In the faux-PSA “Set Yourself Free” – the 2014 viral hit by directing duo Henry Inglis & Aaron McCann – the retribution suffered by a troop of truant teenagers is a violent minefield massacre befitting that of a Sam Raimi climax. The cartoonish carnage is a real left-turn from the Instagram-inspired bohemian aesthetics that dubiously lure us with the promise of something akin to a disposable Sunkist ad, before springing its surprises on us like a baited trap.
It’s this ability to enchant audiences – with both shock and surprise – that has made producer Lauren Elliott a major force to be reckoned with. There’s a reason why Rick Kalowski, the ABC’s Head of Comedy has called her a “modern-day pioneer in the Western Australian screen industry”, as her work over the past 9 years has helped shape and redefine the state of comedy in both this state and Australia as a whole; since its launch five years ago, Set Yourself Free has accrued over 20 million views, just one example of Elliott’s prolific filmography.
Of those nine years, seven has been spent helming the production company Mad Kids – alongside fellow tastemakers Matt Lovkis and Henry Inglis – which provided a volume of web-series, TV seasons and award-winning sketches. But all good things must come to an end, and as each founding member has gone solo to take on even more exciting gigs, Elliott has launched her own production company, Galactic Baby, which aims to develop and produce scripted film and television titles with distinctive comedic tones.
On the occasion of the launch of Galactic Baby, I had the chance to talk with Lauren Elliott about the creation of Galactic Baby, the challenges of creating comedy, making viral videos in 2019 and what the future holds for her new production company.
Alex Lines for Film Inquiry: Can you tell us about the inception of Galactic Baby and what are your ultimate goals with this new production company?
Lauren Elliott: Going out on my own with Galactic Baby is super scary but also super exciting! After producing 12 web series with Mad Kids over the last seven years, I’m ready to take the next step in my career and make the leap into long form television and feature films. My ultimate goal is for Galactic Baby to become a successful and sustainable company that churns out awesome Western Australian features and TV series year-round. I would LOVE to produce the first ever Netflix Original to come out of WA.
Galactic Baby’s upcoming slate is quite diverse in both content and crews; can you explain the process behind the projects you select?
Lauren Elliott: I have a whole bunch of criteria I like to consider when selecting projects – things like originality, marketability, timing and authenticity – but I think it really comes down to the fact that I’m often as much of a fan as I am the producer. I just want to make things that I genuinely want to watch. So really, I think my process is – do I want to spend time with this person, do I want to watch this and do I think an audience will want to?
After winning the Screenwest Emerging Producer’s Initiative in 2015, you spent 6 months learning at Red Hour Films and Abso Lutely Productions in Los Angeles, becoming an expert of your craft. What would you say were the most valuable lessons you learnt during that period?
Lauren Elliott: Relationships are everything. Everybody just wants to work with people they like, respect and want to spend time with, so I think it’s all about nurturing genuine relationships with people who share the same taste and goals as you.
Galactic Baby specialises in the development of distinct comedic voices; from your perspective, what are the challenges of making comedic material in 2019, and how has it changed since the start of your career?
Lauren Elliott: I think the biggest challenge with comedy is creating content that can travel globally. Our Australian sense of humour is so distinct, and sometimes doesn’t translate. We have so many wonderful drama series being sold internationally, but selling comedy series overseas is less common. Australians are used to consuming loads of British and American comedy, but there’s only a handful of Australian comedies that have truly broken through overseas. That being said, it’s starting to happen more and more with Australian comedy series like The Letdown and Frayed attracting international co-production partners, which is really inspiring.
In terms of how things have changed since the start of my career, I think I’m lucky that YouTube and streaming platforms were already around when I started out, so I’m used to the marketplace constantly changing – I actually find it quite exciting that nothing stays the same.
With Mad Kids and other companies, you’ve been behind a number of viral videos, whether they be shorts, advertisements and sketches. Now with the social media landscape changing at drastic speeds, with multiple “viral videos” emerging everyday through Twitter and other platforms, what do you think it takes to stand out nowadays?
Lauren Elliott: Even though it feels like it’s always been part of our lives, YouTube only launched in 2005, so when I first started releasing content on YouTube, it was still relatively new and a lot easier to have a genuine “viral video”. We never really had a strategy and were just very lucky to have a number of our videos hit the zeitgeist and get shared all over the world across Facebook and Twitter. These days, with so many influencers and content that is intentionally designed to go viral, I think audiences are just looking for something that feels authentic.
Part of Galactic Baby’s upcoming slate includes a few feature film scripts in development, can you talk about the transition from shorts and TV series to full features and what you’d note as the key challenges in producing them?
Lauren Elliott: The higher the budget, the more pressure there is for it to be a success, so I think one of the key challenges will be trying to remain true to the original idea and vision, and not succumb to trying to make it “all things to all people”. As I started my career in the digital space, I’ve never really had to pay attention to overnight ratings or the box office – our measures of success have been positive word of mouth, awesome YouTube comments, how well our fanbase responds on social media, or if one of our projects catches the attention of an industry player and leads to another opportunity. Web series are weird because they’re so important to kick start careers, but there is literally no business model.
Earlier this year you handled the documentary Super Whale Highway, which was an innovative nature doco that was projected in an immersive, all-encompassing dome screen. Is there any other film innovations, whether it be VR, animation or more, that you wish to tackle with Galactic Baby’s signature style in the future?
Lauren Elliott: I looked after the publicity for the world premiere of Whale Super Highway at CinefestOZ and it was a real pleasure to get back into publicity. The full dome 180-degree cinema blew my mind. I imagine if I got into VR or immersive content, I’d want to subvert it in some way – perhaps I’d make something where the audience gets to see something really unexpected or inappropriate when they look around.
What are the first titles we can expect to emerge from Galactic Baby, and where will people be able to see them?
Lauren Elliott: I hope my debut feature film is Secret Sauce, which is a psychological thriller being written by my good friends and creative partners, Zoe Pepper and Adriane Daff. It’s really mysterious and weird and funny, and I think it will be so much fun to make. I have no idea if our film will end up in cinemas or on a streaming platform, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted!
Film Inquiry thanks Lauren Elliott for taking the time to talk with us.
Further information on Galactic Baby can be found here: http://www.galacticbabay.com.au/
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