Samantha Strauss

1997

Samantha is a writer for television and film. She co-created the hit Australian teen drama series DANCE ACADEMY which screens in over 160 countries.

It has been nominated for two International Emmys and won the Most Outstanding Children’s Series Logie awards in 2012 and 2013. Samantha has been individually nominated for five Australian Writer’s Guild Awards and won twice. She’s been nominated for two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2011 and 2014. As a feature film writer, Samantha has created and written DANCE ACADEMY: THE MOVIE which will be in cinemas in April 2017. In 2015 Samantha wrote MARY: THE MAKING OF A PRINCESS, a biopic telemovie produced by Fremantle Media which was the highest rating drama on Network Ten in over a year.

In the past she has worked as a freelance scriptwriter on drama series including WONDERLAND and OFFSPRING

(also for Network Ten) and has been commissioned to develop both drama

and comedy series for the Nine Network, Foxtel and the ABC.

She has been funded by Screen Australia to adapt B MODEL, a teen film

based on Miranda Darling’s novel of the same name. The film is produced

by Louise Smith and Rachel Griffiths. She has also been commissioned to

write SHEILA, produced by Revlover and Goalpost Pictures, based on the

bestselling book by Robert Wainwright. Samantha is currently developing two comedy drama series – THE

END for See-Saw Films and DIRTY THIRTIES for Werner Film Productions.

She’s also developing PRETENDERS, a new 26-part children’s drama series

for Werner Film Productions and is writing a family film called THE

SUMMER WE RULED THE WORLD.

Success Stories

Samantha Strauss

Trinity Lutheran College