A leading media analyst and one of Australia’s most influential screen storytellers are set to take the stage at next month’s Cairns Crocodiles presented by Pinterest.
The ‘Data At The Centre’ session features on the festival’s new Film and Screen track, which makes its debut on day two of the three-day event, Wednesday 13 May.
Taking part are Ed Ludlow, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, and Aaron Fa’aoso, award-winning Torres Strait Islander filmmaker, actor and founder and managing director of Lonestar Entertainment Company.
Co-curator of the Film and Screen Track and editorial director of Irresistible Magazine, Catherine de Clare, explained that at the heart of the conversation is a simple reality.
“If you don’t understand the numbers, you cannot understand the future,” de Clare said.
She added that as viewing habits evolve, traditional assumptions are being challenged, with older audiences spending more time on long-form YouTube, and younger behaviours increasingly influencing entire households.
Fa’aoso said the conversation will ultimately come back to the fundamentals of how projects get made.
“Success and commercial cross-over always comes back to budgets – whether in production or marketing – and if you haven’t got the data to back you up it’s hard to get projects over the line,” Fa’aoso said.
“I can’t wait to help Ed tell us what he knows and show us his exciting research, and I know I’ll be taking notes so that I can build on this knowledge to keep elevating First Nations stories and creatives, and the whole of the Australian screen sector”
De Clare said that Australia sits at a unique intersection of cultural influence, shaped by both US and Asian markets, making it a critical lens through which to understand global trends in content, distribution and demand.
At the same time, the local industry is navigating a period of real transition, with scripted commissioning increasingly shifting towards streamers and public broadcasters (as commercial networks) lean further into unscripted formats.
The fascinating presentation followed by a fireside-style conversation will dive into what Australia has produced in recent years and where it is heading next, from the impact of streaming quotas and economic pressures on local output, to broader questions around cost of production, global investment and the changing nature of commissioning. It will also explore the growing influence of platforms like YouTube, the fragmentation of viewing habits and whether the industry can recapture shared “watercooler” moments in an increasingly on-demand world.
Ludlow said bringing together data and creativity is critical to understanding what comes next.
“When you’re creating art, and especially in the screen industry, it can be easy to forget there’s a massive business that needs to work,” Ludlow said.
He said that however crucial the ideas are, any project has to pass through a lot of hands and a lot of organisations and that understanding your audience, what they want, and how they are changing, can make the difference between success and failure.
“Cairns Crocodiles is a great opportunity to put the numbers next to the creativity,” Ludlow added.
Together, the pair will unpack where attention is moving, where advertising dollars are flowing, and how the global TV distribution landscape is evolving in response.
In case you missed it, check out these other great sessions set to take place on Film and Screen Track:
From Get Out To G’Day: The Power Of Brand Australia On Screen To Be Revealed In Cairns
Global & Local Talent Unite For ‘Poptimism’ Panel At Cairns Crocodiles
Legendary Australian Filmmaker Warwick Thornton To Headline Cairns Crocodiles Film & Screen Track
Cairns Crocodiles Presented by Pinterest Speaker Spotlight
Get your tickets HERE.
And if you want to learn more about the new Film and Screen track checkout the site here.
