WTFN is an Australian

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

based in Melbourne. Formed in 2001 by Daryl Talbot and Steve Oemcke, the company is known for producing numerous observational documentary, lifestyle and reality series across many television networks.

History

WTFN was founded by Daryl Talbot and Steve Oemcke in 2001. Talbot, a former journalist for the ''

Bendigo Advertiser The ''Bendigo Advertiser'' (commonly referred to as ''"The Addy"'') is an Australian regional newspaper. It is the daily (Monday–Saturday) newspaper for Bendigo, Victoria, and its surrounding region. The paper is published by Australian Communi ...

'', had worked in television for a number of years and produced ''

Postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

'' for

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

, and Oemcke began at a Channel 8 newsroom in central Victoria, and found fame as a host of the Seven Network’s long-running game show ''

Wheel Of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

''. The company's first production was a Network Ten observational series ''Bread'', which followed people starting a business sponsored by Sensis. WTFN quickly gained prominence producing titles that included '' Coxy's Big Break'', ''

Bondi Vet ''Bondi Vet'' is an Australian factual television series. It follows the lives of veterinary surgeon Chris Brown at the Bondi Junction Veterinary Hospital (near Bondi Beach), and emergency veterinarian Lisa Chimes at the Small Animal Special ...

'', and ''

The Living Room The Living Room was a music venue on Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was originally established on Stanton Street of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City in 1988. The Living Room was co-owned ...

''. ''Bondi Vet'' has gone on to be sold in over 100 countries. In 2012, the company launched international distribution company Fred Media, which represents both WTFN's programs and those from other production houses. The company has signed a number of international content output deals, including a 2011 deal with US based

Discovery Communications Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1985, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Chan ...

, a 2012 deal with South African Okhule Media, and a 2014 deal with Chinese broadcaster

Tianjin TV Tianjin Renmin Guangbo Diantai (), translated as the Tianjin People's Broadcasting Station (TPBS) is a major radio broadcaster in Tianjin, China. They also operate the Tianjin Television station, also known as TJTV. Tianjin Television (TJTV) () ...

. It opened a Los Angeles based office in 2012. The company received attention in 2012 after the broadcast of ''McDonalds's Gets Grilled'' on

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

. The documentary was the recipient of allegations of bias due to it being funded by McDonald's, but WTFN and Seven defended the program, saying that the producers maintained full editorial control over the content. In 2013, WTFN made a move into producing drama content after acquiring production company The Film Company and appointing its head, Richard Keddie, as WTFN's Director of Drama and Features. WTFN had its first foray into feature films in 2016 with the release of ''Oddball'' starring

Shane Jacobson Shane Jacobson (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian actor, director, writer, and comedian, best known as the "Dunny Man" for his performances as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth, a plumber working for a portable toilet rental company, in the ...

, and children's television drama series '' Larry the Wonderpup'' in 2018. WTFN began a succession of Victorian based observational documentary series for Nine Network in 2018 with ''

Paramedics A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

'', followed by ''

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

'' which films at The

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

, and ''Mega Zoo'' shot across

Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo is a zoo in Melbourne, Australia. It is located within Royal Park in Parkville, approximately north of the centre of Melbourne. It is the primary zoo serving Melbourne. The zoo contains more than 320 animal species from Austr ...

Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo is an African themed zoo in Werribee, about south-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board or Zoos Victoria which also includes Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary ...

, and

Healesville Sanctuary Healesville Sanctuary, formally known as the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary, is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one ...

. Other series the company has gone on to produce include MTV American franchise ''

Teen Mom ''Teen Mom'' (renamed ''Teen Mom OG'' starting with the fifth season) is an American reality television series broadcast by MTV. It is the first spin-off of '' 16 and Pregnant'', and it focuses on the lives of several young mothers as they navig ...

'' spin-off '' Teen Mom Australia'', ''Sydney Harbour Force'' for

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

, ''Code 1: Minute by Minute'' and ''Police Strike Force'' for

, and decluttering/renovation series ''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter an ...

'' for

. The name WTFN derives from a conversation Talbot and Oemcke had when starting the business. When discussing how to raise funding for their first pilot, one of the pair suggested putting in the money themselves and the other responded with "why the fuck not?", a phrase which was condensed into WTFN.

Productions

Television

* A Pub Too Far *

Ask the Doctor Ask The Doctor is a medical information website that was founded in Toronto, Canada. The platform was co-founded by Dr. Patrick A. Golden, Dikembe Mutombo, Israel Idonije, Q Dhalla and Prakash Chand. History Ask The Doctor was founded in 2014 ...

* Australia Plays Broadway * Beyond the Boundary * Bollywood Star *

* Bread * Code 1: Minute by Minute * Coxy's Big Break * Danger! Wild Animals * Discover Downunder * Don't Come Monday *

Dr. Lisa to the Rescue ''Dr. Lisa to the Rescue'' is an Australian factual television series. It follows the work of emergency veterinarian Lisa Chimes, rescuing pets from animal rescue shelters, while recommending dogs to families for adoptions based on their specificat ...

* Dream Job *

* Free Sh!t Men * G'day Cirque du Soleil * Go For Your Life * Great Innovators: The Rise of Australian Wine * Guide to the Good Life * Holidays For Sale * Jade's Quest: To the Ends of the Earth * Just Go *

Keeping Up with the Joneses Keeping is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles Keeping (1924–1988), British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer * Damien Keeping (born 1982), Australian rules football coach * Frederick Keeping (1867 ...

* Larry the Wonderpup * Lee Chan's World Food Tour * Long Lost Family * Lost & Found * McDonald's Gets Grilled * Meet the Menagerie * Megafactories * Mega Zoo * Melbourne Woman * Mercurio's Menu * Miguel's Feasts * Oddball: The Nature of a Movie * On Display * On Thin Ice – Jade's Polar Dream * Operation Thailand * Our Wild Weather *

* Police Strike Force * Real Rangers * Shopping for Love *

* Sudden Impact * Supercar Showdown * Sydney Harbour Force * Sydney Harbour Patrol * Talk to the Animals * Tattoo Tales * Teen Mom Australia * Test Drive * The Great Water Challenge * The Great Weekend *

* The Making Of… *

The People Speak The People Speak is an online community of young people who want to get involved in global issues. The community engages people of all ages and backgrounds in thoughtful discussions about the value of international cooperation for the United State ...

* The Renovation King * The Ultimate Rider * The Wild Life of Tim Faulkner * Tony Robinson Down Under (a.k.a. Tony Robinson Explores Australia) * Tony Robinson's London Games Unearthed * Tony Robinson's Time Travels * Tony Robinson's Time Walks * Tony Robinson's Tour of Duty * Travels with the Bondi Vet * Trishna & Krishna: The Quest for Separate Lives * Vet on the Hill * We're Talking Animals * Wilde About Golf * Your Domain * Your Very First Puppy

Film

* Oddball

References

{{reflist

External links

Official site
Television production companies of Australia