Hullaballoo Films is a boutique production company based in Melbourne, Australia. Filmmaker Brendan Young and composer Catherine McQuade, formed Hullabaloo in 2022 as a vehicle for creating and producing highly engaging, genre-focused film and television projects for local and international audiences. Brendan and Catherine collaborate with vanguard creatives across the globe to develop their exciting slate of projects traversing crime, horror and comedy.
Smart genre storytelling, bold in style, big on character, brimming with entertainment.
Brendan began filmmaking aged 8, with a super 8 camera and enough gall to convince the late Byron Kennedy to mentor him. By 12 he was cast as a street urchin in the Kennedy/Miller Australian cult classic movie “Mad Max”, and the dirty business of dreams had him hooked for life. Brendan graduated in Directing and Cinematography from the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Brendan has had an extensive filmmaking career as a director, cinematographer and editor on an array of award winning short films, documentaries, music videos, commercials and tv promos, in Australia, Asia and Europe. The developing thread through his diverse portfolio is the belief that the emotional core of any story, is the bedrock of all great films, whatever the genre.
Initial successes include the relationship comedy short film, Three Chords And A Wardrobe - an early project for producer Bruna Papandrea. A hit on the international film festival circuit, it was theatrically distributed in the U.S, broadcast on the Sundance Channel and a slew of international cable channels and broadcasters. Brendan embarked on a series of documentary projects for television including Conspiracy (10 Network/ Mystery Clock Cinema, 1999); Love and Anarchy - The Wild World Of Jaime Leonarder (SBS, 2002), The Two Donnies – The Two Of Us (SBS Independent, 2006); the ACTAA award-winning documentary for ABC TV You Only Live Twice – The Incredibly True Story of The Hughes Family (2010) and directing episodes of the Southern Pictures/ABC TV documentary series Family Confidential (2014).
Since 2017 Brendan has focused on developing a slate of dramatic genre-based narrative projects including the noir crime-action-thriller, The Widow set in Melbourne in the early 1960s. In 2019, a 30-minute “proof of concept” version of the film was launched on to the international festival circuit and has collected more than 218 awards. The Widow has been developed into a 6-part limited drama series for streaming.
BRENDAN YOUNG
CATHERINE MCQUADE
Catherine McQuade's pedigree as a musician, performer and composer harks back to the days of Melbourne's post punk scene. A trailblazing female bass player she performed with iconic art-punk group The Ears, who were fictionalised in Richard Lowenstein's classic film Dogs in Space, before joining Deckchairs Overboard. Touring nationally, recording in New York and regulars on Countdown, Deckchairs had a string of hits before Catherine left to expand her musical horizons.
After living and recording in London with Amanda Vincent (Eurogliders, Thompson Twins, Boy George ) Catherine moved to Sydney to pursue a career in dance.
Catherine returned to music in 2010, studying jazz theory, and joining Sydney based Cuban salsa group Musica Linda as bass guitarist. Moving back to Melbourne in 2015, Catherine joined Dr Hernandez, touring and recording an album, Ochos Remedios, before focussing on composition and releasing her first solo album Perfect Storm.
Catherine has won 14 international awards for her original score for The Widow, and composed the score for First Date by New York director Zach Admunson. She has just released her second album Kiss Him Goodbye.
Mantis, being developed by Hullabaloo films is based on an original idea by Catherine.
