Screen Queensland boss Courtney Gibson discusses the golden impact of Queensland’s blockbuster movie industry

Incoming Screen Queensland boss Courtney Gibson has laid bare the true impact of Queensland’s blockbuster movies – including an eye-popping $4m bill at a local Bunnings.

The golden impact of Queensland’s screen industry has been revealed, with blockbuster films bringing not just Hollywood A-listers and global exposure to the state, but a $4 million tab at the local Bunnings.

In a wide-ranging discussion about the industry’s future, new Screen Queensland chief executive Courtney Gibson, who took over the top job at the peak body in October, identified the flourishing sector as a key pillar in Queensland’s economic and global development in the next decade to the 2032 Olympics.

Ms Gibson, who has 40 years’ experience in screen and media, revealed that projects in the state delivered almost ten times the government investment and identified the Pirates of the Caribbean movie filmed on the Gold Coast in 2015 as a “game changer” in terms of economic impact.

Courtney Gibson has been appointed as chief executive of peak screen body Screen Queensland, beginning in October. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Having led screen agencies in NSW and South Australia in recent years, Ms Gibson said she often cited the Disney film when speaking to global studios about the value of bringing productions to Australia.

“They spent $4 million at the local Bunnings on hammers and nails. That stat would always stop people in their tracks. In the screen industry, the direct investment is not just back into the industry, it goes far wider than that,” Ms Gibson told The Courier-Mail.

“The production sector both at a crew level and a key creative level is recognised around the world for their talent, and the way the (Queensland) Government has supported it and effectively turned it into a key pillar of business in the state is exemplary.

“In the screen business in Queensland, for every dollar that we as a government agency would commit to a project, we bring over $9 to the table. That’s an extremely good multiplier and return on investment.”

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, left, and Orlando Bloom as Will Turner join forces in Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Picture: AP Photo/Elliot Marks

Production expenditure in Queensland reached $553m in the 2020-21 financial year, a record for the state off the back of big-budget projects including Baz Luhrmann’s globally successful Elvis and Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives.

The reputation of Queensland as a film-friendly environment during the Covid pandemic created an uptick on an industry already growing rapidly since films such as Pirates put Queensland on the radar for large scale film studios.

“Because it was successful and they kept coming back, it turbo charged the industry here for sure,” Ms Gibson continued.

Disney has returned this year with big-budget series Nautilus on the Gold Coast while other productions such as Young Rock, the Godzilla vs Kong sequel, Land of Bad, Boy Swallows Universe and Wizards! have seen a continued pipeline of large scale film work in the state.

The ship set for the Pirates of the Carribean 5, Dead Men tell no tales, at Oxenford on the Gold Coast in 2015. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Ms Gibson believed that Queensland could see an ever greater production windfall in the coming years given the opportunity presented by the 2032 Olympics as well as the Path to Treaty opening a doorway for First Nations storytelling – in conjunction with a state of the art new studio opening in Cairns in 2023.

“When I was working in other states, leading other states agencies, I’d always look to Queensland. It was always the metronome,” she said.

“It’s very much understood that Queensland, Goldy, Brisbane and now more regionally based as well, that Queensland is a production centre.

“Being able to establish a production hub with studios in Far North Queensland is a golden opportunity and doing that industry development piece, doing that work with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community … I think is going to deliver some really exciting partnerships and opportunities.”

Cast of Disney’s Nautilus pictured on set at the Old Museum in Bowen Hills – British actor Shazad Latif plays Captain Nemo and Australian actress Georgia Flood, Brisbane 6th of May 2022. (Image/Josh Woning)

She said key factors were developing the industry, deepening crew availability and technology to remain globally competitive and meet demand, as well as ongoing financial support from the Queensland and Federal Governments.

The Albanese Government is expected to release a promised National Cultural Policy by the end of the year, with Federal Government funding accounting for 36 per cent of total finance in Australia’s screen industry over the last five years.

“It’s that symbiotic ecosystem. It’s all about the pipeline and closing any gaps between productions,” Ms Gibson said.

“I see absolute momentum being maintained and I see the industry development piece being done so we have a bench of crew and we deepen that bench so we can run instead of five or big productions at one time, maybe we could have seven – so that would be ideal.”

Surfers Paradise beach was transformed into Rio during filming for the Godzilla v Kong sequel in July. Picture Glenn Hampson

Ms Gibson is taking over the post at Screen Queensland following the departure of former chief executive Kylie Munnich after three years in the job.

As well as leading state film bodies, Ms Gibson worked for television networks including ABC and Nine, commissioning enduring shows such as Spicks & Specks, Q&A, and Summer Heights High, and was a network executive on the first series of Married At First Sight, The Great Australian Bake Off and Australia’s Got Talent.

Ms Gibson identified potential to attract more reality television production to the state and encourage commercial networks as well as streaming services to invest in Queensland, creating a balance of local and attracted production.

She said the Olympics would foster exciting new partnerships and investment opportunities, while amplifying First Nations stories around the Treaty was a significant piece of work for Screen Queensland during her tenure.