Team
Festival Organising Committee
Courtney Powell
Festival director
Courtney is honoured to step into the role of Festival Director for Melbourne WebFest. With an extensive background in digital media, and a passion for celebrating innovative storytelling, Courtney brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to MWF. Having worked across various facets of the industry: as an actor and writer, to proudly founding Australia’s second web series festival, Courtney has developed a keen eye for emerging trends and outstanding talent. Courtney’s dedication to advancing web content, and nurturing creative communities, has been a hallmark of her career, and she is excited to continue Melbourne WebFest’s exceptional legacy.
Courtney is a professional performer, who has worked and toured across the USA, UK, and around Australia. Courtney’s work has been recognised by the American Academy of Motion Pictures as Oscars eligible, and has worked opposite Mark Wahlberg, Jane Seymour, and John Foreman. Courtney has featured as the host for the beloved Australian children's show Humphrey B. Bear Live!, as the series vocalist for SBS’s Greeks of the Sea, a backing and recording vocalist for two Australian Idol seasons, and in season three of The Masked Singer. Overseas, Courtney has played the lead role of Ruth in Crab House - A New Musical, in its smash Off-Broadway season in New York City, as Cinderella in the UK hit Princess Cabaret, as well as half of the critically acclaimed comedy cabaret duo Sugar & Vice. Courtney has also proudly been part of two award winning web series: VTV, and God's 17.
Courtney is the Founder & Festival Director of Sydney Web Fest, now in its sixth year. Sydney Web Fest showcases stories by women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and First Nations creators, whilst celebrating diversity across all spectrums, and provides a space for under-represented storytellers to share their stories and experiences. Courtney is an advocate for diversity in the digital media landscape, leveraging Sydney Web Fest’s platform to champion transformative change within the industry.
Stayci Taylor
Festival Producer
Dr Stayci Taylor is senior lecturer at RMIT and a web series geek, and has published on the subject in articles and book chapters, among her broader publications on screenwriting and screen production. She is co-editor of two books on the topic of script development, and one on the iconic Aussie TV series Prisoner and Wentworth. Stayci has been involved with Melbourne Webfest since 2017 as a grand juror, Pitch iView judge, panel moderator and mentor. She is delighted to take the producer reins for 2024 with the help of RMIT Culture and RMIT’s Enabling Impact Platforms.
She brings to her research a background in writing for television and her scripts have earned wins and nominations in the prestigious Qantas Television Awards and Screenwriting Awards of NZ. In 2022 Stayci was named the national Leader in the Field (film) in The Australian annual research awards. Recently Stayci has ventured into Smartphone Filmmaking, with a project commissioned for Australian Environments on Screen (AEoS), screened at ACMI in 2023.
When Stayci’s not researching, teaching and running festivals she is the ukulele player in Melbourne queer comedy-music trio Queen Beaver.