Northern Pictures Founder Resigns from the Company

Blue Ant Media’s Northern Pictures has revealed that its founder, Sue Clothier, decided not to renew her contract as head of content and production and is set to leave the company at the end of next month.

Clothier established Northern Pictures as a factual TV producer in 2010. Since then, the company has achieved success with such series as Life on the Reef (ABC, PBS, ARTE), Kakadu (ABC), Outback (PBS, 9), Changing Minds (ABC) and more recently, Employable Me (ABC). It has also set up a kids’ programming unit, with more than 160 hours in production.

During the past eight years, Clothier has managed the production of more than 260 hours of content. She and her husband have decided to move to Tasmania.

Peter Anderson, the managing director of Northern Pictures, remarked: “We had wanted Sue to stay on at Northern Pictures but after eight years she and her husband felt they needed a breath of fresh air—which they will be doing big time by moving to Tasmania. Whilst we are sad to be losing someone of the caliber of Sue, we are lucky that over the years she has built up a strong creative team that leaves us well-placed to continue the tradition of creating and producing high-quality content that has the capacity to make a positive difference in people’s lives. On the bright side, Sue will have an ongoing relationship with Northern Pictures, consulting on projects in post-production and collaborating with us on her current development projects.

“On behalf of everyone at Northern Pictures, I would like to thank Sue for working so tirelessly to build and make the company what it is today. We wish Sue and Preston the very best for the future.”

David Haslingden, the executive director of Blue Ant Media, noted: “Not only did Sue found Northern Pictures but she’s [also] been centrally involved in every important financial or creative decision the business has made and key to putting together the amazing team we have here at Northern Pictures. She deserves full credit for the company’s evolution from small start-up to a well-respected fixture in Australia’s creative industry.”

Clothier added: “When Preston and I made the decision to start Northern Pictures, we set ourselves the lofty goal to produce two shows a year. Eight years on, I could not have foreseen that this once tiny start-up would become a serious producer of global content and valued member of a multinational group like Blue Ant.

“It’s been a rollicking ride, but success in my opinion never happens overnight and is never down to just one person. It can take years to build that perfect combination of economic success and creative rewards in this constantly moving media landscape, and alongside me on this journey has been an extraordinarily talented team coupled with encouragement and support from the wider industry. Of course I’m sad to leave my friends at Northern Pictures, but excited that Peter will build on our success. As for me, I love being a producer and I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.”