Northern Pictures Begins Filming Hardball for ABC ME

Filming has kicked off on Northern Pictures’ first live-action scripted series, Hardball, which is due to debut on ABC ME in Australia.

Created by Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes, Hardball is about a boy whose friends are trying to help him become the best handball player in Western Sydney. The 13×30-minute comedy was developed with Catherine Nebauer, the head of kids for Northern Pictures and executive producer on the show.

Hardball is being internationally distributed by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF). Bernadette O’Mahony, the company’s head of development and production, is also serving as an executive producer.

Nebauer commented: “Hardball came together very quickly, with everyone immediately responding to the fun and engaging scripts, and the endearing and quirky characters.

“Since setting up our kids’ division three years ago, Northern Pictures has produced more than 215 hours of preschool and factual content. Hardball is our first venture into the live-action drama space, which is now a key focus for the company.

“As well as bringing new writers to the Australian production scene, the series has identified some great new talent from diverse and multicultural backgrounds. We can’t wait to see how Mikey and his mates are received by kids.”