Deirdre Brennan has left her COO post at WildBrain to move back down under and head up funding body Screen Australia as CEO, starting in January.

Brennan will succeed Graeme Mason, who is leaving in November after 10 years with the TV and film funding org. Her remit is all about growing Screen Australia’s capacity to tell Australian stories and connect Aussie content with international audiences. Her last day at WildBrain was October 26.

“Deirdre has been a valuable member of the WildBrain team, and we wish her well in her new role,” a WildBrain spokesperson tells Kidscreen.

Brennan has more than two decades of experience in the kids media industry, a lot of which she gained in Australia earlier on in her career. She worked as a programmer at ABC and Nickelodeon Australia, and then came back to the pubcaster in 2013 as head of children’s. Moving overseas in 2016, Brennan served as VP of content at Corus Entertainment and GM of Universal Kids before joining WildBrain in 2019, initially as an advisor.

Screen Australia plays a key role in supporting domestically made children’s programming. This year alone, it has selected two series and two films to share US$5 million in production funding, as well as allocating US$3 million for business and story development.

Australia’s kids content producers are concerned that the country’s free-to-air channels aired 84% less domestic programming for children in 2022 than they did in 2019. Like many other countries, Brennan notes that Australia’s screen industry is struggling to deal with new technologies, platforms and market pressures. She’s excited to return to home to head up Screen Australia, with the aim of supporting storytellers and “focusing on building a sustainable future for the creative industry.”

Story updated October 31 with info on Brennan’s last day at WildBrain.