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This New Aussie Teen Drama Puts LGBT Characters At The Forefront

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PR Image / Subject to Change

Soaps like Home and Away and Neighbours have been a staple on Australian television for decades.

Now, a groundbreaking new drama with LGBT teens at the forefront is hoping to find a home among the gum trees.

With a fresh Aussie cast, strong community backing, and a pilot launched on YouTube just last week, Subject to Change has picked up fans already. But now, its creators are looking for a network or streaming service to back the show – and bring episode two to life.

Fundamentally, Subject to Change is about the trials and tribulations of high school. It stars three unlikely best friends: neat freak Ben (Aiden Debono), who likes guys, but can't tell anyone; obnoxious, tomboyish Karly (Maryann Wright), obsessed with soccer and music; and Evie (Katy Avery) who is caught up with body image, bullying, and boys.

They’re just normal teenagers at a normal school. But the groundbreaking new drama hopes to tell the stories of LGBT teenagers in Australia in a way that hasn’t been done before.


The three leads in Subject to Change: Aiden Debono, Katy Avery, Maryann Wright (clockwise from right).

PR Image / Subject to Change


Debono, Wright and Avery, along with the show’s director Daniel Mercieca and producer Rory Delaney, are crowded around a cafe table on a rainy Sydney day, hot drinks in hand. The enthusiasm is palpable as they tell BuzzFeed News about Subject to Change.

“There’s something about the story that draws people in, even without it being pushed. it’s unlocked something, somewhere,” says Wright.

Since the pilot launched on YouTube last week – quietly, says Delaney, without too much fanfare – the cast has received messages from people across Australia and all over the world. Messages from London, Iran, Russia and France have all said it struck a chord.

Part of the appeal comes from the show’s mission: to counter a lack of depth in the LGBT characters we see on Australian television.

“There were always characters shows touched on, but it felt like they needed to be more central, to really get and explain and understand their side of things,” Mercieca says.

Delaney agrees, adding that more LGBT characters are coming through. He points to The Family Law, a new SBS show based on the popular memoir by Benjamin Law, as one example.

“I wouldn’t say it's a desert out there, but there’s still not enough.”

In the works since 2001, Subject to Change came together slowly but surely, after a fundraising campaign exceeded its $15,500 target by an enormous 75%.

“The amount of support just blew our minds, the people who wanted to support the show financially,” says Delaney.

“There was a period of just asking, how?” says Avery. “It’s just us – we’re not big names!”

Mercieca puts it down to there being “a real gap in the market” for young adult drama, adding that the extra money funded post-production and commercial music rights.

Support came from high places as well, with musician Missy Higgins donating the rights to her song “Secrets” to be used in the pilot.

Maryann Wright as Karly (L) and Katy Avery as Evie in the Subject to Change pilot.

PR Image / Subject to Change

Mercieca and Delaney drew from their own high school experiences and worked with the Safe Schools Coalition (an organisation that works to prevent LGBTI bullying in schools) to make Ben, Karly and Evie as authentic and relatable as possible.

“We did a few informal focus groups with high school students today, just to make sure we got a few contemporary things correct,” says Delaney. “But a lot of it was working off the characters, making sure they were real and believeable.”

When asked what they have in common with their characters, Wright and Debono simultaneously answer “Everything!”

“My character is pretty much me when I was that age,” says Wright. “I was a tomboy, I played soccer, and I sang. It was me. I literally walked into the audition and went, well, if I don’t get cast, there’s nothing more I can do.”

When Debono auditioned, he was a queer teenager at a Catholic high school living the same reality than Ben does.

“People yelling at me by lockers, trying to suppress who I am,” he remembers. “And of course I had crushes on boys. It was an all boys school, there were attractive people at my school!”

Now, Debono is in year twelve at a performing arts school, where things are friendlier – but he says filming the pilot was a “breath of fresh air” for him during a difficult time.

“It allowed me to explore who I actually am,” he says. “I grew so much from the pilot. it changed my view of myself.”

James Ritchie as Ethan (L) and Aiden Debono as Ben in the Subject to Change pilot.

PR Image / Subject to Change

While the online response has been good, Delaney and Mercieca are in a “continual process of pitching”, hoping Subject to Change will be picked up by a TV network or a streaming service.

“There’s an audience out there for it,” says Mercieca. “The people with the money are always going to be cautious about what they spend it on. It’s not because it’s gay content, they’re just being clever in how they commission their shows.”

“The streaming services are more likely to take risks on what can be perceived as niche content,” adds Delaney.

“An TV executive watches the show and thinks, 'It’s an LGBT youth series, our bucket of money for that is only so big'. But with Stan, Presto, Netflix – that’s all changing.”

Episode two is on hold until the show can be signed, but plenty of people are asking for it, says Wright.

“They’re already invested in the characters."

However, Mercieca and Delaney are tight-lipped about what the next episode and the rest of the season might contain, with even the three lead actors in the dark.

But while Debono, Wright and Avery have their theories about where Ben, Karly and Evie might end up, it’s on the downlow for now, while Mercieca and Delaney continue pitching, hoping someone will pick it up.

“We’ve had positive conversations with Screen Australia,” says Delaney.

“We’re waiting for it,” adds Wright. “We just need one yes.”

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Which Look From Rashida Jones'"Flip And Rewind" Are You?

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They’re all incredible, but which one should you use as fashion inspiration for your day-to-day life?

If you haven't yet seen Rashida Jones' music video for "Flip and Rewind," click here to remedy that fact — and then let's get down to business.

16 Confessions From Librarians That'll Surprise You

Australia's First Ever Nutella Festival Is Coming To Adelaide

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Yes, there will be doughnuts and shakes, but also Nutella beer.

Are you a Nutella lover? Does this make you ~feel things~?

Are you a Nutella lover? Does this make you ~feel things~?

food-gifs.com / Via giphy.com

Well, you're not alone. A couple of Adelaide-based fans of the sweet spread have taken their devotion to the next level, creating Australia's first dedicated Nutella festival, Nutella-Palooza.

Well, you're not alone. A couple of Adelaide-based fans of the sweet spread have taken their devotion to the next level, creating Australia's first dedicated Nutella festival, Nutella-Palooza.

Event manager and true Nutella fan, Tash Weggery, tells BuzzFeed Life that inspiration for the festival came from simply wanting to “spread the happy”.

"Honestly, we just love Nutella. We couldn't find anywhere else in Australia that held a Nutella event like this, so we thought let's do one."

Nutella Palooza / Via instagram.com

Attendees of the free, all ages festival can expect stalls selling a variety of Nutella-based goods, as well as cooking demonstrations and live music.

"There will be chocolate and bakery stalls from both South Australia and interstate, which will feature all the classic items such as Nutella shakes and Nutella doughnuts, as well as any other crazy Nutella items our stall holders come up with," says Tash.

Instagram: @marinasarunic

Adults can look forward to Nutella cocktails, and even a Nutella beer.

"Big Shed Brewing Co. are creating a Nutella Beer only available at the event," says Tash.

Instagram: @accio_allonsy


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I Ate My Way Through The Japanese Menus For McDonald's, Burger King, And KFC

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Pray for my colon.

McDonald's

McDonald's

First up, we have McDonald's, which I assumed would be way weirder. Aside from some seasonal items and a few weird twists on classic stuff, though, it's more or less the same. Here's what you can get in Japan you can't get anywhere else.

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed


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We Know Who You Plan On Spending Valentine's Day With

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Just because we ~LOVE~ guessing.

Which "The Force Awakens" Character Matches Your Zodiac Sign?

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I see your eyes… I know your eyes…

21 Photos Anyone Who Has Been Drunk AF Will Relate To

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Just looking at these will get you tipsy.

When you make a pact with your friends that you're ONLY HAVING ONE DRINK, but then you all end up wasted and raging:

When you make a pact with your friends that you're ONLY HAVING ONE DRINK, but then you all end up wasted and raging:

Via Twitter: @TheOfficeCode

When a minute ago you even couldn't stand, but all of sudden you hear "Hotline Bling":

When a minute ago you even couldn't stand, but all of sudden you hear "Hotline Bling":

Via Twitter: @merebear21097

When Adele is playing and the wine is flowing and all of sudden your BFF starts crying and thinks that it's the right time to text their ex:

When Adele is playing and the wine is flowing and all of sudden your BFF starts crying and thinks that it's the right time to text their ex:

Via funnyand.com


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We Know What Kind Of Instagram Photo You Last Posted

We Know Your Zodiac Sign Based On Your Favorite Pop Star

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♫ When you wish upon a star. ♫

Can You Identify The Avril Lavigne Music Video By A Single Screenshot?

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This might get a little Complicated.

What Your Favorite Pop Divas Looked Like In 2006 Vs. Now

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So many hits and so many flops. What a time to be alive.

Taylor Swift then:

Taylor Swift then:

She played at river festivals and lived on a Christmas tree farm.

Peter Kramer / Getty Images

Now:

Now:

Ruined the word "squad."

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Madonna then:

Madonna then:

In the middle of her best era, Confessions.

Jo Hale / Getty Images

Now:

Now:

Needs to stop collaborating with Nicki Minaj.

Angela Weiss / Getty Images


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The 17 Biggest Surprises Of This Year's Oscar Nominations

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#OscarsSoWhiteTheSequel

Straight Outta Compton

Universal Pictures

Creed

Warner Bros. Pictures

Last year, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated its first all-white set of acting nominees, there was a major backlash that embarrassed the Academy, and likely helped lead to the most diverse new class of members possibly ever. In November, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs even spent her speech at the annual Governors Awards challenging the industry to diversify its hiring practices, a sentiment echoed that year by honoree Spike Lee.

And now, we are right back where we started. All 20 acting nominees are, once again, white. And, unlike last year, all eight Best Picture nominees feature predominantly white casts. Straight Outta Compton — which enjoyed a surge of industry support with a Best Ensemble nomination from SAG-AFTRA and a Best Picture nomination from the Producers Guild — earned just a single Oscar nomination, for Best Original Screenplay — which some have pointed out went to its white screenwriters. Creed, a widely acclaimed film with a black director and black star, earned a single nomination for the only major white actor in the film, Sylvester Stallone, in the Best Supporting Actor category. Will Smith did not earn a nomination for his strong work in Concussion, nor did Idris Elba for his searing performance in Beasts of No Nation.

It is yet another humiliating reminder of how little the film industry even bothers making Oscarworthy movies about non-white people, let alone considering non-white actors and professionals when deciding what constitutes the best movies of the year. Creed's Michael B. Jordan was never considered as anything more than a long shot for Best Actor, while the conversation about the contenders for Best Actress remained starkly white from the very start. We could see this outcome coming, for weeks, if not months. It is, in a way, depressingly unsurprising, and it is something the movie business will need to keep confronting well after this year's winners have taken their Oscar statues home.


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We Know Your Favorite Celebrity Based On Your Second Favorite

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Let’s give it a go!

Which Type Of Makeup Are You?


This Video Shows A Police Officer Repeatedly Pushing A Young Mother In The Chest

Here's What The Cast Of "That Thing You Do" Look Like Now

The Kid From "Room" Just Made The Cutest Speech Which Will Melt Your Cold Heart

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“This is super cool! This is the best day of my life!”

Jacob Tremblay won Best Young Actor at the Critic's Choice Awards and his speech was so cute, he deserves a second award for it.

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Accepting the award, the 9-year-old star of Room announced to the crowd, "This is super cool! This is the best day of my life!"

Accepting the award, the 9-year-old star of Room announced to the crowd, "This is super cool! This is the best day of my life!"

youtube.com

After some minor microphone assistance from the award's presenter, Bradley James, Tremblay continued to win every single person over.

After some minor microphone assistance from the award's presenter, Bradley James, Tremblay continued to win every single person over.

youtube.com

"I first want to say thank you to all the critics who voted for me," Tremblay continued, before complimenting the other nominees.

"I first want to say thank you to all the critics who voted for me," Tremblay continued, before complimenting the other nominees.

youtube.com


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Notorious “Pick-Up Artist” Rejected By Aussie Hotel Chain

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Thousands of people call on the immigration minister to cancel the visa of Jeff Allen, colleague of Julien Blanc.

An Australian hotel group has cancelled the bookings for seminars to be held by Jeff Allen, a colleague of pick-up artist Julien Blanc, whose visa was revoked after national outrage in 2014.

An Australian hotel group has cancelled the bookings for seminars to be held by Jeff Allen, a colleague of pick-up artist Julien Blanc, whose visa was revoked after national outrage in 2014.

Allen, who goes by the name of Jeffy, had planned a tour of Australia, starting with a dating seminar in Sydney in January and travelling to Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

The company he co-founded, Real Social Dynamics (RSD), holds seminars teaching men how to seduce women, but has been widely criticised for promoting misogynistic attitudes and violence against women.

RSD teaches men that they can pick up women by harassing, manipulating, and degrading them.

In his promotional video for the tour, Allen claims to be an expert at procuring threesomes with women.

youtube.com

"In the past three months, me and my girl have pulled over a dozen threesomes," Allen says in the video.

"In the past three months, me and my girl have pulled over a dozen threesomes," Allen says in the video.

"If you've ever wanted to learn how to have multiple threesomes from a bona fide master this is your chance."

His method involves using his girlfriend to talk to women and then taking them to a van parked outside the nightclub, dubbed by him as a "rape van".

The seminar also involves showing secretly-filmed footage of women interacting with Allen.

youtube.com

A change.org petition calling on the immigration minister Peter Dutton to revoke Jeff Allen's visa approval has been signed by over 60,000 people.

A change.org petition calling on the immigration minister Peter Dutton to revoke Jeff Allen's visa approval has been signed by over 60,000 people.

"These men have built a business advising young men that their best option for a romantic or sexual encounter with a woman is to belittle her, physically restrain her, mentally deride her, and abuse her until she submits," the letter reads.

change.org


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Which Classic Pop-Punk Song Matches Your Zodiac Sign?

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Is this more than you bargained for yet?

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