PUBLISHED06 Nov 2025
Impact Producer Program 2025 Wrap
The final year of the Impact Producer Program has just concluded.
“It’s been an incredible year with Matisse and Jess, who have poured their energy into mastering the art of impact producing and understanding how to harness the power of a documentary as a catalyst for positive social change. As emerging impact producers, they’re now ready to bring their creativity and professional insight to this growing field. A heartfelt thank you to all our funders, venue partners, film teams and industry panelists, and mentors who have contributed to the program.”
– Lisa Kanani, Documentary Australia program lead
Below is a reflection on eight months as participants in the Impact Producer Program by our newest program alumni, Matisse and Jess.
Hear from Matisse and Jess
What inspired you to join the Impact Producer Program?
Matisse: “I joined the Impact Producer Program to sharpen my campaign skills and to be able to apply them to a documentary context. The program far exceeded my expectations, as it went beyond learning and offered opportunities to gain direct work experience and cement ourselves within the industry. It combined personal and professional development, mentorship, tangible training, work experience, and job facilitation in one streamlined program.”
Jess: “I wanted to learn the strategy behind designing and implementing impact campaigns for documentaries, to gain a better understanding of working with film teams, to learn about the film distribution process and landscape, and to widen my network of impact storytellers.”
How will the program most influence your professional growth?
Matisse: “The materials that covered the fundamentals of the documentary industry, such as landscape, distribution and fundraising, provided me with essential bedrock knowledge, as this was all new territory for me. Conversely, the materials that focussed on the principles of campaigning, such as impact strategy, implementation or monitoring and evaluation, provided sharp reframes for familiar territory.”
Jess: “The partnerships modules changed the way I approach projects from as early as pre-production, along with outreach and community building. Before the program, I lacked experience in working on the release and distribution of a documentary (film or audio). This module has given me a good foundation in the strategy behind forming ‘impact partnerships’, who can support a projects’ reach, impact goals, audience-building and impact strategy.”
How have you put what you learned in the program into practice?
Matisse: “All the knowledge gathered on the IPP is proliferating my approach to Yurlu | Country, a film project I am currently working on. Due to the IPP, I have been able to implement best practice and principles to my outreach, partnerships, call to actions, communications, and asset creation.”
Jess: “Alongside the IPP, I’ve been producing and have recently released an independent audio documentary series called SOIL: Rewilding the Underground. The IPP modules and experience with the Documentary Australia team gave me confidence to approach impact partners for the series, which have led to ongoing collaborations and the opportunity for a future parliamentary listening event, and have strengthened our project’s goals and mission.”
How did the masterclasses, festivals, and events help you to grow your knowledge and network?
Matisse: “They were invaluable for our growth, as they took us beyond the theoretical, and introduced us to the beating heart of the documentary world. We were able to meet people in the industry, ask questions, and better understand the mechanics of bringing documentary films and ideas to audiences.”
Jess: “Starting the IPP with a program of film screenings and case studies was a brilliant way to gain a foundational understanding in the role of an impact producer and impact campaign.
I feel like I’m leaving the program equipped with a foundational understanding of the documentary landscape in Australia, a wider network, and look forward to connecting with more people in the industry.”
How has the program shaped your understanding of how documentaries and impact campaigns drive social change?
Matisse: “The method of using documentary as a tool for social change has many existing frameworks, strategies and systems that I was previously completely unaware of. While in some respects, the sub-sector is still in its infancy, documentary impact work is rapidly solidifying its own discipline and carving out dedicated space for itself at the intersections of film distribution, civil society, social change organisations, and philanthropy. This is extremely exciting to me.”
Jess: “When starting the IPP, I had already commenced a fundraising campaign for an audio documentary, which included community screenings and early partnerships, although I hadn’t understood this as an ‘impact campaign’ at the time.
Almost immediately after starting the IPP, I learnt how I would do this differently, including incorporating evaluation tools like surveys, strategic website design and formalising impact partnerships. I’ve since learnt how a documentary itself can become an impact tool in broader social movements, which has shifted my understanding of the role of partners, of approaching funders, of marketing and communications around a documentary’s impact campaign, and of evaluating success.”
How has the program influenced your personal and career growth?
Matisse: “The most valuable aspect of the IPP has been the people I have met and the ongoing access to their incredible wells of knowledge. The network we have developed throughout this program would have taken years and years to develop on my own.”
Jess: “The IPP has given me the confidence to think laterally across sectors and industries when collaborating and designing campaigns around documentary storytelling for social impact. Hearing so many examples of different distribution pathways, impact activities, outputs and case studies was eye-opening and informative.”
What were the most unexpected insights or experiences you had during the program?
Matisse: “The most surprising and unexpected element of the IPP for me was Documentary Australia’s inclusive approach to our involvement within the organisation. As IPP participants, we were not treated as an annex to the team, we were generously given opportunities to integrate ourselves into Documentary Australia and see the work unfolding from the inside.”
Jess: “Being able to attend Climate Story Lab Australia was an incredible opportunity for me. It was inspiring and eye opening to see the collaborations and discussions across the climate movement and see the role of documentary storytelling understood as central to this movement.”
How do you plan to carry forward the things you learned in the IPP into your future work?
Matisse: “I plan on shifting the focus of my company to target more film impact work, from strategy to implementation. I also plan on adjusting some of the tools I have built over my career to prioritise the needs of social impact documentary film teams.”
Jess: “In the immediate future, I plan to apply as much of the IPP learnings as possible to the rollout of SOIL, including: fundraising for an impact campaign; hosting a parliamentary screening/listening event with impact partners; continued collaborations with advocacy partners throughout 2026; community listening events with targeted audiences; and possibly exploring school cutdowns and educational guides. I hope to contribute to strengthening the impact audio sector in Australia, so that documentary makers are supported, audio documentaries are valued, and podcasts are an understood tool and opportunity for film teams to utilise in their impact campaigns.”
Impact Producer Program Masterclasses
As part of the 2025 Impact Producer Program, Documentary Australia also held three impact-focused Masterclasses featuring industry experts: Storytelling for Systems Change, Powering Fundraising Through Your Networks & Communities and Ethical Collaboration for Documentary Impact. These free Masterclasses were open for the public to attend online, and are now available to access on our website!
Read related news about the 2025 program
The Impact Producer Program is made possible thanks to the support of its major partners, including The Snow Foundation, Screen Australia, Screen NSW, Minderoo Foundation and Dyson Bequest, plus venue partner Shark Island Institute.