People

Australia's WTFN has promoted Michael McDermott to the newly created role of Head of Development. Based in Melbourne, McDermott joined WTFN in 2020 as a development researcher after completing a PhD in media and diversity studies. As Head of Development, McDermott will lead WTFN’s development activities, focusing on concepts designed for the changing television and multi-platform content landscape. He will also work with businesses across the wider WTFN Group, including digital content company Radar, to explore how ideas and IP can be developed for different platforms and audiences.

“Michael is a hugely impressive creative and we’re delighted to promote him into this pivotal new role. He watches more television than anyone I’ve ever met, has a genuine fascination with audience behaviour and combines that with a razor-sharp analytical mind that makes him look at ideas from a different angle. He understands what makes great television, but he’s equally interested in how, where and why people are choosing to watch. That combination is increasingly important and makes him a real asset to WTFN. We’re excited to see him lead development and help shape the next chapter of our content strategy,” said Steve Oemcke, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at WTFN,

McDermott added: “WTFN has given me wonderful opportunities to develop, produce and cast programmes across a wide range of genres, so I’m incredibly excited to now lead development for the company. The way audiences discover and consume content is changing rapidly, and that creates a real opportunity for us creatively. I want us to be ambitious about the ideas we develop, but also forensic about who they are for, why they will connect and where they can live. Police Australia is a great example of an idea that started with identifying a compelling world and finding the right people to bring audiences into it, and I’m thrilled that Nine has backed the series.”

New Commission
Nine confirmed Police Australia at its 2027 Upfront event, commissioning six hours of observational documentary focused on frontline police officers in Western Australia. The series follows the day-to-day work of police officers, with the WTFN production team embedded with the police force to capture general duties, organised crime investigations and special operations, while also exploring the personal stories behind the badge. The series is due to air next year.
Police Australia extends WTFN’s existing slate of ‘blue light’ programming for Nine, including Emergency, now in its sixth season, and Paramedics, which has run for seven seasons and most recently filmed in Western Australia. Content from Police Australia is also expected to join Paramedics and Emergency on Real Emergency, the FAST channel operated as a joint venture between WTFN and Nine.