Ian Withnall is a Producer, Director, Series Director and Series Producer on many top rating Australian and International TV Series and Special Programming and has been in the TV and film industry since February 1989.
A highly experienced Director and Writer, Ian has hundreds of hours of broadcast content to his name and is also an accomplished Cinematographer with almost three decades of experience.
In 2023 Context Media approached Ian Withnall to fill the roles of Series Producer and Supervising Post Producer on Season 2 of their awesome series, “For The Love Of Pets”.
Based at RSPCA Wacol in Brisbane, over the seven week shooting schedule, Ian managed up to five camera crews, shooting stories for 8 x 1 hour episodes for a primetime Friday night 7:30 slot.
2022 Started with Ian as Series Producer on Gem Hunters Down Under for Wildbear TV on Channel Seven. Ian was Shooting Director, Writer and Post Producer on episodes three to six. Ian stepped out of the Wildbear TV Office and straight into a Truck Workshop for Aussie Truck Rehab for Discovery Channel through Ronde Media and Whistling Wolf Productions. In the midst of all that, Ian also took up a role as Ad Hoc Shooting Producer on a fantastic series called Animals Aboard for Seven Network through Beyond Action. Ian and Soundo Chris McCallum had a great time following the stories of animals as they travel around Autralia and abroad.
2022 ended with a milestone contract for Ian as Director/Producer on ABC TV Premiere science documentary program Catalyst. Ian was given the 2nd episode on season 24, called The Secret Lives of Our Urban Birds: Brisbane. And what a big deal it was, getting birds and weather to line up was a stroke of good management, luck and resilience. The episode aired in March of 2023 and is still available on ABC iView.
2021 saw Ian and Sharen commissioned by ABC TV for the prestigious Art Works program to create an exquisite segment on Ballet Theatre Queensland. Palatine crew consisted of Sharen Kenny as Field Producer and Ian Withnall as Director/DOP. Ian also went bush directing for season 7 and 8 of Outback Opal Hunters. Ian was based west of Winton, Qld with the Tarranto family. Ian also field directed on an awesome series called Aussie Mega Mechanics for 7Mate and Discovery, where he was seen hanging off tower cranes 14 stories above Brisbane, shooting the rebuild of Trains and Trams, and refitting Tug boats in the Brisbane River. Ian continued in the Bush theme as principal Shooting Director on Gem Hunters Down Under for Wildbear TV.
During 2020, Ian and Sharen began working on developing and shooting two natural history films. During the Lockdown Period, Ian implemented his high levels of Macro Cinematography skills and wide array of specialist film and video lenses and cameras to get up close and personal with some incredible creatures.
At the same time, Palatine Productions began work on a one hour film depicting the story of some of our most extraordinary landscapes, exploring the way geological forms are created, destroyed and reborn anew through exquisite and dramatic processes.
2020 also saw the Palatine Team engaged by Electric pictures to shoot their incredibly popular “Aussie Gold Hunters” series. Over three arduous shooting blocks the Palatine team worked hard to deliver to the WA Producers everything they had hoped for in their fresh bid to shoot here in Queensland. More information on our News Page.
If things weren’t busy enough here at Palatine Productions, we were also heavily involved in two series for WildBear Entertainment. We provided extensive location work for Demolition Down Under S2 and 3 and Aussie Mega Mechanics 2. AMM2 saw Ian learning new skills as he flew high overhead on a 14 story high tower crane and rode some of the shipping industries most powerful machines.
Throughout 2019, Ian was contracted to be Series Producer, Series Director, Shooting Director and Writer on a series for Network TEN and Discovery called “Demolition Down Under”. Of the 18 stories over 6 episodes, Ian shot 14, wrote all and series produced the entire series. Ian’s role included locking down the format, creating a look and feel, shooting style, writing style and graphics template.
In early 2019 Ian was a key Field Director for Outback Opal Hunters Season 3, spending some quality time way out west of Winton in Western Queensland on the opal fields.
For the bulk of 2019, Ian was on a contract to Series Produce “Demolition Down Under”,a new Ob Doc series for Wildbear Entertainment for Discovery International and Network 10. Based out of Brisbane, Queensland, Ian also Field Produced, Shot and Wrote the whole Series of Six one hour episodes.
2017 and early 2018 saw Ian field directing on Railroad Australia season two, Outback Trucklers Season Six and a pilot program for Animal Planet with the Irwin family at Australia Zoo.
Throughout 2016 Ian produced, directed and shot on several programs for Discovery Channel including “Outback Truckers” and “Outback Pilots”.
Ian directed and produced for WAG TV in the UK on the incredibly popular series “How Do They Do It” for Discovery International and he was Producer/Shooter on series one for Channel Nine’s “This Time Next Year”.
2015 saw Ian once again Producing and Directing for “Outback Truckers” on Series 4 as well as “Railroads Australia”, both for Discovery Channel.
Ian also Produced and Directed on “Location Location Location” for UK Channel 4.
In early 2014 Ian spent 3 months working as a Producer/Director/Camera on “Fireys”, an Observational Documentary series for Network Ten through Endemol.
Throughout 2013/14 Ian was a Producer/Director on “Outback Truckers” Series 2 & 3 as well as producing three high end TV Specials for Channel Nine Queensland.
2013 saw Palatine Productions shortlisted for the Discovery Channel International “Discovery Ignite Program” with an Ob Doc Series concept created by Ian Withnall. The project is currently in further development.
In 2012 Ian was Executive Producer for Palatine Productions on a documentary called “The Great Australian Campdraft”. Ian wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited the production. The film premiered on ABC1 as a special and was so well received by audiences the ABC repeated it three times in various time slots.
Between 2000 and 2011 Ian has been:
Series Director and Series Producer on -
RFI – Room For Improvement – Seven Network
QE – Australian Queer Eye For The Straight Guy – Network Ten
Field Producer/Director on -
The Shak – Nine Network
Bindi’s Bootcamp – ABC 3
Room For Improvement - Seven Network
Guinness World Records - Seven Network
The Great Outdoors - Seven Network
Burke’s Backyard – Nine Network
Animal Hospital – Nine Network
Auction Squad - Seven Network
Ian has produced and directed extremely large and complex productions and has spent the majority of his producing career filling the prime time slots for Australia’s leading networks.
As well as producing for series, Ian has worked in the development areas for the networks and has produced and directed on various pilots. He was the Director who oversaw the technical and content development that took Australian Queer Eye for the Straight Guy from paperwork to final production.
He has very highly developed writing skills, having written hundreds of hours of prime time TV.
A trained and passionate cameraman, Ian began his career behind the viewfinder in 1989. He has shot on 16mm film, Digital Betacam, HDCam, and all of the digital broadcast formats and is something of a DSLR Aficionado.
He has worked as a lighting director on both films and TVCs, and played a major role in the lighting design on many TV shows.
Ian’s editing skills are highly developed, having trained as an editor since he started in the TV industry. He has completed AFTRS Editing courses and cut TV shows and Documentaries.
He has been a professional photographer since 1990 and is a published journalist.
Ian’s other skills include SCUBA diving, four wheel driving, horse riding, motorcycles, rock climbing, canyoning and general adventure seeking.
