About
Elissa McKeand is the principal of SkinnyDip Pictures
Elissa has produced over 40 hours of high-quality documentaries for Foxtel’s HISTORY, Crime & Investigation and LifeStyle channels since 2013. She moves comfortably between the independent production sector, first as a freelancer and later under her own company, SkinnyDip Pictures, and working as a Network Executive Producer across Foxtel’s unscripted slate including in-house productions.
With a First Class History Honours degree (Sydney), post-graduate qualifications in Journalism (UTS), and a background as a project manager in the digital world, Elissa is driven by great research and revealing storytelling delivered in ways that appeal to broad and new audiences. One of her superpowers is pulling together teams of talented individuals and fostering a fun, supportive and highly motivated culture where every person feels they can deliver their best work.
Major Production & Development Credits
Aussie Inventions That Changed The World, 8 x 1hour, HISTORY, 2019
2015: Pitched the series to Foxtel and began co-developing it further.
2017: Cast Matt Parkinson, Sally Dominguez, David Hunt and Anja Taylor as presenters
2017-18: Executive Produced and showran the series as a co-production between SkinnyDip Pictures and Northern Pictures.
2019: June premiere, the series broke numerous audience records for HISTORY including delivering its highest channel share on the platform since 2009.
2019: Worked with curriculum consultant to create educational materials to support teachers working with the show in classrooms of Years 5&6, 9&10, available through EnhanceTV and ClickView.
2019: Created and launched a companion 8-part podcast series led by the four presenters that also called Aussie Inventions That Changed The World, which explored quirky history bites to further illuminate the stories in the show.
Debi Marshall Investigates Frozen Lies, 5 x 1hour, CI, 2019
2016/17: In her network role Elissa developed this investigative docuseries with the producer and journalist.
2019: Created and Executive Produced a companion podcast investigative series, involving breakthrough interviews and investigation into Adelaide’s Family Murders.
Ron Iddles The Good Cop, 6 x 1hour, CI, 2019
2016: In her network role Foxtel Elissa developed the series with journalist Justine Ford and production partner CJZ.
2019: the show won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Documentary Series.
River Cottage Australia, 8 x 1hour, LifeStyle Food, 2016
Supervising Producer S4, based in Bermagui & Tilba August to December 2015.
Coast Australia, 16 x 1hour, HISTORY, 2013 & 2014
2012/13: Series Producer S1, adapted the successful UK format to its new Australian home on HISTORY. Cast local presenters to work with Neil Oliver.
S1 was huge success for Foxtel. Episode1 was HISTORY’s highest rating program ever. On BBC2 it attracted 2million viewers, out-rating latest season of Coast UK;
2014: Series Producer S2.
S2 was also an immediate hit for Foxtel, with 8% higher cumulative audience than S1 and strong audience numbers sustained on BBC2.
2016: At the request of BBC, Elissa re-wrote the BBC’s format bible for COAST to reflect her production model and vibrancy of the show more suited to other international territories.
2009 – 2013
Elissa worked on numerous blue-chip documentary series for the ABC & SBS including Great Southern Land, Two On The Great Divide, Immigration Nation, Miracle The Series, The Making Of Modern Australia.