Australia has a long history of punching above its weight in global screen production. From the New Wave films of the 1970s to the wave of Australian talent that reshaped Hollywood in the 1990s and 2000s, Australian storytelling has consistently found international audiences. Now a new chapter is opening, and it’s playing out on phone screens. Australia is quietly becoming one of the most compelling locations in the world for vertical drama series production — and the reasons why are worth understanding.
World-Class Crews at Competitive Rates
Australia’s screen industry has decades of experience producing high-quality content across features, television and commercials. That expertise doesn’t disappear when the format changes. Australian cinematographers, editors, production designers and sound practitioners bring genuine craft to vertical drama — and because the format is still emerging, they’re often excited by the creative challenge it presents.
Compared to equivalent talent in the UK or US, Australian crew rates remain internationally competitive, particularly when combined with the Australian dollar exchange rate. For platforms commissioning content in English, Australia offers quality at a cost structure that’s hard to match.
A Strong Funding Ecosystem
Screen Australia and the state screen agencies — including Screen NSW, Screen Queensland and Film Victoria — have been actively evolving their funding frameworks to accommodate new formats and distribution models. While vertical drama is still finding its place within traditional funding structures, the direction of travel is clear: Australian screen funding bodies recognise that streaming is the primary market, and they’re investing accordingly.
The Producer Offset and the Location Offset provide additional financial incentives for productions that meet eligibility thresholds, and experienced production companies know how to structure projects to maximise the benefit of these mechanisms.
Stories That Travel
Australian content has always had strong international appeal. English-language stories from a culturally distinct but globally legible context — similar enough to the UK or North America to be accessible, different enough to be fresh — have proven their ability to travel across markets repeatedly.
For vertical drama specifically, this matters. Platforms are looking for content that can perform across multiple territories, not just in the home market. Australian stories told well — with compelling characters, universal emotional themes and distinctive settings — are well positioned to do exactly that.
Sydney as a Production Base
Sydney offers vertical drama producers something genuinely rare: a world-class city that reads as distinctly Australian but also feels contemporary and globally relevant on screen. The CBD, the inner suburbs, the harbour foreshore, the beaches — Sydney’s visual vocabulary is unlike anywhere else in the world, and it hasn’t been overexposed the way some other major cities have.
For productions shooting on a vertical drama budget, Sydney’s density also matters. Locations are close together, logistics are manageable and the city infrastructure supports professional screen production in ways that smaller markets can’t match.
The Moment Is Now
Vertical drama is growing globally, and the window for Australian producers to establish themselves as credible players in the format is open right now — but it won’t stay open indefinitely. As the format matures, platforms will increasingly commission from producers with demonstrated track records in vertical storytelling. The producers who are making vertical drama today, building relationships with platforms and developing expertise in the format, will be the ones best positioned as the market grows.
The Story Mill is a Sydney-based production company focused entirely on vertical drama series for streaming platforms. We’re producing now, building platform relationships and looking for the next generation of Australian vertical drama. If you have a story that belongs on this list, we want to hear it.
