The Screen Diversity Inclusion Network has appointed Jo Dillon and Benjamin Law as the new co-chairs for 2020-21.
Jo Dillon has worked in the development and production of high-quality scripted and unscripted international screen stories for over 14 years. She was appointed Executive Vice President, Content, at Screen Queensland in 2014, leading an eight-person team responsible for investment in high-quality screen stories and talent.
Jo provides strategic leadership, and creative and operational direction to the organisation, with the aim of growing and supporting a successful screen industry. She is passionate about working with diverse and talented storytellers to create screen stories that attract cast, finance and audiences and has brought commercial and creative know-how to the development of hundreds of projects – most recently in her current role and in her previous position as Development Executive at Screen Australia.
Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He has a PhD in Creative Writing and Cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and is the author of the memoir The Family Law (2010), the travel book Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017), and the editor of the anthology Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019).
Benjamin created and co-wrote three seasons of the award-winning SBS TV series The Family Law, based on his memoir, and his play, Torch the Place (Melbourne Theatre Company), debuted earlier this year.
In 2019, Benjamin was named one of the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit’s (AALS) 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians (winning the Arts, Culture & Sport category) and one of Harper’s Bazaar’s Visionary Men. Every week, Benjamin co-hosts ABC RN’s weekly national pop culture show Stop Everything and interviews public figures for Good Weekend. He also co-hosts online startup and tech TV show That Startup Show, and you can catch him on TV shows like Q&A (ABC), The Drum (ABC), The Project (Ten), Filthy Rich and Homeless (SBS) and the ABC’s two-part ABC feature documentary on Chinese-Australian history, Waltzing the Dragon.
He is an ambassador for Plan Australia and the Pinnacle Foundation, and a board member of Story Factory and Sydney Festival. Ben’s history in academia and as a leading voice in diverse storytelling in Australia’s screen sector makes him an exciting and valuable addition to the SDIN.
Jo and Ben take over the SDIN Chair position from Tim Soutphommasane and Tracey Vieira.
“Jo and Ben will make a great team. They have both demonstrated their commitment to diversity and inclusion over many years in the screen industry. We know they will lead the SDIN with verve and imagination and take The Everyone Project into the next phase of delivery”
- Tim Soutphommasane and Tracey Vieira
The Network thanks Tim and Tracey for their wonderful contribution to SDIN and in leading the final development of industry-focused diversity measurement tool The Everyone Project.
We welcome Jo and Ben to the role in time to support the pilot testing of The Everyone Project which will commence 1st July. The Everyone Project is a significant new initiative to help Australian screen industry companies and organisations track and boost diversity in their screen productions.
The Co-chair appointment commences on 1 June 2020.