The CEO of Australian state film, TV and documentary funding body Screen NSW has left after the New South Wales government decided to merge the agency with Arts NSW.

Courtney Gibson

Courtney Gibson departs after 13 months in the post as the government announced Michael Brealey, acting executive director of Arts NSW, will be CEO of Create NSW, effective from January 23.

The government said the new agency will provide a platform for the arts, cultural and creative sectors to more easily connect with other government entities, facilitate stronger relationships and partnerships and deliver a more coordinated system for stakeholders and the community.

Two Screen NSW execs will transition to senior positions at Create NSW: Grainne Brunsdon as director, engagement, partnerships and development, and Sophia Zachariou as director, sector investment.

During Gibson’s tenure, Screen NSW facilitated a tripling of project funding for local and international production with the introduction of the A$20m (US$14.7m) Made in NSW ^[1] fund.

The state’s share of Australian TV drama and features jumped from 39% in 2014/15 to 55% in 2015/16 and is on track to be even higher this fiscal year.

In its latest funding round ^[2], Screen NSW backed a raft of TV productions including Giant Dwarf’s The Letdown, Beyond Entertainment’s Pulse, Playmaker Media’s Friday on My Mind and Goalpost Pictures’ The Fighting Season.

Samantha Torres, deputy secretary of the NSW department of justice services, arts and culture, said: “Under Courtney’s leadership Screen NSW has made unparalleled strides towards full gender equity, with dramatic increases in the number of roles accorded female key creatives, and driven the creation of initiatives such as Screenability NSW to deliver opportunities for screen practitioners with disabilities.”