Industry Mentorship & Training: Special Guest Tony Ayres

INDUSTRY MENTORSHIP & TRAINING PROGRAM. A not-for-profit initiative facilitated by Tony Ayres (Multi award-winning Show Creator, Showrunner, Screenwriter, Director & Executive Producer), Nicholas Verso, Multi Award-Winning Film & Television Writer, Director and Showrunner); and Craig McMahon (Founding Artistic Director & International Artist Manager).

In Studio I 163 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park, Melbourne I 6 Week Program

$273 + GST
Commencing September 5, 2026 I 12:30pm – 2:30pm and 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Actors will have a rare opportunity to work with Tony Ayres, one of Australia’s most acclaimed and influential screen creators, writers, producers, and directors. Tony has spent decades creating, developing, and overseeing award-winning film and television productions while working closely with actors, directors, writers, producers, and casting professionals. Tonys feature films and TV shows have been nominated for over one hundred Australian and International awards, and have won over sixty of these awards including International Emmy, a BAFTA, a Golden Horse (the Asian Oscars), Prix de Jours, AACTAs, IFs, AFIs, Logies & SPA Awards. 

Participants will be working with original material developed by one of Australia’s most celebrated storytellers, gaining invaluable insight into the creative process from page to screen. For performers, this initiative provides a unique pathway to gain firsthand insight from a creative leader whose work has helped shape contemporary Australian screen storytelling and launched the international careers of many screen artists.

As showrunner and executive producer, Tony is ultimately responsible for the final casting decisions, working in collaboration with studio and network executives.

Participants will also be mentored by Nicholas Verso (multi-award-winning writer, director and showrunner: Invisible Boys, Crazy Fun Park, Nowhere Boys, In Our Blood) and Craig McMahon (Founding Artistic Director & International Artist Manager).

Throughout the program, actors engage in intensive on-camera training, receive detailed professional feedback, and develop practical strategies grounded in current industry expectations, working directly with three exceptional mentors at the highest level of the screen industry.

Tuition contributes solely to program delivery, including mentors, guest contributors, and studio operations. The program runs not-for-profit as a genuine initiative to support and elevate access to world-class actor training.

TONY AYRES feature films and TV shows have been nominated for over one hundred Australian and International awards, and have won over sixty of these awards including an International Emmy, a BAFTA, a Golden Horse (the Asian Oscars), Prix de Jours, AACTAs, IFs, AFIs, Logies & SPA Awards. Tony is listed as one of the most influential figure heads of all time in the Australian Film & Television Industry.  He is one of Australia’s most prolific and award-winning showrunners, screenwriters, directors and executive producers who makes world-class content. Producing over 60 titles since 2012, he has worked with every network in Australia and various international buyers and commissioners. He is one of the founding members of Matchbox Pictures, now owned by NBCU. In 2018 Tony established his own production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), developing and producing feature films and television for global audiences and international marketplaces.

Tony executive produced multi-award winning mini-series, The Survivors, based on Jane Harper’s best-selling novel of the same title, and co-wrote the hit Netflix miniseries Clickbait, nominated for Best Drama Series at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards (and starring Film & Television Studio International Full-Time Program Graduate Phoenix Raie). Tony executive produced the ABC miniseries Fires. Fires won the AACTA Award for Best Miniseries or Telefeature and the TV Week Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie. Tony’s recent releases have followed on from the great success of Stateless, (ABC) a miniseries starring Cate Blanchett that Tony executive produced and wrote. Stateless was the winner of Best Miniseries or Telefeature at the AACTA Awards. Tony was an executive producer on Creamerie, Wanted, Glitch and The Family Law, and produced miniseries Barracuda and Seven Types of Ambiguity. Tony also executive produced Old School, and the contemporary reimagining of The Devil’s Playground.

Tony created and executive produced Nowhere Boys and the telemovie based on the series, Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows, which had a cinematic release in 2016. The series is internationally-acclaimed, winning the AACTA for Best Children’s Television Series, a Logie Award, a Prix Jeunesse International Award, and a nomination for a Children’s BAFTA Award. Tony’s other television credits include The Slap and its US remake, Underground: The Julian Assange Story, The Straits, and Saved.

Tony’s first feature film, Walking on Water, won the Teddy Award at Berlin in 2002, and five AFI awards, while his second feature, The Home Song Stories, premiered at Berlin and won 24 Australian and international awards, including eight AFI Awards. His third feature, Cut Snake, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014 and screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Tony has a number of productions slated for 2026/2027, including the greatly anticipated upcoming series, Toxic.

CRAIG MCMAHON is the Founder and Director of McMahon Management, one of Australia’s leading boutique talent agencies representing actors across Australia and the United States. With over three decades in the film and television industry, Craig is recognised for his ability to identify, develop, and strategically guide exceptional talent.

Founded in Melbourne more than 20 years ago, McMahon Management has grown into two complementary divisions: McMahon Management, focused on nurturing emerging talent, and McMahon Management International, representing established actors working on the global stage. Together, they provide tailored career management for artists at every stage of their journey.

In 1999, Craig and his wife Dominique co-founded Film & Television Studio International, now one of Australia’s most respected screen acting schools. Through both the agency and the studio, Craig continues to mentor and develop the next generation of performers.

A highly respected industry figure, Craig serves as an ongoing judge for the TV WEEK Logie Awards and has received national recognition for his contributions to the Australian entertainment industry, including Most Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award for over a decade of creative excellence at Network Ten, spanning presenting, producing, and writing. Today, he divides his time between Melbourne, Los Angeles, and New York, providing hands-on guidance to clients while leading McMahon Management’s continued success in international talent representation.

NICHOLAS VERSO is an Australian writer, director and showrunner known for his distinctive storytelling across film and television, often exploring themes of youth, identity, mental health and queer culture. 

His breakout short film The Last Time I Saw Richard won the AACTA Award for Best Short Film, establishing Verso as a powerful new voice in Australian cinema. His debut feature Boys in the Trees premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and went on to screen at major festivals including Toronto, Busan and Sitges, winning Best Feature at the Austin Film Festival. 

Nick has since built a prolific career in television as a writer and director. His credits include acclaimed series such as Nowhere Boys, The Unlisted, Itch, In Our Blood, Grace Beside Me and Swift Street. In 2023, he created the ABC horror-comedy series Crazy Fun Park, which won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Children’s Program and an Australian Directors’ Guild Award for Best Direction. 

In 2025, Nick created, wrote and directed the Stan series Invisible Boys, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, which premiered at #1 on the platform and received multiple AACTA nominations.

A Churchill Fellow, Verso has also participated in prestigious international programs including the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Binger FilmLab Directors Coaching Programme in Amsterdam. He continues to develop premium film and television projects both in Australia and internationally.