DIRECTOR – LAURA CLELLAND

As owner of Essential Crew, Queensland’s Crew Booking Agency, Laura champions the immense talent of our Australian crew to Australian and International Productions.

Essential Screen Skills is an extension of her long term commitment to help nurture and grow the industry.  Laura is a Queensland based Producer and Director, passionate about creating entertaining and engaging content.

Having freelanced in production in Queensland for over two decades, her experience began at Network 10 and has since included work on national television commercials, online series, Australian / US television series and features.

Her passion for crew and production is evident in her ownership of Essential Crew, Essential Screen Skills and guest lecturing (freelancing and the industry) at various universities and film schools including Bond University and Griffith Film School.

This focus on helping emerging filmmakers is demonstrated by speaking engagements and moderating panels. Her role on the Screen and Digital Games Industry Advisory Group for Jobs Queensland further cemented her commitment to the industry.

Laura was one of Screen Producers Australia ‘Ones to Watch’ Alumni (2018), selected by the Australian Directors Guild delegation (2019) and selected to pitch her project at MIPTV in Cannes (Kids Live Action Pitch 2019). Laura is actively creating and producing high quality Australian content right here in Queensland.

PROJECT MANAGER – MONETH MONTEMAYOR

Moneth Montemayor is a passionate Arts Educator who firmly believes that a quality arts education will enable young people to develop skills in empathy, expression and understand themselves, others and the world around them.

She has worked in the Department of Education (QLD) for more than 11 years as a teacher, year level coordinator, pedagogy coach, master teacher and Head of Department.

As an advocate for arts education Moneth holds the positions of Co-Chair of the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM), Co-Chair Queensland Advocates for Arts Education (QAAE), President of ATOM Queensland and board member of the National Advocates for Arts education (NAAE) representing Media Education.

She actively challenges and consults with key stakeholders and has contributed to ACARA Media Arts curriculum and QCAA Secondary Syllabus reviews. Moneth’s skills in pedagogy and curriculum has been utilised through the production of English, Drama, Media Arts and LGBTQIA+ education resources for organisations such as SBS Outreach/Learn, Matchbox Pictures, QCAA and QUT.

As part of her practice she seeks and creates opportunities for teachers and students to bridge the gap between real world industry experiences within and beyond the curriculum.

Project Officer – Sheree Ramage

Sheree Ramage has 15 years of project management experience within the film industry, having worked on prestigious international and local events such as the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Film Festival and Brisbane International Film Festival.

She has a passion for fostering opportunities that ignite and develop young people’s interest in film, having previously coordinated the Cine Sparks youth program and Queensland New Filmmakers Awards at BIFF, and securing the participation of Brisbane film students in the European Film Awards’ Young Audience Award.

In 2021 she founded the Asia Pacific Young Audience Award, which screens three Asia Pacific films to a jury of young people aged 14-17. This gives them exposure to and space for discourse about international cinema, as well as creating industry connections and tertiary insights for future pathways in film.

She recently produced the AWGIE and SPA-nominated short film When The Sky Was Blue (Rae Choi, Australia, 2021) and has been Chair of Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival.