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The son of a car dealer and the grandson of a decorated American WW2 hero, Tony Cavanaugh entered the film and TV industry as an assistant runner at the age of 15. Working on Crawford Productions dramas such as Homicide, Matlock Police and Division Four, Tony joined the company full time after graduating from Flinders University, having studied English Literature and Art History. He worked on the crew of The Sullivans for three years, primarily as a clapper loader and focus puller. He then moved into the script department, editing and writing. At Crawford Productions he worked as a story editor and showrunner, co-creating The Flying Doctors (based on the original mini-series by Terry Stapleton) and enduring a brief stint on the ill-fated Cluedo series. In the mid-1980's, he became a freelancer, working as an assessor for all the Australian government film funding bodies and most of the major production companies. He was also a film reviewer for Cinema Papers and a lecturer/teacher of narrative storytelling. A highlight during this time was his work as a story and script editor on Once Were Warriors. Hired by Ross Jennings at Comunicado, Tony worked closely with novelist Alan Duff, to create the massively successful movie directed by Lee Tamahori. In 1989 he co-wrote and co-produced Father, based on his original idea. Starring Max von Sydow (who won a Best Actor award at the AFI's) it was his first experience working with movie stars. This led to writing for legends Robert Vaughn and Van Johnston (Clowning Around, seasons 1 & 2.) Father was the beginning of his career as a producer; it led to the formation of Liberty Films, with his then-partner, Simone North, a budget analyst with the Film Finance Corporation. Their first production was Fire, which Tony created, based on a play by Ewan Burnett. Fire was co-produced with Beyond and soon after, both companies formed a joint-venture, Liberty & Beyond, with Mikael Borglund. Fire was made into two seasons. Medivac (AKA Adrenalin Junkies) also created and its pilot written by Tony, was made into three seasons. The Day of the Roses, by John Misto, one of the most successful dramas ever made in Australia, was another award-winning show. Two telemovies, The Love of Lionel's Life, and Finding Hope, both written by Tony, were made. In 2004 Tony and Simone wrote and produced the drama, Through My Eyes, an award-winning definitive (still, to this day) history of the Azaria Chamberlain case, starring Miranda Otto. In 2008 he produced I Am You written and directed by Simone North and starring Guy Pearce, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Ruth Bradley, who went on to win Best Actress at the 2011 Milano International Film Festival. Soon after, the long-gestating movie, Nine Miles Down, written by Everett de Roche and directed by Anthony Waller was also released. Following the release of I Am You (AKA In Her Skin) by Penny Wolf at Goldcrest, Tony took a hiatus from the industry and wrote crime novels published by Hachette Australia. He was also published by Sonatine and Points in France and Egmont in Germany. Nominated for three Ned Kelly awards and winner of the 2019 Prix du Meilleur Polar, his books are Promise, Dead Girl Sing, The Train Rider, Kingdom of the Strong, The Soft Touch and Blood River. Returning to visual entertainment, Tony focussed on Asia and its approaches to storytelling. This led him to joining ABS Motion Pictures, a production company in Bangkok and spending time in China, working with companies such as Grand Canal and Wanda. At the same time he was a story editor/consultant on Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, season three, SeaChange and The Gloaming. In 2018 Tony formed Armarna Films with Louise Lee-Mei and soon after, joined with Beyond to form another joint venture, Beyond Armarna. He now works as an Executive Producer as Beyond, developing and producing all forms of visual entertainment for both niche and mass audiences. He continues to teach and mentor writers across the zoom world, from Vietnam and Thailand to Madagascar and Rwanda, through Australia, the UK and the US.
