Ron Brown

I have been a film and television producer for thirty years, owning and operating my own production company in Melbourne since 1975. Prior to that, I worked as a Sound Engineer, Cameraman and Editor in television stations and television production companies in Sydney and Melbourne, including ATN-7, ABC-2, ATV-0, Mike Willessee’s “A Current Affair”, and at Crawford Productions. I was Assistant Director on the 90-minute “McCloud” TV episode shot in Australia for Universal Studios, and I crewed on independent Australian feature films including Mad Max and In Search of Anna.
I have worked as a writer, film director, cameraman, and editor and in the business side of entertainment (I have produced and financed my own projects and managed my own company for more than 30 years).
My film credits range from feature film and television production, corporate communications and documentary, through music clips to television advertising. In all, I have Produced, Directed and Edited more than 500 films and videos, many of which I also wrote.
As the proprietor of Forté Communications, I have serviced a client list that has included projects for ICI, Du Pont, BTR-Nylex, BHP, James Hardie, CSR, Telecom, Suntory and fashion house Palmer Corporation. Quality corporate documentary and drama productions for Victoria Law Foundation, V/Line, Metropolitan Transit Authority (The Met) and Dulux are also noteworthy.
In advertising creative services and television production, I have won the coveted London Advertising Award and I have a reel of productions for other advertisers, including Peters, Kodak, Cedel, Kambrook, Billy Guyatts, V/Line, The Met, Regeneration Tiles, Croner Toys, 7-Eleven and dozens more.
In music films for television I have produced and directed some of the biggest names in Australia, including Daddy Cool, John Farnham, Crowded House, Mondo Rock, Little River Band, The Church, Pseudo Echo, Moving Pictures, The Sports, Jo Jo Zep, Split Enz, Tina Arena, Mi-Sex, The Models, Boom Crash Opera; more than 100 in all.
I am the only film maker to have won the Television Society of Australia PENGUIN AWARD for Best Music Clip twice.
In 1988 I developed a new focus in architectural and construction industry marketing, exploiting my experience in building renovation and my marketing communications skills. The consultancy branched into direct marketing and market research, and has excelled at exhibition display, winning a number of Best Stand Awards at annual trade and consumer shows.
The Office of the Future,,, a world-first display-based marketing concept I created, toured Australia in 1995. The Home of the Future,, exhibition followed in 1996-97, winning Best Stand at the Commonwealth Bank Home Show in Melbourne, and touring to Sydney.
In 1998 I Produced and Directed the 26 part half-hour television series “Cooking With Kurma”, a number one rating show on SBS, also screened by Foxtel in Australia and sold internationally.
In 1999-2000 I developed a number of feature film and television projects to take the partnership with my wife Ruth Brown into the next phase of our business, producing the television and film projects that we create ourselves.
In 2001-2002 I Produced and Directed “Elizabeth Chong’s Tiny Delights”, a 13-part food/travel series based on Cantonese dim sum cuisine, shot on location in China, for international release. Subsequently the series has been broadcast on SBS, Foxtel, and in Singapore, the Middle East and New Zealand.
In 2003-2005 I Produced, Co-Directed and Edited the feature length movie “Let Me Not”, for international release. It has since been acquired and screened by the Nine Network across Australia.
In 2005 I Produced, Directed and Edited much of the nearly 6 hours of documentary and performance content of “The Complete Daddy Cool” for television and DVD release.
In 2006 I am Producing, Directing, Editing and shooting the television series “Chefs of the Great Hotels of the World”, a 26 part series pre-sold to SBS TV in Australia, and currently licensed to South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, Middle East, Japan and China.
2007 sees me producing the second series of CHEFS, pre-production on our new movie SUITE FOR FLEUR, a Board role at MMF Australia, partnership in i8 Media, and running the weekly gig POPTARTS in Melbourne, which will become a TV series soon.
Regrettably I am crap in bed.