Popular Gold Coast-produced kids show, Mako Island of Secrets, gets second season and hundreds of millions of international followers

A POPULAR kids television show has been given a second season ensuring postcard-perfect images of our city are beamed into lounge rooms around the world.

Filming of kids tv show "H2O, just add water," at a Broadwater jetty, featuring actor Isabele Durant, as a Mermaid. Pic Jono Searle.

HE’S one of the Gold Coast’s leading exporters, the quiet achiever responsible for beaming postcard-perfect images of our city to families in lounge rooms around the world.

Executive producer Jonathan M. Shiff’s contribution to the city’s tourism industry is invaluable.

Shiff and his team are currently filming the second series of his international hit children’s TV series Mako Mermaids (known in Australia as Mako Island of Secrets) at iconic locations on the Gold Coast.

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“It’s got such a huge audience base — upwards of 250 million kids a week are watching it with their parents either on television, on the Disney Channel, Netflix what have you,” Shiff said.

He said he was delighted to confirm the show will return for a further 26 half-hour episodes after being commissioned for a third series.

“I’m now writing season three — over my morning latte at The Bluff Cafe at Burleigh Heads,” Shiff said.

Expected to reap about $10 million for the state’s economy, Mako Mermaids is responsible for 500 local jobs during filming — 150 crew including the director, accountants and makeup and wardrobe advisers, a cast of 30 and 320 extras.

Jonathan M Shiff, producer of Mako Mermaids.

“H20 and Mako are so successful in so many countries — 170 countries for Netflix. It’s co-produced with the German Government channel ZDF, it’s co-produced with Channel 10. It’s guaranteed immediately to be going out to so many countries,” Shiff said.

The production is based at Village Roadshow Studios (VRS), where the Mako “Moon Pool” underwater scenes are filmed in the studio’s water tanks. Scenes are also shot on location at Broadwater Parklands, Burleigh/Tallebudgerra, Somerset College Robina and at Sea World.

“As a company specialising in fantasy action adventure drama for a children’s and family audience, Village Roadshow Studios, supported by a highly skilled and creative local crew, have allowed us to build a global brand,” Shiff said.

Mako Mermaids is a spin-off from Shiff’s award-winning kids’ TV hit H2O: Just Add Water, also filmed on the Coast and picked up by Nickelodeon US.

“H20 was about three real girls on the Gold Coast who become mermaids,” Shiff said.

“With Mako Mermaids, I thought what if I was to do three mermaids who come ashore — that would be a bit of a shock, depending on which part of the GC they land on.

“I thought that’s a no-brainer — then I can get into the world of more magic, mer-fun and make it more magical and have more fun with the fantasy aspect of it and still be rooted in the real world.

“We have new tales (and tails), new girls, a bigger pod and a means by which we can broaden out the mermaid world.”

The second series, which features not one but two mermen, stars Isabel Durant as Ondina, Allie Bertram as Mimmi, Amy Ruffle as Sirena, Chai Romruen as Zac and Gemma Forsyth as Evie.

The original Mako Mermaids series screened in the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Latin America after Shiff signed a deal with Netflix that put him at the forefront of the internet broadcast revolution.

Based on the show’s ever-growing popularity with audiences around the world, it’s a deal that equates to tourism gold for the Coast.

Mako Mermaids (season 2) cast members Amy Ruffle (Sirena), Allie Bertram (Mimmi) and Isabel Durant (Ondina) on the sidelines of filming at the Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast. Picture: Regi Varghese

Screen Queensland provided $720,500 in production and development funding towards the second series, which its expects to reap about $10 million for the state’s economy.

Shiff said he had also worked closely with the Gold Coast Business Incentive Program.

“They made me feel that this is a can-do place. So I closed down Melbourne and brought everything here and relocated seven or eight years ago, which was big after 25 years in Melbourne,” he said.

“It’s a big commitment to the Gold Coast and it’s been very successful but why would it not be successful when you can point a camera at all these places and you’ve got great pictures.”

Shiff has an enviable track record in television, with his children’s productions including Lightning Point, The Elephant Princess, Cybergirl and Ocean Girl sold to more than 130 countries.

“We are very well treated by council and we get very well treated by the locals,” Shiff said.

“I like the fact the locals have ownership of what we do. If I had a dollar for everyone who said they or someone they know loves the show ...

“We reach out a lot around us and I think that fusion with the Gold Coast is absolutely vital.“

Screen Queensland chief executive officer Tracey Vieira said the mermaid series joined big-budget international productions Unbroken and San Andreas in providing long-term sustainability for the screen industry in Queensland.

“Getting the mix right is a balancing act between investing in the development and production of homegrown projects and ensuring our production incentives and attractions, including the Payroll Tax Rebate, are bringing-in big-budget productions to the state,” Ms Vieira said.