Our stories continue to be told our way
For the first time, Australia's federal and state screen agencies have aligned behind a single national effort to support First Nations producers not merely as storytellers, but as entrepreneurs building lasting enterprises. Indigenous Business Australia, Screen Australia, and No Coincidence Media have launched an accelerator program that offers mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers the business mentorship, financial pathways, and structural scaffolding their creative ambitions have long outpaced. The initiative reflects a quiet but significant shift in how the screen industry understands its own future — one in which Indigenous-led production companies are recognised as economic pillars, not peripheral voices.
- A persistent gap in the sector has left talented First Nations producers without the business infrastructure to turn creative capability into sustainable enterprise.
- For the first time, every major Australian screen funding body — federal and across six states and territories — has aligned behind a single, coordinated national program, a level of institutional unity rarely seen in screen policy.
- No Coincidence Media will design and deliver the program through a culturally informed lens, ensuring business training is shaped by Indigenous ways of working rather than imposed over them.
- Participants gain access to industry mentorship, targeted business development support, and finance pathways aimed at scaling projects for both national and international markets.
- Applications are open now, and the program signals a structural commitment — not a pilot — to building a more economically resilient First Nations screen sector on Indigenous producers' own terms.
Three major institutions — Indigenous Business Australia, Screen Australia, and No Coincidence Media — have launched a national accelerator program for First Nations producers ready to scale their businesses. Applications are open across the country, marking the first time federal and state screen agencies have coordinated a unified approach to Indigenous screen business development.
The coalition behind the program is unusually broad. Beyond the three lead organisations, Screen Canberra, Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Screen Tasmania, Screen Territory, Screenwest, the South Australian Film Corporation, and VicScreen have all aligned their investment and expertise. That cross-jurisdictional unity is rare in Australian screen policy, and it signals a deliberate recognition: First Nations producers need business infrastructure, not just creative opportunity.
IBA Deputy CEO Sean Armistead framed the initiative as an extension of his organisation's proven accelerator work in general business and tourism, now applied to screen. The emphasis throughout is on producers as entrepreneurs and business leaders — economic empowerment through the work they already do. Screen Australia's Rachel Perkins reinforced the point, describing the program as 'scaffolding' that supports creative vision without directing it, helping production companies survive contact with the market.
No Coincidence Media will design and deliver the program itself. Producer Mitch Stanley described it as a direct response to a clear sector gap — business development delivered through a culturally informed lens that respects Indigenous ways of working within contemporary screen industry realities. That last distinction matters: this is not generic training grafted onto Indigenous producers.
The accelerator targets emerging and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers — people who have already proven they can make work, but who need help building sustainable enterprise around that capability. By removing the fragmentation of multiple funding streams and support mechanisms, the program represents a shift in how the sector thinks about Indigenous producers: not as a diversity initiative, but as a core part of building a stronger, more economically resilient Australian screen industry.
Three major institutions—Indigenous Business Australia, Screen Australia, and No Coincidence Media—have joined forces to launch a new accelerator program aimed squarely at First Nations producers who are ready to scale. Applications are now open nationwide, marking the first time federal and state screen agencies have coordinated a unified national effort around Indigenous screen business development.
The program brings together an unusually broad coalition of backers. Beyond the three lead organisations, support comes from Screen Canberra, Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Screen Tasmania, Screen Territory, Screenwest, the South Australian Film Corporation, and VicScreen. That level of alignment across jurisdictions is rare in Australian screen policy, and it signals something deliberate: the recognition that First Nations producers need more than creative opportunity—they need business infrastructure.
Sean Armistead, Deputy CEO of Indigenous Business Australia, framed the initiative as an extension of what his organisation already does well. IBA has run successful accelerator programs in general business and tourism; this one applies that proven model to screen. "This partnership recognises that First Nations producers are not only powerful storytellers, but entrepreneurs and business leaders," Armistead said. "By supporting their business growth, we are strengthening the foundations of a more resilient and sustainable First Nations screen sector." The language matters: producers as business leaders, not just artists. The emphasis is on economic empowerment through the work they already do.
Rachel Perkins, Screen Australia's Director of First Nations Strategy, echoed that framing. She noted that success in screen requires both creative talent and solid business foundations. "Backed by national and state partners, this initiative creates that support—ensuring the next generation of Indigenous production companies have the business scaffolding to build sustainable careers and bring their stories to the screen." The scaffolding metaphor is instructive: the program is not about replacing or directing creative vision, but about building the structural support that allows vision to survive contact with the market.
No Coincidence Media will design and deliver the program itself. Mitch Stanley, a producer at the company, said the initiative responds to a clear gap in the sector. "This program responds to a clear need in the sector supporting the next generation of producers to build sustainable businesses, strengthen their business acumen, and ensure our stories continue to be told our way." That last phrase—our way—captures something essential about the program's philosophy. It is not generic business training grafted onto Indigenous producers. It is business development delivered through a culturally informed lens that respects Indigenous ways of working within contemporary screen industry realities.
The accelerator will offer participants access to industry mentorship, targeted business development support, and pathways to finance. Participants will work on scaling their projects and production companies for both national and international markets. The program targets emerging and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers—people who have already proven they can make work, but who need help turning that capability into sustainable enterprise.
What makes this different from previous efforts is the coordination. State and federal agencies have aligned their investment and expertise around a single, nationally consistent approach. That removes the fragmentation that has historically made it difficult for producers to navigate multiple funding streams and support mechanisms. It also signals institutional commitment: these organisations are not running a pilot or a one-off initiative. They are building infrastructure.
Applications are open now. For producers who have been waiting for this kind of support—business mentorship delivered by people who understand both the screen industry and First Nations contexts—the timing is significant. The program represents a shift in how the sector thinks about Indigenous producers: not as a special interest or a diversity initiative, but as a core part of building a stronger, more economically resilient Australian screen industry.
Notable Quotes
By supporting their business growth, we are strengthening the foundations of a more resilient and sustainable First Nations screen sector.— Sean Armistead, Deputy CEO, Indigenous Business Australia
This program responds to a clear need in the sector supporting the next generation of producers to build sustainable businesses, strengthen their business acumen, and ensure our stories continue to be told our way.— Mitch Stanley, Producer, No Coincidence Media
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a screen accelerator need to be specifically designed for First Nations producers? Aren't business skills universal?
Business skills are universal, but the context isn't. A First Nations producer faces different financing barriers, different market access, different pressures around who controls the narrative. A generic accelerator might teach you how to pitch to investors, but it won't teach you how to do that while maintaining creative sovereignty. This program is built on the assumption that those things are inseparable.
So it's not just about money or mentorship—it's about protecting something cultural while building something commercial.
Exactly. Mitch Stanley's phrase "our stories continue to be told our way" is the whole point. You can scale a business and lose control of your work. This program is trying to make sure that doesn't happen.
Why did it take until 2026 for federal and state agencies to coordinate like this?
That's a fair question. Screen funding in Australia has always been fragmented across jurisdictions. Each state had its own priorities, its own funding streams. For Indigenous producers, that meant navigating eight different systems. This is the first time those systems decided to move together.
What happens to a producer who goes through the accelerator?
They get mentorship from people who've built sustainable screen businesses. They get help with business planning, financial modelling, market strategy. They get connected to finance pathways and market opportunities. And they do it all within a framework that respects how Indigenous businesses actually operate, not just how textbooks say they should.
Is this enough to change the economics of First Nations screen production?
It's a significant step. But it's one program. Real change would mean sustained funding, ongoing support, and genuine shifts in who gets to greenlight projects and control distribution. This accelerator is infrastructure. Infrastructure matters, but it's not the whole story.