The Set Up will develop and package premium Australian television projects for domestic and international buyers, with production expected to begin in 2027.

Former Binge content chief Alison Hurbert-Burns has partnered with producers Bruna Papandrea and Steve Hutensky to establish a new Australian television production company, The Set Up.

Hurbert-Burns will serve as CEO and co-founder of the Sydney-based business, with Papandrea and Hutensky joining her as co-founders. Made Up Stories executives and producers Casey Haver, Jeanne Snow and Katie Amos will complete the leadership team.

The Set Up will focus exclusively on Australian television, developing and packaging premium series for broadcasters and streaming platforms at home and internationally. Its model will bring together intellectual property, creative talent and financing before projects are taken to market.

The company has assembled a pipeline of projects intended to begin production in 2027 and will also source material from third-party Australian producers and creatives.

Made Up Stories will continue to develop its wider film and television slate with partners in the United States and other international markets. The Set Up, meanwhile, will draw on Australian talent, locations, production capabilities and screen incentives to pursue global co-productions.

“We’re bringing a commissioner’s lens and a targeted approach to our slate, finding stories that travel across borders and appeal to broad audiences,” Hurbert-Burns said.

“Having been on the buying side, I appreciate that streamers and broadcasters need reliable, consistent access to highly engaging, premium-quality content in a landscape that’s changing fast.”

The venture reunites executives who worked together during Hurbert-Burns’ tenure at Binge. Made Up Stories produced the streamer’s record-setting Asher Keddie drama Strife and the 2025 Liane Moriarty adaptation The Last Anniversary.

The latter was an international co-production involving Binge and Foxtel, AMC+ and the BBC.

“Alison is that rare combination — a true tastemaker and a brilliant operator — and one of the most highly regarded people in the Australian TV industry,” Papandrea and Hutensky said. “Teaming up with her is a dream.”

The producers said the new company would pursue Australian projects capable of connecting with both domestic and international audiences.

“Australian creatives and stories are world-class, and the opportunity to produce a slate of shows that resonate both locally and globally is incredibly exciting,” they added.

Hurbert-Burns spent six years at Foxtel, where she served as executive director of commissioning and content and helped oversee the launch and growth of the company’s streaming platform Binge.

During her tenure, she oversaw 25 original commissions, including Colin From Accounts, The Twelve and Mix Tape. She departed Foxtel in 2025.

Before joining the pay-TV company, Hurbert-Burns worked in content acquisition for Nine Network and its streaming services 9Now and Stan.

Made Up Stories, founded by Papandrea and Hutensky, has offices in Los Angeles, Sydney and London. Its television credits include HBO’s Big Little Lies and The Undoing, Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, Netflix’s Pieces of Her and Anatomy of a Scandal, and Prime Video’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

Its film slate includes Australian box-office hit The Dry, sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2, The Nightingale, Penguin Bloom and 2026 release Addition. Upcoming television projects include Peacock’s The Good Daughter, adapted from Karin Slaughter’s novel.