Steve Kearney

Steve Kearney was one half of the legendary Australian comedy duo Los Trios Ringbarkus who toured throughout the 1980’s performing at the London Mime Festival, Shaffer Theatre – Amsterdam, VI Annual Clown Festival of Vienna, Montreal Mime Festival, National Arts Center – Ottawa, Du Maurier World Theatre Festival – Toronto, Expo ’86 – Vancouver, Beau Geste Mime Festival – Vancouver, Harbourfront Theatre Summer festival – Toronto, Dance Theatre workshop – New York, Coronet Theatre – Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Zealand, UK, Ireland and Winner of the prestigious “Perrier Award” – Edinburgh Festival in 1983 and the American Place Theatre – New York.

After the US shows Los Trios was fêted by top US talent agent Triad Artists who booked the comedy duo into LA shows where unheard of 3 picture studio deals for features were secured with Columbia Pictures, Paramount and United Artists for the group simultaneously working with such talents Michael Varhole (PeeWees Big Adventure) and Producer Bill McEuan (The Jerk).

Steve starred in The Nutty Nut written by Spiderman director Sam Raimi later taking on the project to edit and become the music supervisor. During that year he starred in the Australian classic “Ricky and Pete” directed by Nadia Tass.

Los Trios wound up their 12 year relationship after writing, and producing and starring in the Australian feature “Garbo” and the TV sitcom pilot for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Steve later went on to work in the TV Sitcom genre with NBC – Executive produced by ER star Anthony Edwards and Warner bros, then Castlerock and Fox TV starring and developing his own pilot “Pistol Pete” for Simpson’s writer John Swartzwelder.

Steve also had guest lead roles on Friends, Ned and Stacy, Jag and Family Matters, and pilots Nothing Upstairs (NBC), 24 Minutes (New World), and worked extensively with Shelley Duvall (The Shining) on “Rock and Roll Mother Goose” and again with Anthony Edwards on his directorial debut “Charles Ghost Story” with Cheech Marin.

Upon returning to Australia in 1999 Steve formed a new production company Mini Studios with new partner Leanne Tonkes. Together they developed several feature films and children’s TV projects securing several hundred thousand dollars in development funds from private, state and federal agencies for feature projects “Please Explain”, “Homework”, “Fistful of Arteries”, “I Sold My Life On Ebay” with Hopscotch Films, “It Just Stopped”, “Barry Noodles”, “Scratches and Cuts” and children’s show “Debra The Zebra”, mobile Game “Ticklebum” and Alternate Reality Game “Artifact”.

They attended MIPTV and Cannes Film Festivals on several occasions and formed co production agreements with Canadian outfit Amberwood Entertainment on the project “Rob The Robot” and “Debra The Zebra”. Rob The Robot is currently in production in Singapore with the MDA on series 2. Mini Studios produced local TVC’s and Music Videos including Sara Blasco “All I Want” – nominated for Best Music Video Aria Awards 2009, and animation shorts such as “Help” for the Tropfest Mitsubishi Super Short Series which won best short 2009, and “White Lines” – live action finalist Tropes 2008.

Steve co wrote and co produced the first ever animated TV pilot Australian Disney has commissioned “The Gumwalds” for the Shorty McShort Shorts program on the Disney channel.

in 2011 Mini Studios produced the short film “The Apprentice” starring US actor Anton Yelchin for legendary producer Pete Farrelly and Charlie Wessler (Something About Mary) to be included in the “Movie 43” – a collection of funny shorts distributed by Relativity Media. Steve bought financing together from three sources including RML, Screen Australia and Film Victoria and produced with Tonkes.

Steve has recently traveled the world attending such diverse conferences as X Media Lab in Singapore and Suzhou China and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and the Toronto Film Finance Forum in 2008 and the CTIA Wireless Conference 2008 as well as many trips to Cannes film Festival reflecting his diverse skills in multi platform strategies.

Steve has attended The Script Factory, Arista Script Workshops and Spark Workshops though Screen Australia – helping Steve to refine his script analysis talents. Steve has worked regularly with Hollywood script doctor Michael Hague and writer Larry Karesewski (Larry Flint, Ed Wood) Meg Lafauve and more recently Sheila Hannahan Taylor on various projects tapping into the latest industry analysis techniques.

After directing live comedy shows in Los Angeles in the showcase arena helping secure TV development deals for those actors, Steve continued to direct, premiering shows at The Melbourne Comedy Festival – “Coo Coo Bananas” with Tania Lacy 2002 Melb Comedy Fest and “Survival Of the Phattest “ for comedian Hung Lee 2002 and “The End of Fin Begin” – 2004.

Steve developed and produced  the 4 quadrant crowd pleaser “Oddball”, distribution with Village Roadshow which went on to take  $11.2 Million at the Australian Box office and with Producer Bruno Charlesworth (Good Vibrations, Not Quite Hollywood) and Tenille Kennedy ( The Turning) on the thriller “Bad Girl” which made its World Premier at the Melbourne International Film festival released by Curious Films.

Kmunications

A Melbourne Based Film Development and Production Company

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