As 2023 wraps up, CATO Location Services looks back on a year characterised by the strength of its television content. Despite industry-wide disruptions experienced during the SAG-AFTRA strike, a number of Australian-based productions embraced the slow period as a time to thrive. These include highly successful and internationally regarded TV series such as Home & Away, Colin From Accounts, Heartbreak High, One Night, The Office and Bump.
Working with these series, which dominated the domestic industry, CATO travelled far and wide throughout New South Wales in 2023. On the horizon, CATO looks forward to working with more high-profile series including The Narrow Road To The Deep North which commences filming in early 2024.
Home and Away, Season 36
Amassing an impressive 36 seasons, the classic Australian series Home & Away returned once again in 2023. Filmed at Palm Beach in NSW, CATO has provided Security services on the production for just shy of a decade. This year CATO was also engaged to provide Traffic Management for the long-running series. No stranger to the picturesque location in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, CATO has also previously worked in Palm Beach for the 2020 feature film Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts.
Heartbreak High, Season 2
Returning in 2023, Heartbreak High S2 commenced filming earlier in the year after S1 was met with international acclaim. The hit series reached the top ten shows on Netflix across 43 countries within the first week of its release and was recently awarded an international Emmy. Working alongside Netflix, a fellow partner of Sustainable Screens Australia, CATO is proud to have been a carbon-neutral organisation for the duration of filming on both seasons. Returning for the second season this year, CATO was provided Traffic Management, Security and Production Vehicle Hire.
Colin From Accounts, Season 2
Also embarking on its second season in 2023, CATO was re-engaged to provide Unit Management on Colin From Accounts after a successful first season in 2022. Co-written and starred in by Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, Colin from Accounts S1 was awarded three Logies earlier in the year. The series received Logies’ for Most Outstanding Actress, Most Outstanding Actor, and Most Outstanding Comedy Program. The Binge Original series has also been embraced by overseas audiences and was recently acquired by the BBC.
One Night
Shot on location in the Illawarra, CATO provided Traffic Management, Safety, Unit Management and Production Vehicles for the 2023 series One Night. In recent years, the Illawarra has become a popular filming location for domestic and international productions, standing in for familiar overseas backdrops such as California. Released on Paramount + in September 2023, One Night is a six-part Australian mystery series produced by Easy Tiger Productions and starring Jodie Whittaker. In addition to One Night, CATO has also collaborated with Easy Tiger on the TV series Colin From Accounts, The Twelve and Doctor Doctor.
The Office Australia
Produced by Prime Video, the upcoming series The Office Australia will join the global franchise alongside the US and UK. With filming taking place in Rydalmere, located in the Greater Western Sydney region, CATO worked closely with The Office production team to provide Traffic Management and Security. For the first time, The Office will feature a female lead played by Australian comedian Felicity Ward.
Bump, Season 4
Returning for the fourth season, CATO has continued its long-running relationship with the Bump crew, providing Traffic Management, Security and Unit services. Shot around Sydney’s Inner West, filming for Bump S4 took place right on CATO’s doorstep with locations including Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Glebe. The Stan Original Series is co-written and starred in by Claudia Karvan and during its first three seasons has amassed a large international following.
Looking ahead to 2024, CATO will begin work on a number of new series including Curio Pictures’ Narrow Road To The Deep North. Starring international talent such as Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi, Narrow Road To The Deep North has brought attention to the Australian Film & TV industry and will provide jobs for local crew as filming commences in the new year. CATO will provide Traffic Management and Security for the production.
