Film and Television Production
In 1989 Vizard established the independent production company Artist Services with his fellow writer and producer, Andrew Knight. From 1989 to 2002 when Vizard retired as Chairman, Artist Services grew to one of the three largest production companies in Australia.
During that time Vizard and Knight acted as Executive Producers of over 1400 hours of prime time television shows including several series of Seachange, the ABCs highest rating drama series, and several award winning mini series such as Kangaroo Palace. He was the Executive Producer of Big Girl's Blouse starring Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski and Marg Downey, which created and first showcased the popular comedic characters Kath and Kim.
In 1996, Vizard’s Artist Services founded and owned with Foxtel, the comedy channel. During Vizard’s chairmanship, the comedy channel produced and broadcast over 80 hours each year of original Australian programming, commissioning emerging writers and performers including This Is Gary Petty (starring Brian Nankervis, Francis Greenslade, Matt Cameron); Off Road (starring Lawrence Mooney); The Fifty Foot Show (starring Paul Fennech and Kitty Flanagan); Home and Hosed (starring Shane Bourne, Bob Franklin and Ross Daniels); Small Tales and True (Roz Hammond and Robyn Butler). Vizard remained Chairman of the comedy channel until 2001
As Executive Producer, Artist Services shows have been distributed internationally and received numerous awards including over 20 Logies, a dozen AFI, Writers Guild and Television Society awards and an International Emmy nomination. Together with his Partner Andrew Knight, Vizard developed and was the Executive Producer of several feature films including The Sound Of One Hand Clapping (based on the award winning novel by Richard Flanagan) and Dead Letter Office (starring Miranda and Barry Otto).
In 1995, Vizard sold half of the shares in his company Artist Services to John Fairfax Holdings for a reported sum of A$9 million (1995). In 2000 Vizard sold his remaining 50% shares in Artist Services to UK based media company Granada Media plc. for a reputed $25 million. Vizard remained as Chairman until 2002 when he resigned to spend more time on other business and creative interests.
Since 2002, Vizard has been involved in advising emerging Australian talent. He was a consultant to Network Tens comedy show,The Wedge, casting and working with Rebel Wilson, Jason Ghan, Adam Zwier.
From 2003 he has been a consultant to one of Australia’s largest talent management companies, Profile Talent, whose clients include Hamish and Andy, Dannii Minogue, Matt Preston, Andrew O’Keefe and Sonia Kruger.
In 2010, Vizard Executive Produced a reality series about Dannii Minogue, “Dannii Minogue: Style Queen”, which was coproduced with ITV and broadcast in the UK on ITV and in Australia on Foxtel.
Read more about this topic: Steve Vizard
Famous quotes containing the words film, television and/or production:
“The motion picture is like a picture of a lady in a half- piece bathing suit. If she wore a few more clothes, you might be intrigued. If she wore no clothes at all, you might be shocked. But the way it is, you are occupied with noticing that her knees are too bony and that her toenails are too large. The modern film tries too hard to be real. Its techniques of illusion are so perfect that it requires no contribution from the audience but a mouthful of popcorn.”
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
“Addison DeWitt: Your next move, it seems to me, should be toward television.
Miss Caswell: Tell me this. Do they have auditions for television?
Addison DeWitt: That’s all television is, my dear. Nothing but auditions.”
—Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909–1993)
“The myth of unlimited production brings war in its train as inevitably as clouds announce a storm.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)