Daley Pearson (b. 1984 or 1985) is a Australian film & television producer and founder of Ludo Studio. Pearson is best known as the executive producer of Australian children series Bluey. He also created the concept for breakout Australian horror film Talk to Me and appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Daley Pearson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 or 1985 (age 39–40) |
| Education | Griffith Film School |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Employer | Ludo Studio |
| Notable work | Bluey |
Early life
editPearson (b. 1984 or 1985)[1][2][3] grew up in Coolum Beach, Queensland.[4] He graduated from St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace in 2001.[1]
Using his father's digital camera, Pearson began filmmaking at an early age.[3] Of his early short films, Pearson said the most notable was "a 15-minute adventure" he made when he was 11 years old, "using my vast collection of Ninja Turtle toys, a techno-drome play set and a turtle van."
Pearson studied film at Griffith Film School.[3] By the age of 22, he had several critically acclaimed short films.[3]
Career
editIn 2010, Pearson directed his first feature film, $quid, about a New Year's Eve party cruise that comes under attack by a giant squid.[5][6] The film was an adaptation of Pearson & Luke Tierney's Tropfest short of the same name. Pearson would later recall "Nothing happened with it. It wasn’t Australian and it didn’t really feel even me, to be honest." [sic][7]
In 2012, Pearson's first television series,The Strange Calls, was released by the ABC.[5] The comedy series, based on Pearson's short film of the same name, was filmed in his hometown of Coolum.[8][9] It follows a cop who has been demoted to the night watch and must investigate an increasingly absurd array of supernatural disturbances.
Pearson founded Ludo Studio with Charlie Aspinwall in 2012.[10][11] The production company was voted one of the Time 100 Most Influential Companies in 2024.[12]
Exploring the possibilities for digital storytelling, Pearson created the 2013 web series #7DaysLater.[13][7] Each episode was produced by comedians in 7 days, based on pitches from an online audience. It was the first interactive series commissioned by the ABC. The series won an International Emmy Award for Best Digital Program: Fiction.[14]
In 2016, Pearson appeared alongside Chris Hemsworth in the viral Team Thor mockumentary, directed by Taika Waititi for Marvel Studios. [15][16] The video, used to explain Thor's absence in Captain America: Civil War, acted as a teaser for the ongoing production of Thor: Ragnarok in Queensland. Pearson later would reprise his character, Darryl, in further digital shorts and Thor: Love and Thunder.[17][18]
Pearson and Aspinwall began developing Bluey after they were approached by the series creator, Joe Brumm, in 2016.[19] The pair took Brumm's one-minute pilot episode to the MIPCOM television conference, where they began looking for investors. In 2017, the ABC in partnership with the BBC picked up the series for an initial, 52-episode run.[20] The series was produced entirely by Ludo Studio in South Brisbane. The series, which launched in 2018, quickly found global critical[21] and commercial success as it expanded to air in 60 different countries.[22] In 2024, the series was awarded a special recognition award from the Australian High Commissioner in London, in acknowledgement of its significant cultural impact in the UK and around the world.[23]
Bluey was not Pearson's first foray into animated television. Pearson and Aspinwall had previously attempted to pitch an animated supernatural comedy, The Strange Chores, in 2013.[24] The series however did not come to fruition until 2019, when it began to air on ABC ME for Halloween.[25]
In 2018, Pearson sent a short horror film script to Australian comedians RackaRacka.[26] As Michael Philippou began to do his draft, the script quickly began to expand into a feature film.[27]Talk to Me follows the story of a group of teenagers who allow themselves to become possessed by a cursed hand for recreational thrills. The low budget horror became a breakout success when it was released globally in 2023.[28][29]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Title | Award | Title | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | International Digital Emmy Awards | Digital Program - Fiction | #7DaysLater | Won | [14] |
| 2016 | Kids: Digital | Doodles | Won | [30] | |
| 2017 | AACTA Awards | Best Online Video or Series | Doodles | Nominated | [31] |
| 2019 | Best Children's Program | Bluey |
Won | [32] | |
| Best Online Drama or Comedy | Content | Nominated | [33] | ||
| 2020 | Best Children's Program | Bluey | Won | [34] | |
| 2021 | Won | [35] | |||
| 2022 | Won | [36] | |||
| 2024 | Won | [37] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Daley Pearson (2001) Singing The Blueys". Marist College Ashgrove. 2 October 2019.
- ^ Mackander, Megan (13 October 2012). "Weirdness on our doorstep: Megan Mackander takes a look at a new comedy series set at Coolum Beach". Sunshine Coast Daily.
Pearson, 27, put his warped sense of humour
- ^ a b c d Brook, Lucy (18 April 2007). "Dreams in focus". Courier Mail. News Limited.
- ^ Mackander, M. (13 October 2012). "Coolum stars in new ABC show The Strange Calls". Courier Mail.
- ^ a b Blundell, Graeme (20 October 2012). "VINTAGE CROCKER". Weekend Australian.
- ^ "$quid". Screen Australia.
- ^ a b Tiley, David (30 September 2021). "Daley Pearson, from his heart, showing the soul of Bluey". Screen Hub.
- ^ Hall, Peter (24 February 2012). "Crazy Crocker makes spectacle of himself". The Courier Mail.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (8 October 2013). "ABC Gives Cast- Contingent Pilot Order To Paranormal Comedy From Aaron Kaplan, Ruben Fleischer & Donick Cary". Deadline.
- ^ "About". Ludo Studio. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "Ludo Studio". Linkedin. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Clelland, Georgia (31 May 2024). "Bluey creators Ludo Studio named in TIME'S 100 most influential companies of 2024". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Cartwright, Darren (7 October 2013). "On 7th day, show created". The Gold Coast Bulletin.
- ^ a b Idato, Michael (8 April 2014). "ABC wins International Emmy award for #7DaysLater". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "MISSING THOR'S 'ME TIME' VIDEO SPOOF GOES VIRAL". Courier Mail. 30 August 2016.
- ^ Dessem, Matthew (28 August 2016). "Watch Thor Annoy His New Roommate Darryl While the Other Avengers Are Fighting". slate.com.
- ^ Cobb, Kayla (22 August 2018). "Thor's Roommate Darryl Is the Best MCU Character". Decider.
- ^ Petrakovitz, Caitlin (9 July 2022). "The Best Cameo in 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Wasn't in the Post-Credits Scene". CNET.
- ^ Dow, Steve (11 April 2020). "Bluey creator Joe Brumm's dog days". The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Publishing. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Vujkovic, Melanie (31 December 2017). "Brisbane-based animators bringing Bluey to a screen near you in 2019: Remember the name "Bluey"". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ Groves, Don (1 April 2020). "International Emmy Kids Award for 'Bluey'". if.com.au.
- ^ Quinn, Karl (14 June 2022). "Sixty countries, 110 licences, 1000 products: How Bluey conquered the world". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Gock, Kamina (22 April 2024). "It's 'Bluey House' now, as London awards show for its cultural success". ABC.
- ^ Groves, Don (19 December 2013). "Strange times for Daley Pearson". if.com.au.
- ^ "The Strange Chores hits ABC ME for Halloween!". Screen Queensland. 30 October 2019.
- ^ Sandwell, Ian (28 July 2023). "Talk to Me, one of the year's scariest horrors, has unexpected link to Bluey". Digital Spy.
- ^ Johnson, Travis. "We talk to the creators of 'Talk to Me', the best horror movie of the year". Blunt.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (2 August 2023). "'Talk to Me': How a Pair of Energetic YouTubers Made the Best Horror Film of the Year". The Wrap.
- ^ Pavlov, Antonio (2023). "Low-budget films that made it big in 2023". Videomaker.
- ^ "Screen Queensland congratulates Queensland's Ludo Studio on International Emmy win". Screen Queensland. 5 April 2017.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2017". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2019". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2019". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2020". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2021". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2022". AACTA Awards.
- ^ "AACTA Awards 2024". AACTA Awards.