Perth Voice Interactive

THE Film and Television Institute has sacked four managers with a combined 20 years’ experience.

The FTI board’s October 30 decision follows the Abbott government’s decision to slash $240,000 in funding, about 15 per cent of FTI’s budget.

The people to go are business, marketing, production support and customised training program managers.

Last month FTI CEO Paul Bodlovich said he wanted to avoid job cuts: “To make up for the loss in core funding we will need to generate between $1.5 and $2.5 million extra in revenue, and effectively double in size,” he’d told the Voice.

“We’re still working out how to bridge the core funding gap without having to make cuts.”

FTI announced in a statement this week the abandonment of efforts to bridge the gap.

“We can now focus our efforts on continuing to improve the delivery of services in the core areas of production support, providing advice and referrals, and knowledge and network development,” it said.

“The pressure of replacing the [Screen Australia] funding from other revenue sources would have seen that focus dissipated, and in the end may well have been a bridge too far in any case.”

FTI recently relocated from Fremantle to the second floor of the state library in the Perth Cultural Centre and pays a “cheap commercial rent”.

Recently the FTI appointed Kate Raynes-Goldie as its games interactive director.

“The global games market reached $93 billion in 2013 and continues to grow,” Dr Raynes-Goldie said. “We want WA to tap into that market.”

by STEPHEN POLLOCK