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As Fremantle gears up for a busy year ahead, it has made three new appointments to its development teams across Sydney and Melbourne: Warren Clarke, Monique Keller and Nikki Tran.

Clarke will be the head of development, scripted, reporting directly to Fremantle Asia Pacific CEO Chris Oliver-Taylor.

Co-creator of ABC’s The Heights, Clarke joins Fremantle from Matchbox, where he also helped to develop projects such as Secret City, Wanted and Hyde and Seek. He was also script producer for Oddlands, and wrote for Mustangs Fc.

Clarke said: “Fremantle has long been a creative powerhouse both domestically and internationally and I’m delighted to be joining their highly talented scripted team. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the industry’s leading writers and emerging creative talent and utilising Fremantle’s vast international network to take brilliantly crafted Australian stories to the global television landscape.”

Reporting to Clarke will be Tran,...

Chris Oliver-Taylor on the set of ‘Neighbours’.

Since taking the helm of Fremantle’s Asia Pacific operations last September, Chris Oliver-Taylor has been busy realigning the Australasian business.

Adhering to Fremantle’s global mantra as “the place creatives call home,” the CEO has significantly upped the drama development budget and is prepared to commission blind scripts, i.e., before a network is aboard.

Oliver-Taylor and his team led by Jennifer Collins, the Australian director of content, are discussing projects with a host of A-grade writers including Robert Connolly, Giula Sandler, Katherine Thomson, Tommy Murphy and Matt Cameron.

“We want to work with world-class writers, predominantly but not exclusively Australian,” he tells If in his first interview since moving over from Matchbox Pictures, succeeding Ian Hogg.

“The second part of the strategy is having great IP, whether it’s a book, a play or an original idea. The third is a strong financial strategy.

Jennifer Collins.

Fremantle has appointed Jennifer Collins as the Australian director of content, a role which will see see her responsible for both scripted and unscripted development and production slates and for creating a consolidated strategy across genres.

Collins joins Fremantle from Screentime, where she was head of non-fiction. Prior to this, she was the ABC’s head of entertainment, and over her career has overseen productions such as Rbt, Stop Laughing… This Is Serious, Dirty Laundry Live, Adam Hills Tonight, The Chaser Decides, Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery, Gruen Planet and Kitchen Cabinet.

Newly-minted Fremantle CEO Anz Chris Oliver-Taylor said: “I am thrilled that Jen is joining Fremantle, she will add significant creative depth that will complement our extraordinary team at Fremantle. As a professional and on a personal-level, I think she will bring enormous value to the business, both culturally and creatively”

Collins said: “I couldn’t be...

Natalia Kills and Willy Moon have both been fired from The X Factor Nz, following harsh criticism of a contestant.

Kills, who appeared on the singing competition's judging panel alongside her husband, took offence to contestant Joe Irvine's live performance and called it "disgusting" and "absolutely artistically atrocious".

The show's New Zealand producer MediaWorks described the pair's comments as "unacceptable" and they have left The X Factor Nz "effective immediately".

"Last night on X Factor both Kills and Moon made comments that were completely unacceptable," chief executive Mark Weldon explained.

"While the judges on X Factor are expected to provide critiques of the performances, we will not tolerate such destructive tirades from any of the judges.

"Contestants put their all into this competition and they should expect to receive feedback and criticism that is professional and constructive.

"We no longer have confidence that Kills and Moon are the right people...

Director Russell Crowe Movie up for Best Film: Australian Academy Awards 2015 nominations (photo: Actor-director Russell Crowe in 'The Water Diviner') Aacta Awards: Feature Film Categories Best Film The Babadook Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere Charlie's Country Nils Erik Nielsen, Peter Djigirr and Rolf de Heer Predestination Paddy McDonald, Tim McGahan, Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig The Railway Man Chris Brown, Andy Paterson and Bill Curbishley Tracks Emile Sherman and Iain Canning The Water Diviner Andrew Mason, Keith Rodger and Troy Lum Best Director The Babadook Jennifer Kent Charlie's Country Rolf de Heer Predestination Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig The Rover David Michôd Best Actress Kate Box The Little Death Essie Davis The Babadook Sarah Snook Predestination Mia Wasikowska Tracks Best Actor Russell Crowe The Water Diviner David Gulpilil Charlie's Country Damon Herriman The Little Death Guy Pearce The Rover Best Supporting Actor Patrick Brammall The Little Death Yilmaz Erdogan...

If the 3rd annual Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards could be categorised as a David vs Goliath battle between The Rocket and The Great Gatsby, Goliath is the hands-down winner.

Baz Luhrmann.s opulent romantic drama won six awards tonight, for best film, director, adapted screenplay, lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio, supporting actor Joel Edgerton and supporting actress Elizabeth Debicki.

That.s in addition to the six awards in craft categories plus the Aacta award for outstanding achievement in visual effects bestowed on Luhrmann.s film on Tuesday.

Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket, which had 12 nominations versus 14 for Gatsby, had to be content with just one trophy, for Mordaunt.s original screenplay.

The outcome is likely to reignite the debate about the near-impossibility of comparing a lavishly-mounted 3D film financed by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures, which cost $160 million, with an independently-funded Lao-set film from a first-time director budgeted at about $2 million.