Working Dog Productions

Last updated

Working Dog Productions Pty. Ltd.
Company type Private company
Industry Production company
Founded1993;32 years ago (1993)
Founders
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
Website www.workingdog.com.au

Working Dog Productions (originally Frontline Television Productions Pty. Ltd.) is a film and television production company based in Melbourne, Australia. [1] It was formed in 1993 by actors Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner, and producer Michael Hirsh. [2]

Contents

History

Working Dog was formed in 1993 by five collaborators who had worked together on earlier comedy projects; the company initially traded as Frontline Television Productions before adopting the name Working Dog Productions in the mid-1990s. [3] The founders have described the company origin as “five friends formed a production company with a dodgy camcorder and a dream.” [4]

The company name and mascot (an Australian Cattle Dog) reflect the founders’ affection for dogs, and the company has retained the original creative core across decades while expanding into multi-platform production and a small executive/staff structure. [5]

Three of Working Dog's founders: Tom Gleisner (left), Rob Sitch (middle), and Michael Hirsh (right). Tom Gleisner, Rob Sitch, Michael Hirsh 2012 (1).jpg
Three of Working Dog's founders: Tom Gleisner (left), Rob Sitch (middle), and Michael Hirsh (right).

Television

  Programs with a shaded background indicate the program is still in production.

TitleNetworkGenreYearsSeasons
Frontline ABC Comedy, Satire1994–19973 seasons, 39 episodes
Behind the Frontline ABC Documentary19951 documentary
Funky Squad ABC Comedy19951 season, 7 episodes
The Campaign ABC Documentary19962 episodes
A River Somewhere ABC Documentary1997–19982 seasons, 13 episodes
The Panel Network Ten Talk show1998–20047 seasons, 237 episodes
All Aussie Adventures Network Ten Mockumentary2001–2002, 20183 seasons, 20 episodes
The Panel Christmas Wrap Network Ten Talk show2003–20075 annual specials
Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge Network Ten Mockumentary20041 telemovie
Thank God You're Here Network Ten (2006–2007, 2023–present)
Seven Network (2009)		Improvised comedy2006–2009, 2023–present5 seasons, 49 episodes
Thank God You're Here NBC Comedy20071 season, 7 episodes
The Hollowmen ABC Comedy20082 seasons, 12 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever! SBS Sport, Comedy20101 season, 26 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Sports Fever! 7mate/Seven Network Sport, Comedy20121 season, 10 episodes
Pictures of You Seven Network Talk show20121 season, 16 episodes
Audrey's Kitchen ABC Comedy2012–20132 seasons, 20 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Total Football Fox Sports Sports, Comedy2013–20152 seasons, 56 episodes
Have You Been Paying Attention? Network Ten Game show2013–present10 seasons, 261 episodes
Utopia ABC Comedy2014–present5 seasons, 40 episodes
Pacific Heat The Comedy Channel Animated Sitcom2016–20171 season, 13 episodes
The Cheap Seats Network Ten Comedy, Current Affairs2021–present4 seasons, 91 episodes

Film

TitleGenreRelease dateDistributor
The Castle Comedy10 April 1997 Village Roadshow
The Dish Comedy19 October 2000 Roadshow Entertainment
Any Questions for Ben? Comedy9 February 2012 Roadshow Films

Other

In addition to television and film, Working Dog Productions have also ventured into books, stage shows, and podcasts. [6]

Books

Books which have been published by Working Dog include, but are not limited to, mock travel guides. [2] Books published by Working Dog include:

Stage

Working Dog produced the stage show The Speechmaker. The show was written by Working Dog's Sitch, Cilauro and Gleisner and had a sellout season at the Melbourne Theatre Company. [2] Gleisner has produced a musical under the Working Dog brand titled Bloom . [7]

Podcasts

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cassar, Jeremy (7 October 2016). "Working Dog: 30 years of biting at the cutting edge of comedy". Special Broadcasting Service . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Enker, Debi (7 August 2014). "Utopia proves there's nothing else like a Working Dog formula". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "About Us – Working Dog". Working Dog Official. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "About Us – Working Dog". Working Dog Official. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Working Dog On Demand | About Us". Working Dog On Demand. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  6. ↑ "Working Dog's Pacific Heat to air on Foxtel November 27". IF.com.au. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Rabinowitz, Chloe (20 February 2025). "Christie Whelan Browne And John Waters Join The Cast Of BLOOM at STC's Roslyn Packer Theatre". BroadwayWorld . Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
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