BBCS and SBS to lead social media development scheme

Ghosts Australia

Ghosts Australia has employed creator economy expertise

The BBC’s scheme Creator Lab has launched an Australian spin-off to help local social media stars make the jump to TV.

Australian broadcaster SBS and BBC Studios will jointly run the scheme, delivered in partnership with Changer Studios and BBC Studios TalentWorks. Creator Lab launched in the UK in 2023 in a bid to bring up and coming TikTok talent over to mainstream BBC TV and continues to work with ByteDance company.

The Australian extension is targeting a broad range of creator platforms.

SBS and BBCS have invited creators with over 500,000 subscribers or followers on either YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat – or at least two videos with more than 100,000 views – to apply for the chance to turn their ideas into bigger TV formats and series and develop new ideas for their own channels.

Successful applicants will have the chance to train and pitch to streamers, commissioners and industry execs.

“Together, we know how to build ‘superbrands’, find stories that connect and create content audiences come back to.

“Creator Lab brings that thinking to your channel, your ideas and your audience,” they told potential applicants in the invitation to apply.

Creator Lab Australia will connect established Australian YouTube creators with trusted IP, premium development pathways and the tools to grow ambitious ideas into enduring creator businesses. Creator economy specialist Changer Studios delivers the programme, combining BBCS’s IP expertise with Changer’s global creator development, audience growth, platform strategy and commercial opportunity knowhow.

Participants will have the opportunity to work on selected established IP from the extensive BBC Studios global catalogue, including from Werner Film Productions (part of BBC Studios), as well as SBS-owned IP, and be supported as partners for growth in the future of media, building the next generation of Australian content brands.

While the UK version has focused on a different genre each year, with nature, football and gardening creators invited to apply respectively for the past three years, the first edition of the new scheme is inviting a broader range of applicants.

Kylie Washington, executive vice-president & creative director BBC Studios Australia Productions said: “There is extraordinary creative power within Australia’s Creator Economy, with talented storytellers building loyal communities and shaping culture every day. Creator Lab is our commitment to investing in that potential. Locally, BBC Studios has delivered hugely successful collaborations with creators across our shows, such as Ghosts Australia, The Office, The Great Australian Bake Off and Mastermind.

“By connecting creators with trusted IP, premium production expertise and the development frameworks that have helped build globally recognised brands, we’re creating a bridge between audience connection and long-term growth.

“Our ambition is to help creators further develop and scale their ideas by utilising new and shared existing IP, while establishing a network that supports the future of Australian storytelling for years to come.”

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