Production company name?
Wooden Horse.
When was the company founded?
2019.
Where are you based and which states did you film in for 22 / 23 / 24 productions?
Wooden Horse has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Since 2022, we’ve filmed in every state in Australia, principally in Victoria and NSW. We’ve also filmed in many locations around the world including the US and the UK alongside our producing partners on various productions.
How many full-time equivalent staff and how many does it expand to during production?
We have a core team of 7 while outsourcing Finance and Business Affairs. The team expands to meet the demands and scale of any given production. Our limited drama series The Clearing involved more than 450 crew, 130 cast and 700 extras, and half hour comedy Mother & Son, has a cast and crew of about 145 per season. A global unscripted series like Stuff the British Stole, produced in partnership with WildBear Entertainment and Cream Productions in Canada, draws on a surprisingly small crew of around 30 per season.
What is your ownership model and who are key principals?
Wooden Horse is 100% independent and is owned by Joint CEOs and Directors, Jude Troy (former Partner at Hopscotch, and EVP of TV Production & Acquisitions, Australia for Entertainment One) and Richard Finlayson (former Director of Television at ABC and Chief Operating Officer at SBS), alongside Directors Peter Allen (former CEO of Scentre Group) and Damian Keogh (CEO of Hoyts). Award-winning comedian, writer and actor, Matt Okine (Mother & Son, The Other Guy) is also an Executive Producer at Wooden Horse based out of our Brisbane office, while the Melbourne office is helmed by Associate Producer, Alex Cameron (The Clearing).
Describe the genres you specialise in for production?
Wooden Horse develops and produces a carefully curated slate of premium scripted series, comedies, feature films and documentaries. Our focus is on distinctive, provocative and bold storytelling for global audiences.
What have been some of your notable credits and with which broadcasters / streamers?
Wooden Horse was named ‘Breakthrough Business of the Year’ at the Screen Producers Australia Awards 2024, where we also won ‘Miniseries Production of the Year’ for The Clearing – the first major commission for Disney+ in Australia. This critically acclaimed, multi-award winning eight-part psychological thriller, starring Teresa Palmer, Miranda Otto, and Guy Pearce, premiered globally on Disney+ and Hulu in the USA. The series was directed by Jeffrey Walker (Apple Cider Vinegar, The Artful Dodger) and Gracie Otto (Deadloch, Heartbreak High).
Wooden Horse brought to screen the reimagining of the iconic Australian comedy Mother & Son for ABC, written by and starring Matt Okine alongside Denise Scott, with Season 2 currently in production. Wooden Horse also produced The Other Guy Seasons 1 & 2 in partnership with Aquarius Films for Stan & Hulu, featuring Harriet Dyer, Valene Kane, and Christiaan Van Vuuren.
Additionally, Jude was an Executive Producer on the AACTA award winning documentary All This Mayhem and Richard was an Executive Producer on Benjamin Law’s Waltzing the Dragon for ABC.
On the unscripted side, Wooden Horse has produced two seasons of the hit factual series Stuff the British Stole with award-winning journalist Marc Fennell, partnering with WildBear Entertainment and Cream Productions for ABC Australia and CBC in Canada. Our unscripted slate also includes The Cape, a feature documentary for Stan that was selected for competition at the Sydney Film Festival, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Michael Ware. Rose Gold, a feature documentary about NBA stars Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, and their journey to the 2020 Olympics, premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and was released theatrically by Madman Entertainment before its broadcast on ABC TV and iView.
What’s coming up on your slate and how many projects are in active development?
We’re thrilled to be back in production for Season 2 of Mother & Son for ABC and Season 3 of Stuff the British Stole is in the works. Wooden Horse is developing a slate of exciting projects with many of Australia’s leading creatives including Pete McTighe (The War Between the Land and the Sea, Doctor Who, Discovery of Witches), Elise McCredie (The Clearing, Stateless), Kris Mrksa (The Dispatcher, White House, Farm Requiem), Corrie Chen (Bad Behaviour), Ben Chessell (Deadloch, The Great), Anna Barnes (Safe Home), Matt Cameron (The Clearing, Jack Irish), Anchuli Felicia King (The Sympathizer, The Baby), Christian White (Clickbait), award-winning playwright and actor Kate Mulvany (The Twelve, Hunters) and so many more.
We recently announced a collaboration with Warner Bros Australia on a heist caper adaptation of Stuff the British Stole, created by Anchuli Felicia King with collaborators Ben Chessell, Kacie Anning (Class of 07) and Dylan Van Den Berg. The company currently also has projects in development with various platforms and broadcasters including SBS, Stan and the ABC as well as two feature films that have recently been announced by Screen Australia – Hide the Dog, a family feature adaptation by playwright Nathan Maynard (At What Cost) and NZ writing partner Jamie McCaskill of their play of the same name, in a co-production with New Zealand’s Caravan Carpark Films (Uproar); and the feature adaptation of Matt Okine’s debut novel, Being Black n’ Chicken n’ Chips, in partnership with award winning producers Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford (Lion, Mix Tape, Berlin Syndrome) at Aquarius Films.
Do you receive unsolicited material, what are you looking for, how should people pitch projects?
We do not accept unsolicited material. The team finds new ideas through creative partnerships we have fostered across the industry locally and overseas. We’re always on the lookout for bold, distinctive, and provocative stories that have something to say. For anyone interested in pitching, we recommend reaching out through an agent.
What change would you most like to see when it comes to commissions?
The Australian scripted series market has enjoyed creative and commercial growth over the last decade. We are seeing Australian content breaking out internationally from Boy Swallows Universe, The Newsreader, and The Clearing to Heartbreak High, Deadloch and many others. Many Australian based commissioners have been increasingly bold and brave, and we just want the trend to continue. That will take an ongoing commitment from platforms to tell Australian stories, not just because they have to, but because they’re in demand from local and international audiences alike. Invest in development. Invest in Australian talent. Invest in quality. The global market is challenging but we must keep the focus on quality Australian content.
