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Impact Producer Program

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About the Impact Producer Program

Documentary Australia is dedicated to building capacity and supporting professionals in our industry. The Impact Producer Program offers professional training, mentorship, practical experience and hands-on work on documentary impact campaigns. The program supports the growing demand for trained impact producers in this new profession.  

Now in its third year, the program has trained six impact producers to date, with two more joining in 2025. The workplace training is designed to help participants transition into the specialised role of impact producing and benefit the participants and the wider documentary and social sector.

Meet the 2025 participants, Jessica Hamilton and Matisse Walkden-Brown.

Meet the 2024 participants, AJ Linke and Aprille Asfoura and read their reflections about the years program.

Meet the 2023 participants, Andrea Foxworthy, Mel Harwin, Natasha Akib and Rowena Potts.

What is an ImPact Producer?
Impact Producer FAQs
Watch masterclasses
 

WATCH IMPACT
 MASTERCLASS EVENTS

2024 

Impact Partnerships

        Fundraising for Impact

Impact and Education

2023

Funding for Impact

– Part One
– Part Two

Impact and Distribution

– Part One
– Part Two

Campaigning and Communications

– Part One
– Part Two

Program Content

In 2025, the professional development program at Documentary Australia will offer formal learning through specialist-designed modules, one-on-one structured mentorship with individual Documentary Australia team members, and a masterclasses program from highly respected industry leaders.

MODULES AND ACTIVITIES

Participants will complete eleven learning modules, activities and readings including impact strategy, evaluation, implementation, education, fundraising, budgeting, communication, campaigning, and evaluation.

 

HANDS-ON PRACTICE

Participants will then put their learning into practice. They will develop their skills and experience in a hands-on setting and work on impact campaigns for documentary films under the guidance of the Documentary Australia team. 

MENTORSHIPS

Participants will be mentored by Documentary Australia’s impact, evaluation, and fundraising teams to develop knowledge, skills and practical experience of campaigns.


ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2024

  • Recruited and mentored two program participants
  • Participants supported four social-impact campaigns
  • 16 formal learning and capacity building sessions
  • Five capacity building sessions and mini masterclasses with industry experts
  • Three public facing masterclasses with 35+ attendees


Support the
Impact Producer Program 


Want to get in touch?
[email protected]

Meet the team

MASTERCLASSES

In this masterclass series, we will meet panels of impact producers, industry experts and award-winning filmmakers to discover the key to successful impact campaigns. The masterclass series illustrates how to create impact, build movements, maximise distribution models, attract donors, build partnerships, and engage audiences.

Recent Masterclasses to watch below:

  • FUNDING FOR IMPACT 2023 with panel of Andrew Myer AM – Chair of Documentary
    Australia and Chair of Sidney Myer Fund, Belinda Morrissey – CEO of the English
    Family Foundation, and Duy Huynh and Andrew Kelly – Director/Producers of
    documentary How to Thrive. 
  • IMPACT & DISTRIBUTION 2023 with panel of Jonathan Page – CEO of Bonsai Films, and Anna Kaplan – Impact Producer and Co-Founder of Regen Studios.

 

  • CAMPAIGNING & COMMUNICATIONS 2023 with panel of campaigners Tony Mohr and Emily Reeves.
  • Impact & Education 2024 with panel of Shark Island Institute Education Director, Alex Shain, filmmaker and business affairs expert, Chris Kamen, and education specialist and resource writer, Dr Anne Chesher.
  • Fundraising for Impact 2024 with panel of filmmaker, Ivan O’Mahoney, Board Director of the Ferris Family Foundation, Ben Ferris, and Head of Partnerships & Communications at Documentary Australia, Sharlene Dadd.
  • Impact Partnerships 2024 with panel of Impact Producer, Jackie Turnure, and Executive Producer of Impact and Partnerships in ABC Digital Content, Teri Calder.

What is an impact producer?

An impact producer is responsible for designing and implementing strategic impact and education strategies around social impact documentaries. An impact producer will place a documentary film as a central tool in a campaign by building collaboration with a broad range of partners across civil society.

There is an increasing demand for impact producers in the Australian documentary sector as films forge new pathways to audiences beyond broadcast, festival, and theatrical release.

2025 Impact Producer Program Participants

Jessica Hamilton

Jessica Hamilton is a writer and producer. She has created and produced audio documentaries for ABC RN, CSIRO, Greenpeace, the Sydney Opera House, and Audible, and is currently producing an independent series about regenerating soil. Her work has been awarded by the Australian Podcast Awards, Rose D’Or, and ACRA, and has been shortlisted for Third Coast & BBC Audio Drama Awards. With a background in behaviour change campaigns and a master’s degree in Marine Science and Management, Jess is passionate about creative storytelling for environmental, climate, and social impact.

Matisse Walkden-Brown

Matisse Walkden-Brown is a communications professional specialising in campaigning and impact content. Having worked across mainstream media, NGOs, and international development, she focuses on harnessing the power of strong stories to activate lasting change. Matisse grew up in Fiji and has experience in both the Pacific climate justice movement and the local film industry. She holds a BA in Journalism and a master’s degree in International and Community Development.

Click here to learn more

2024 Impact Producer Program Participants

AJ Linke

AJ is a change-maker at heart, determined to shape the narrative around our changing climate with stories that inspire action in people from all backgrounds. AJ founded an environmental non-profit at the age of 21, whose programs were responsible for educating over 10,000 people about the reality of the plastic and textiles industries, and the potential for an alternative. Having broadened her focus into food production systems, AJ is inspired to bring a holistic lens to capture stories of sustainability and community transformation.

Aprille Asfoura

Aprille is a Palestinian-Australian woman and mother with a background in the arts and screen industry in Australia and overseas. She studied documentary production at AFTRS, inspired by her time in New York collaborating with acclaimed documentary filmmakers on their award-winning documentaries (Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson); and Life, Animated (Julie Goldman). Her diverse roles span story development, directing, creative writing, and project management across festivals, scripted shorts, VR, and documentary features. She worked for two years with Screen Australia supporting the Gender Matters Task Force headed by Fiona Cameron. Aprille would like to continue to develop her own documentary practice and is dedicated to using documentary storytelling as a tool for political-structural change and advocating for human rights and social justice.

Click here to learn more

2023 Impact Producer Program Participants

Andrea Foxworthy

Andrea is the Impact Producer of AACTA and Walkley Award nominated feature documentary Franklin (2022). She co-produced (with Philippa Campey of Film Camp) the feature and TV documentary Brazen Hussies (2020), which was nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the AACTA (2020) and AIDC Awards (2021), and was nominated for AACTA Best Factual Program (2021).

Mel Harwin

Mel has more than fifteen years of experience working across international development, social and community sectors within Asia, Africa, and Oceania. She holds a BA in Community Development with published academic research and non-academic impact-focused works and is a social change writer, facilitator, and strategic consultant.

Natasha Akib

Natasha specialises in film production, capacity building, facilitation and campaigning and has over a decade of experience working in the social enterprise and non-profit sectors.   Natasha is a Co-creator and Director at Digital Storytellers – a B-Corp and social enterprise creating a better future through the power of story.

Rowena Potts

Rowena is a filmmaker, writer and visual anthropologist. Her short films explore a wide range of subjects and have screened at international festivals and museums in the United States, Australia, and Europe. Rowena holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from New York University and a Graduate Diploma in Documentary from AFTRS.
Click here to learn more
"Following last year’s participation in the DA IPP program I have been engaged as Impact Producer for the survivor-led feature documentary Left Write Hook. I look forward to honouring the courageous work of the film participants and production team by using the film to amplify conversations about child sexual abuse prevention. Left Write Hook will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August."
Andrea Foxworthy
“After working with the Trailblazers team as part of the Impact Producer Program last year, I’m excited to be onboard and working with Documentary Australia as an impact producer for this inspiring film. It has been a great opportunity to put everything we learned into action, with the aim of progressing gender equality in sports and beyond”.
Natasha Akib
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The Impact Producer Program is kindly supported by:

Venue Partner:

We use stories to incite action and create impact on vital social issues

Annual Impact Report 2023-2024

In FY23-24, Documentary Australia continued its commitment to empowering filmmakers to create and share compelling narratives to drive meaningful social impact.

The financial year saw a growth in the demand for documentary and the presence of Documentary Australia-supported films across various release options. Our commitment also extends beyond the lens, encompassing partner and industry engagement that elevates the collective impact of our endeavours.

Our dedicated community of donors play a pivotal role in our success. Your generous support enables us to bring powerful stories to life and to create real impact on the issues that matter most.

Read our annual report