MANAGEMENT TEAM

Hallie Mckeig is the CEO of Filmbites having founded it in 2003.  After completing a graduate diploma in film at Curtin University and a bachelor in Communications minoring in screenwriting, Hallie worked as a director at Channel 9 before leaving to work in Taiwan then Canada, where she worked on many major motion pictures and TV series. She had the pleasure of teaching students filmmaking during her stay in Taiwan and on her return to Perth, Hallie created Filmbites. Hallie’s commitment to providing the very best learning opportunities for young people has seen Filmbites grow to an industry leading and well-respected screen skills school with over 5 branches as well as a talent agency with a reputation for the excellence and screen readiness of its actors. 

Grace is Filmbites’ COO and Manager. She originally attended Filmbites as a filmmaking student, achieving Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking in 2017 and Outstanding Production the same year. Graduating in 2019, she has written and directed the short film Mohammad and won Outstanding Commitment and Achievement award for her year. Grace also works as a freelance producer and has just created several projects big and small in 2020. She is working towards launching her podcast production company Hot Pink Sludge in 2021.   

Shanta Surendran is Filmbites’ Head Acting Coach. She has trained actors since 2005 and has worked with both youth and adults at a range of levels from beginner to elite. Shanta is the creator, writer and head trainer of the acting curriculum. She also trains adults as part of the core training team at Nicholson’s Academy of Screen Acting. Shanta was also one of the key training team for the Diploma of Screen Acting at FTI which trained 2015 Heath Ledger Scholarship Winner, Cody Fern. In addition to acting training Shanta has worked with Jane Norris Casting as an acting coach.

Shanta‘s students have achieved many levels of success in their acting from confidence to self discovery to honing skills to success in industry. Industry outcomes have included entry into high caliber acting schools in Perth, the eastern states and internationally. Her students have also had success in getting high level audition call-backs and short lists (both nationally and internationally), as well as winning roles on commercials, web series, TV series and feature films.

Tabbetha is Filmbites’ Community Workshops Manager. She coordinates Filmbites’ courses and workshops for schools and community groups.

Tabbetha has a strong passion for Film as well as for working with children. After graduating from SAE with a Bachelor of Film in 2021, she helped create the Swan Perth International Women In Film Festival to support women in film locally. Tabbetha has worked on various productions across a range of mediums including music videos and TV series. Her work has won awards at Catchlight Film Festival and WA Made Film Festival. Before beginning her work in Film, Tabbetha studied early childhood development and worked with children for many years.