‘Outback Truckers’ firm Prospero rejigs team as Punchard exits

LR: Orla Holland, Jules Fortune, Julia Redwood, Freya Brueschke, Natalie Bell

Outback Truckers outfit Prospero Productions has rejigged its senior management team, with Julia Redwood now sole owner and director following partner Ed Punchard’s exit.

Redwood and Punchard worked together for more than three decades at the Australian producer, which has been behind shows including Outback Opal Hunters and Railroad Australia, as well as SAS: The Search For Warriors and Heartbreak Science.

Outback Truckers

Punchard left the company last month, with Redwood’s all-female management team including general manager Jules Fortune, head of finance Orla Holland, and head of post-production Freya Brueschke.

Prospero has also appointed head of production Natalie Bell, who was most recently an exec producer for theatre in Western Australia.

“Ed and I have achieved so much over three decades and I’m beyond enthusiastic about leading Prospero into the next great chapter of its story,” said Redwood.

“Our returnable, long running series such as Outback Truckers and Outback Opal Hunters have been the training ground for many screen practitioners over the years and moving forward, I want to find ways to make more of those unique opportunities.”

Prospero claims to be Western Australia’s largest employer of factual personnel, with 50 staff currently engaged across three seasons and one feature length Fulldome film, which will culminate in the production of 42 hours of screen content this year.