Screen Australia CEO Mason set to depart in November, recruitment to start soon

Long-running Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason will be leaving his role at the funding agency in November after 10 years.

Graeme Mason

Recruitment for the CEO position will commence shortly, Screen Australia said, with industry insiders suggesting it will be an internal appointment. Mason is yet to announce his next move.

Mason joined Screen Australia as CEO in November 2013, joining from the New Zealand Film Commission where he was CEO and prior to that held executive roles in the entertainment industry in London and LA over a 20-year period.

Mason leaves the agency after significant shifts in the industry, including major slashing of Screen Australia’s budgets at a time of heightened global competition. He presided over a significant growth spurt for the Australian screen sector, reflected in 2022’s Drama Report stating a record high of AUD$2.29bn (USUS$1.61bn) expenditure in Australia on scripted screen production.

Under Mason’s leadership, Screen Australia commissioned Screen Currency, a report valuing Australia’s screen industry, and launched Gender Matters to address the under-represented genders in key creative roles in the Australian screen industry. Screen Australia added Mason was a champion of First Nations stories and the agency’s First Nations Department.

Mason described his time in the pivotal role as “a great privilege,” adding: “The screen sector is one of Australia’s best success stories. It is unparalleled in its cultural influence here and reflecting Australia globally. It is a phenomenal business and economic driver, and it is fuelled by an extraordinarily large group of dedicated hard-working talented people. I am delighted that I got to come home to Australia to take on this role. I look forward to the year ahead celebrating the wealth of local screen content and assisting Screen Australia and the screen sector going forward.”