From Music to the Writer’s Room: Catherine Kelleher’s Advice for Breaking into Film and TV Production

Posted on: Apr 17, 2025

By Tahlia Norrish

Catherine Kelleher is an AWGIE-nominated screenwriter, director and former electro-pop artist. After releasing her debut album The Warmest Place in 2012, she transitioned from music into filmmaking, quickly making waves with her comedy/drama web series The Casuals. Kelleher’s career has since spanned in-house roles at Playmaker Media, Lingo Pictures and most recently SBS, where she served as scripted development executive from 2021–2024. Kelleher has written and directed two short films—Big Bad World (2016) and IMOAN (2023)—both of which earned festival acclaim, and has several new projects underway.

Here we speak to Kelleher about the dance between filmmaking and music, knowing your audience and much more.

Key Takeaways:

Catherine Kelleher transitioned from being an electro-pop artist to a successful screenwriter and director by cold-emailing production companies and creating her own web series.
Her music background continues to shape her storytelling style, with original songs often featured in her film projects.
Drawing from her experience as both a development executive and a creative, Kelleher emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience, refining your pitch, and building a resilient, collaborative mindset in the industry.

You first gained recognition as the electro-pop artist Catcall. What ultimately drew you from music to filmmaking?

Filmmaking was my original creative pursuit before music swept me away for many years. I wanted to be a filmmaker ever since I was a teenager. Mulholland Drive started me on this journey, and David Lynch is one of my greatest inspirations. I studied media arts and production at the University of Technology Sydney where I made experimental shorts, but while there, I was also heavily involved in the DIY/punk music scene, and I played in a punk band called Kiosk.

After graduating, I interned in feature film distribution and then worked for an independent film producer. I also started the Catcall Project, which came about after a life-changing personal loss. I was 21 and full of grief, and it felt like music was the art form I wanted to pursue in that moment, so I decided to completely throw myself into it, and certain opportunities began to flow.

I released my album in 2012, and after reaching the end of the album cycle while working casual jobs to support myself, I was at a crossroads. I felt the life of a touring artist wasn’t something I could maintain long-term. I was captivated by what we now know as the golden era of television—The Sopranos, Mad Men, Oz, Breaking Bad, Girls—and was working at a wine call center at the time with actor-writer-director Arka Das.

We decided to make a web series about our experiences there called The Casuals, inspired in style by the comedy series Party Down. While making the web series, I decided to try to get a job in scripted television and emailed every production company in Sydney. I landed a job as a producer’s assistant at Playmaker and started focusing my screenwriting craft on television, and that’s when this journey kicked off for me in a serious way.

How does your background as a musician influence your filmmaking? Do you find echoes of your music career seeping into how you tell stories on screen?

Absolutely. It influences me so much in terms of the worlds I want to explore and the style of the films I make. IMOAN had an original song element to it, which I wrote with Rich Sanford, who also produced and co-wrote many Catcall songs and composed the score for IMOAN.

The feature film I’m currently developing has a strong music component as well, and will feature an original song. I also developed a TV drama/comedy with James Cripps and Henry Stone called High Rotation, which captured my experiences in the music industry.

Music is such a big part of my life, and it’s hard not to incorporate that world into my writing. I also love combining my songwriting and writing-directing skills, and I’ll continue to do so where possible.

Creative blocks and self-doubt can strike even the most prolific. Do you have any go-to strategies for getting unstuck?

The best thing for me when I have a creative block is to go and watch films, read fiction, watch a new television series or even re-watch something that has inspired me in the past. I’m currently focusing on my feature slate, so if I have sticky days where I can’t progress on the work, I’ll watch a film that’s in the wheelhouse of what I’m writing, or I’ll read the script of a film that is influencing the script.

I’m always engaging in the works of directors and screenwriters who inspire and influence me. Blocks will happen, and the main thing is to understand that it’s part of the process and not get too guilty. Try to find your way back by activating your creative brain in other ways. Noodling and thinking time is essential.

You’ve experienced the industry from both sides—working as a development executive for a major broadcaster and also as a freelance director and screenwriter. How has this dual perspective shaped the way you approach pitching and production?

The biggest challenge I face after spending time on the commissioning side is developing new projects that are genuinely distinctive and can cut through because I’m so aware of how difficult it is to impress. That’s always in the back of my head—how do I make this pitch distinctive, what is going to make this project capture the commissioner’s heart and mind, how does it cut through, can I execute this idea well, is there clarity in the proposition?

The big thing I bring into my work now is knowing my audience. Know the broadcasters and streamer’s audience. Know where the series fits on their carousel. Be really clear to potential stakeholders that you know who is going to watch your series.

After over five years in development, my approach is to take my time to execute my vision properly, because you really get one chance to impress, and there is no point taking your project to anyone—producers or broadcasters—until it’s the best it can be. Remember how competitive it is and how hard it is to get things made.

Some wise reminders! Are there any emerging trends or technologies you find particularly exciting right now?

To be honest, this isn’t something I’m turning my attention to right now because I am in such a deep period of writing and development, and production is still far away. In terms of writing and development, I know AI isn’t going anywhere, but the environmental impact is deeply concerning to me, and I want more information on how we are managing it before I use it in my creative practice.

It’s a hot topic, and I do support technology that improves production processes and saves money in that respect, but I don’t want creatives—who spend years learning, building and developing their craft—to lose opportunities.

In a similar vein, how do you see the film industry evolving over the next few years? Are there any shifts you believe filmmakers should prepare for now?

I really hope we fund exciting new visions from younger creatives and take bigger risks in long-form [content]. I want Australian creatives to can go bigger and bolder in their storytelling so that we can genuinely thrill and excite local audiences and draw them to the big and small screens.

I believe having genre projects on your slate is a smart move for filmmakers—especially in the feature film space.

Interesting! Finally, you’re known as a vocal advocate for emerging creatives. Do you have any advice for up-and-coming filmmakers on how they can advocate for themselves?

It’s a long game, and persistence is key. It requires you to balance several things at once—making a living, developing your craft and voice, building relationships in the industry while trying not to burn out, and managing the constant emotional rollercoaster of rejection. It’s tough out there, and my main advice is to approach your career in the healthiest way possible. Build community and remember that this journey is long, and it will take time to build craft, confidence and relationships, so learn to enjoy the process.

One thing about building a community of collaborators is that you share information, give each other advice and support each other as you move up in the business. Use this to find companies and people who align with your values and have a positive reputation for working with emerging or underrepresented creatives. The older I get and the longer I am in this business, the more important this becomes to me. I just want to make good work with good people and not burn out in the process.

And the main one: learn how to be a good collaborator. Know what you’re willing to fight for and what you’re willing to compromise on in the creative process. That dance is a skill that is crucial to learn. Make sure everyone, where possible, is on the same page about what show or film you are making from the get-go. The ability to collaborate and manage the notes process can make or break an emerging creative, so be conscious of that and develop your skills in that area.

This interview has been edited and condensed. Special thanks to Catherine Kelleher for her time. You can follow Kelleher on Instagram and her website to keep up with her many creative endeavors.

Tahlia Norrish is an Aussie-Brit actor, writer and current MPhil Candidate at the University of Queensland’s School of Sport Sciences. After graduating from both The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Distinction, Acting & Musical Theatre) and Rose Bruford College (First Class Hons, Acting), Tahlia founded The Actor’s Dojo — a coaching program pioneering peak performance and holistic well-being for actors.

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