STORY HACK Hosts Free Professional Development Workshops For South Australian Film Industry

STORY HACK brings award-winning interactive & multi-platform expert Christy Dena to the virtual table as part of a series of intimate workshops for local writers and creatives.

Christy Dena will run a series of boundary-shattering workshops for creative industries professionals interested in applying their skills to the worlds of interactive and transmedia projects.

Made possible with financial support from the South Australian Film Corporation this professional development project was initially a day of physical workshops, now adapted to the virtual world to combat social restrictions presented by COVID-19.

"While our industry is feeling the impacts of COVID-19, it's vital that we continue to nurture talent and foster innovation. SAFC is proud to be supporting the Story Hack program, which has been designed especially for South Australian writers seeking to enhance their screenwriting skills in interactive storytelling," said Beth Neate, Head of Production and Development at SAFC.

Drawing on the projects, labs, workshops, and mentoring she has done in the USA, UK, Europe, Brazil, Kenya, and more, Dena brings her multi-dimensional and entertaining approach to creativity.

The first session, a keynote titled "A Pen, a Keyboard, a Song, and a Sandbox Walk into a Writers' Room", will explore the role of play in writing processes and projects.

Virtual social networking will follow the keynote providing an opportunity for potential collaborators to connect and share.

This will be followed by two by-application workshops: "Interactive Narrative Design" and "Films/Games/VR/AR/Audio: Designing the Extended Audience Experience".

Additionally, all South Australian workshop participants will receive a speed-mentorship session with Christy Dena in the following week.

Hosted online via a web conferencing platform, the event will be highly accessible to anyone with an internet connection. This will be an Auslan interpreted event.

All events are FREE however participants interested in the two workshops ("Interactive Narrative Design" and "Films/Games/VR/AR/Audio: Designing the Extended Audience Experience") will need to apply by 15 June, with successful applicants being notified by 19 June. Workshop spaces are open to anyone in the world, at any point in their career, but places will be secured for South Australian residents.

This online event represents the first event by STORY HACK, an enterprise focused on elevating Australian projects to the global stage through facilitating access to technology, skills, creative opportunities and entrepreneurship.

The event will run 26 - 30 June 2020. For more information and to register for the keynote and social networking and apply for the two workshops, please visit https://storyhack.com.au/.