Virtual Panel Event

Tales from Outer Suburbia is a bold new animated series from Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions that reimagines storytelling through striking visual design and layered, imaginative narratives. The production process behind this series offers valuable insights for emerging creatives, providing inspiration for students of animation, filmmaking, design and visual arts. Explore how story development, illustration and adaptation converge to create compelling screen stories. 
 
Join the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) and ACMI for a special panel discussion with:

• Shaun Tan, Creative Director
• Noel Cleary, Series Director
• Sophie Byrne, Producer
• Moderated by Paul Gartside, ACTF Development Manager

About the Panel 

Shaun Tan 
Shaun Tan is an internationally acclaimed artist, author and filmmaker whose works include The Arrival, The Rabbits and Tales from Outer Suburbia. His Academy Award-winning short film The Lost Thing and numerous literary honours cement his reputation as one of the most influential voices in visual narrative.

Noel Cleary 
Noel Cleary is an accomplished director and animator from Flying Bark Productions with a career in feature films and television. Renowned for directing Maya the Bee films and co-directing Blinky Bill: The Movie, Noel now helms the ambitious animated series Tales from Outer Suburbia. 

Sophie Byrne
Sophie Byrne is a multi-award-winning producer and creative leader with over three decades of experience in global screen production. Best known for producing the Oscar-winning short The Lost Thing, Sophie spearheads innovative projects through her company Highly Spirited, including Tales from Outer Suburbia and the forthcoming feature adaptation of The Arrival. 

Paul Gartside 
Paul Gartside is an AWGIE-nominated writer, script editor, script producer and development manager for television, feature film, and narrative podcasts. As a development manager at the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, Paul has contributed to projects such as animated series Tales from Outer Suburbia (ABC), family features Windcatcher and the upcoming Whale Shark Jack (Stan) and series, Little J and Big Cuz Series 4 (NITV/ABC), Kangaroo Beach Series 2 (ABC). 

Details 

Monday 23 March  
VIC, NSW, TAS, ACT (AEDT): 12.00pm – 1.00pm  
QLD (AEST): 11.00am - 12.00pm
SA (ACDT): 11.30am - 12.30pm
NT (ACST): 11.00am – 12.00pm  
WA (AWST): 9.00am – 10.00am 
 
This event is suitable for:  
University students studying animation, filmmaking, design and visual arts.  
Years 10 - 12 Media Arts and Visual Arts students and teachers. 
Early-career industry professionals. 

Can’t join us live? No worries! Register and we’ll send you a link so you can enjoy the recording whenever it suits you. 

Melbourne based audiences can join this event plus a screening live at ACMI. To register to join in-person please click here. 

This event is co-presented with ACMI.  

Tales from Outer Suburbia Production Credits

Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions production for the ABC and BYUtv. Major production investment from Screen Australia and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation in association with the ABC. Produced in New South Wales and Western Australia with Siamese and financed with support from Screenwest. Adapted from Shaun Tan's multi-award-winning book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Directed by Noel Cleary. Creative Director: Shaun Tan. Producers: Sophie Byrne and Alexia Gates-Foale. Co-producer: Francesca Hope. Executive Producers: Barbara Stephen, Bernadette O’Mahony, Andra Johnson Duke, Francesca Hope, Jeff Simpson, Julia Adams, Karen Vermeulen, Libbie Doherty.  Acting Head of ABC’s Children & Family: Mary-Ellen Mullane. International sales by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation