Trend Details

Australian TV Veterans Start Production Company Lantern Pictures

Australian television veterans Sarah Lambert, Jane Manning and Andrew Lambert launch production company Lantern Pictures to integrate international content and creators into the Australian scene. By Ching Wai.

Australia - At a seminar during the Screen Forever convention in Queensland’s Gold Coast, a trio of Australian television veterans announced the launch of a new production company named Lantern Pictures on Wednesday. The trio includes prominent writer and showrunner Sarah Lambert, director Jane Manning and former Foxtel media executive Andrew Lambert. Through the company, the experienced television industry figures strive to produce a catalogue of independent television content, and help U.S. creative showrunners integrate into the Australian scene.

The company currently has nearly a dozen new projects in the works - many with significant female leads. Some are written by one of the trio Jane Manning, while others are created in partnership arrangements. Details of the projects are yet to be announced, but news of the first of these works are expected to come in the next couple of months.

The experience from the three veterans gives the newly founded company some grounds for confidence. Sarah Lambert’s experience in New York expanded her portfolio significantly, and her international experiences inspired her to take a different tack. In an interview with Variety, Lambert said, “I wanted to bring those productions back here [to Australia]. Why weren’t we doing these productions?”

Lambert also described the vision for Lantern Pictures, saying, “[i]t felt like this was the time to create a company which really put writer-creators and director-creators in the heart of production. It is not only about developing those projects here with our production partners, but also creating a system here where we take the writer-creator all the way through to the end of production, really honouring that authorial voice, and being really bold about the vision that we were doing.”

Andrew Lambert said that the company will proceed as an independent producer funded by the trio themselves for now, and work with commissioning broadcasters, government agencies and industry distributors. He added that “[they] understand the pitfalls of that scenario and [they]’re confident [they] can find a way.”

To never miss a story — sign up for Viral Weekly free newsletter to stay up-to-date with compelling TV and Film news and views.

Back to Listing