreamchaser Entertainment. Prior to this Sara was the Managing Director of Production & Operations at Endemol Shine Australia, managing a large team across a diverse production slate including MasterChef, Gogglebox, Survivor, LEGO Masters, Married At First Sight, Ninja Warrior, Big Brother and more. Preceding this, Sara held the position of Director of Production first at Crackerjack Productions and then for four years at FremantleMedia Australia.
Whilst at Endemol Shine Australia, Sara held a concurrent role as the Global Chair of Endemol Shine Giving leading the plastic-free pledge and sustainable production drive across Endemol Shine Group worldwide. This dovetailed perfectly with Sara’s passion and expertise in driving integration of sustainability practices across the screen production industry. This passion has led to Sara being a co-founder of Sustainable Screens Australia, an industry led initiative working to reduce the environmental impact of the Australian film and television industry.
In 2018, Sara was awarded a Masters of Business Administration by the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Megan is Dreamchaser’s Chief Financial Officer, a chartered accountant with over 20 years media experience, she is responsible for all aspects the finance function.
Megan has a particular passion for television production, having previously worked at Endemol Shine and prior to that she spent 9 years holding various senior finance positions at ITV in Sydney, London and Los Angeles.
Megan brings extensive acquisition and integration expertise having supported ITV’s M&A strategy in Europe and North America.
Megan joined ITV from Ernst & Young’s Media and Entertainment practice, where she worked for over 10 years across a portfolio of global entertainment businesses in London, Sydney and New York.
Jessica joined Dreamchaser in April 2022 as Executive Assistant & Office Manager to Hugh Marks, Carl Fennessy and the executive team. With 10 years’ experience in the television industry, Jessica brings a wealth of operational, events and EA experience to the studio and has been responsible for all aspects of the day to day running of the business since its launch.
Prior to joining Dreamchaser, Jessica served as an EA at Endemol Shine Australia for 10 years, providing high-level administrative support to the company’s directors across multiple divisions.
Billy Russell is a Development Executive working across Dreamchaser’s entertainment & factual slates.
Prior to joining Dreamchaser, Billy led unscripted development at Fremantle Australia, and previously worked with ITV Studios Australia as Head of Digital, designing and delivering innovative multi-platform content campaigns. Across these roles, Billy has worked on some of the biggest formats in the country, including The Voice, The Great Australian Bake Off, Love Island, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Farmer Wants A Wife, Australia’s Got Talent, and The X Factor.
Billy started his career at Foxtel, where he developed, wrote, produced, and anchored thousands of hours of music programming for the iconic Channel V. His original format, The Riff, became the network’s flagship program and won two ASTRA Awards for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program and Most Outstanding Music Coverage.
Billy holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts (Literature), and is currently completing a Master of Media Practice & Industry at UTS.
Elizabeth, with a background in both development and production in the film and television industry, is known for her collaborations with new and established talent to bring high-quality, ambitious, and original stories to life.
Graduating with distinction from The University of New South Wales with a Bachelor’s in Film and Media, Elizabeth began her career with a producer placement at Icon Film Distribution, later transitioning to a role in development and production investment administration at Screen Australia.
Before joining Dreamchaser in 2023, Elizabeth managed an extensive slate of projects as the Development Executive for Bend It Networks in London, a label under Fremantle Media UK. As a freelance producer, Elizabeth was one of only ten producers selected from across the UK to participate in iFeatures, the BBC Films, and British Film Institute’s premier scripted development lab.
An award-winning producer of short-form content, Elizabeth’s films have premiered at major festivals including The Edinburgh International Film Festival, Flickerfest, and BFI London Film Festival. Notable production credits include pivotal roles as a Producer’s Assistant on Jennifer Kent’s period drama “The Nightingale,” the blockbuster comedy “The Hustle,” and contributions as a Writer’s Assistant on ITV’s period epic “Beecham House.” Elizabeth advanced in the script department as the Showrunner’s Assistant on Amazon Studios’ ambitious fantasy “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and as a Script Coordinator on the comedy series “Strife” for Binge.
Claudia joined the Dreamchaser team as Development Coordinator in October 2023 to chase dreams.
Prior to joining Dreamchaser, Claudia worked at Screen Tasmania as the Industry Engagement Officer liaising with productions filming in the State, providing advice on crew logistics and locations, as well as overseeing the attachment program and assisting with industry development programs and initiatives.
Prior to this Claudia worked as an Assistant Director on TV shows and films across Australia such as Rosehaven, Peter Rabbit, Pieces of Her, and La Brea.
CREATIVE
PARTNERS
David Forster
David Forster is one of Australia’s premier reality and entertainment television producers.
As the Executive Producer of two of Australia’s largest and most respected formats, MasterChef Australia and Australian Survivor, David has delivered many outstanding seasons of both titles.
David’s leadership of these global formats has given them a unique voice and his most recent work has garnered them both AACTA Awards (MasterChef 2022) and Logies (MasterChef 2023, Survivor 2023), a feat made more impressive by their age in the market. David’s latest season of Australian Survivor topped the New York Times “Best Episodes of TV in 2023” list.
David’s other credits include titles such as The Biggest Loser, Bachelor in Paradise and the SBS Documentary Series’, Living With The Enemy and Look Me In The Eye.
David brings a unique understanding of character and storytelling to the reality, documentary and light entertainment space. Trained as a drama writer/director David endeavours to bring that unique knowledge of story into any project.
Frank Bruzzese
Frank Bruzzese is an award-winning comedy producer who has worked across multiple television genres including studio, entertainment, factual and narrative.
Frank produced the Emmy-winning Netflix special, Hannah Gadsby: Nanette and more recently their new show: Something Special. Other credits include the Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year series in Europe, Asia and South America, Caravan of Courage and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
Frank has won two Best Light Entertainment AACTA’s for The Weekly with Charlie Pickering and Gap Year South America. He has received a further four nominations for a series of stand-up comedy specials he produced for Amazon, Paramount and Stan.
Frank was most recently the Head of Production for Guesswork Television for 7 years where he supervised hit shows such as Deadloch, Hard Quiz, Rosehaven, Queerstralia and Frayed.
In 2024 David and Frank launched their company Maverick Entertainment and entered into an exclusive partnership with Dreamchaser.
Debbie Cuell is a creator and Executive producer of Documentary and Factual Entertainment programs.
In her recent role at Endemol Shine Australia Debbie looked after the slate of factual programs, including Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds Series 1. Broadcast on the ABC, it touched the hearts of Australian viewers and shone a light on our often-forgotten older Australians. The series was critically acclaimed in Australia and internationally winning an AACTA for Best Documentary or Factual Program and the 2020 International Emmy Award for best Entertainment Program.
Debbie then went on to Develop and Executive Produce Series 2 of Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds. It too critically acclaimed winning the 2021 AACTA for Best Documentary or Factual Program, and GRAND GOLD at the New York TV and Film Awards for Documentary Social Issues.
Debbie’s other recent credits include Look Me In The Eye SBS, One Born Every Minute TEN, Ambulance Australia Ten, Lost For Words SBS, Great Australian Spelling Bee TEN.
In her previous role in 2017 as Head of Entertainment at the ABC Debbie led a large national team and managed the production, and delivery of a mix of original content and formats, including Panel/Shiny Floor, Factual Entertainment, Observational Documentaries, and unscripted comedy.
In 2022 Debbie launched her production label “Sparkle Pictures” in an exclusive partnership with Dreamchaser.
Debbie is known for bringing integrity and heart to all that she produces.
Erin is a producer, screenwriter and scripted development specialist. She was the Head of Scripted Development at Blackfella Films and a producer on two seasons of the hit political drama Total Control (ABC). As a Development Executive, Erin has worked at production companies on drama series projects commissioned by the ABC, SBS and Foxtel, and at screen agencies including VicScreen managing scripted funding programs and initiatives.
Erin was a writer and script editor on the award-winning children’s series Nowhere Boys (Matchbox Pictures & ABC) and has worked in story rooms with Carver Films, Matchbox Pictures, Every Cloud Productions and Dark Horse.
Erin runs her production label Happy or Dead in an exclusive partnership with Dreamchaser.
Gil is an Emmy-nominated documentary director, producer and showrunner.
Living equally between the United States and Australia, Gil started his career as a producer, assistant director, and production manager across independent feature films, commercials and music videos. His debut as director came with documentary series “The Gymkhana Files” which launched globally on Amazon Prime in 2018 and was nominated for multiple awards, including Emmy nominations for directing, cinematography and sound design.
His acclaimed sophomore series, “Making Their Mark”, was the biggest sports docuseries in Australian history. Released in 2021, the series chronicled the coronavirus pandemic from the inside of the biggest sporting code in Australia, The AFL.
Other recent documentaries include 2021’s “Head Above Water”, which follows four Australian swimmers approaching the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2022’s Kick Like Tayla that chronicles the public and personal challenges that AFLW player and professional boxer Tayla Harris has faced in her career.
2023 sees the arrival of “United States Scandal” with Jake Tapper, a new six-part series executive produced by Gil that sees the CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent interview individuals at the centre of political scandals, digging into what motivates them to break the rules, and what happens when they are caught.
Gil is thrilled to bring his production label Den Of Martians into an exclusive partnership with Dreamchaser to create more best-in-class documentaries for Australia and the international market.
Patrick (Pat) Abboud is a Walkley winning investigative journalist, director, writer, filmmaker and presenter. He is the founder of Only Human Productions.
Pat’s 2024 groundbreaking personal film, ‘Welcome to Gayrabia’ is available on ABC iview and his 2023 feature documentary ‘Australia Uncovered: Kids Raising Kids’ is streaming now on SBS On Demand. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at AIDC 2023, and Pat was nominated for Best Director at the 2023 Australian Directors Guild Awards.
Pat is the co-creator, writer and host of Audible Original genre bending queer true crime podcast, ‘The Greatest Menace: Inside The Gay Prison Experiment’. The investigative series won 18 international awards including the 2022 Walkley Award for Best Radio/Audio Feature, The Grand Jury Prize and Podcast of The Year at the 2023 Drum Awards in London. The story is currently being adapted into a premium scripted series.
Pat is a 3-time winner at the New York Festivals TV & Radio Awards, 4-time winner at the Australian Podcast Awards, a SXSW Innovation Award and Kennedy Award for Best Long Form Television winner, a Webby Award finalist and 2-time LGBTQIA+ Presenter of the Year finalist. Pat’s work has been nominated for the prestigious Rose D’Or in Europe, an American duPont Colombia award and an International Documentary Association award.
For VICE TV & SBS TV, Pat founded Logie nominated and multi-award-winning current affairs show, ‘The Feed’ and was a foreign correspondent for Dateline where he made daring long form ‘access’ films. Pat also directed content for the annual SBS Mardi Gras (Pride) live TV broadcast and was the co-host for 7 years. He also created and hosted an international queer movie show for the networks.
His intimate hit TV interview series #PatChat has also clocked over 40 million views online. Some of Pat’s favourite episodes include Sam Smith, Rami Malek & Daniel Johns.
Pat’s immersive multi-channel installation works and interactive films have been commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney and are part of the permanent collection at the Australian Museum of Democracy.
Pat is thrilled to bring his production label Only Human into an exclusive partnership deal with Dreamchaser to co-produce his world class slate of factual storytelling for the international market, alongside his first foray into drama.
In a decades-long career as a writer, producer, author & lyricist, Posie has created & produced thousands of hours of high-rating, much awarded-drama & entertainment that’s been seen, read & heard all over the world.
Known recently as the creator producer of the international hit “McLeods Daughters” – voted by Australian viewers in 2016 as the #1 Show of All Time” in 60 years of television, and winner of the “Great Aussie Drama TV Binge” during 2020 lockdown – Posie was also the co- creator & co-producer of twice-nominated daytime Emmy contender “Hi-5”. The author of six novels, all best sellers and published internationally by NY based Simon and Schuster, Posie has written lyrics for over 400 songs for “McLeods”, resulting in 3 albums.
A former Director of Drama at the Nine Network in Australia, Posie was SPA’s Inaugural Australian Independent Producer of the Year, and was included by Variety Magazine in its Annual Survey of “20 Significant Women working in Film and TV” along with Meryl Streep. That was almost day and date when her first novel was published and her first album was released. November 2002? A big month. Posie was stoked! A former board member of the Australian Film and Television School and Deputy Chair of Screen Tasmania, Posie was also chair of The Tasmanian Writers Centre. She speaks regularly about writing, creativity and how not to go crazy in a crazy world. In October 2016 she gave the “Hector Crawford Memorial Oration” at SPA’s annual conference. The first woman to do so.
CONTACT
US
Use the adjacent form for enquiries.
Building 26
Disney Studios Australia
38 Driver Avenue
Moore Park. NSW. 2021
Dreamchaser acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which we live, work and play. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
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