On this page you will find:

Capability Statement for Documentaries
A sample of a production proposal (PDF)
A statement of production values and deliverables (PDF)
How budgeting is expressed (PDF)

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Capability Statement

Newton's has been in business since 1975, gradually shifting its emphasis from a purely media related enterprise, to one of strategic communication management and production of high quality documentaries for government and private enterprise clients.

Newton's has a strong reputation in translation of sometimes difficult to understand concepts into entertaining and very understandable documentaries or audio visual shows. The company is also well versed in mass public communication technologies. The company handled the media, videotape and strategic public relations aspects of the Public Relations Section of the former major Queensland local authority, the Albert Shire Council for more than a decade until Newton's helped establish the internal media division about two years prior to the shire's costly and politically motivated amalgamation with Gold Coast City.

Newton's were responsible for the development, adoption and implementation of the well accepted Country of Five Rivers Logo. Company principal Ken Newton is regarded as a specialist in the area of public consultation where complex academic concepts, manufacturing processes or planning ideals need to be explained to others for public feed-back and to satisfy government demands for public input into issues which concern people.

His expertise has been engaged by the Gold Coast City Council on such issues as the Surfers Paradise Streetscape Strategy which involved public display and consultation, newsletter production and inter-relationships with the region's stakeholders.

Major public education campaigns on waste management have successfully been undertaken by Newton's for both Gold Coast City Council and Albert Shire Council. Over many years, his company had considerable success with communication strategies for Gold Coast City, Albert Shire, Beaudesert Shire and Redland Shire Councils on complex issues such as Strategic and Town Planning.

It could be said that Ken Newton, while on staff at Gold Coast City in the early 70's helped pioneer the now well-accepted principles of public consultation with the significant town plan introduced for the city at that time.

His advice on planning issues is often sought, one being the production of the videotape documentary on the city's town planning philosophies in 1994, which was acknowledged as contributing to the winning of a certificate of Merit from the Royal Australian Planning Institute.

Newton's strategic and documentary skills are integrated with the Burchill Partners Consulting Group's consultancy package for work in Asia. In Director Mark Windsor's words "....The integration of Newton's communications role has greatly enhanced our ability to manage the expression of our urban and infrastructure planning inputs within those deliverables which can most effectively influence decision making processes."

Newton's was engaged to manage government and public consultation strategies as part of a significant international team approach to the re-building of the city of Johor Bahru, capital of Johor, Malaysia.

On the Gold Coast, Newton's has a long term relationship with several of the Neumann Group of companies at Currumbin, for which Newton's has completed a total of 16 documentaries on dredging technology, mining and environmental technologies.

Newton's is principle adviser to the Southport-based car accessory and air conditioning company, SuperCool Franchising Pty Ltd and SCA Australia Pty Ltd and also manages the international secretariat and corporate affairs office of the Vehicle Air conditioning Specialists of Australasia and the Australian Association of Automotive Electricians.

Developing appropriate and understandable communication mechanisms for the public consultation process
Newton's has developed a particular expertise in areas of mass communication and public consultation mechanisms. They bring into play a keen understanding of town and strategic planning concepts to deliver a range of strategies or tools to enable the community -at its various levels - to participate, make comment and understand planning philosophies.

Their strategic communication skills were forged in the early 1970's, which in Australian terms could be said to be the beginning of the era of public consultation and democratic input into the town planning process.

Beginning with Australia's international resort city, Gold Coast, Newton's pioneered a unique package of communications strategies to take the city's new planning direction to the people. It was regarded as highly successfull and it in fact saved the community a great deal of money. Effectively, the way the communication was handled reduced the "fear of the unknown" and as a result, the process of introducing new town planning policies was smoother, less confrontational, quicker and more cost effective.

The community became more responsive to the goals set by the authorities and as a result of community support, issues which might otherwise have caused confrontation were quickly and effectively resolved. Communities around the world have proved that the success of change is in direct proportion to the effectiveness of consultation with all stakeholders.

Newton's role can be divided into two parts:-

1 Producing the public information tools which will be used to explain the "vision" and invite public input, comment and participation at all levels.
2 Devise the public consultation enabling strategies

The following services are involved:-
    a) Work with the development principals and their consultants, political leaders and community leaders to identify specific issues of possible public concern
    b) Produce video documentaries (or multi-media in certain applications) plus supporting visuals, photographic or illustrative, and key statements or themes, for meetings or presentations to stakeholders.
    c) Produce supporting leaflets or brochures for general distribution explaining the development process, the need for various inputs and the methods by which this can be achieved
    d)Work with the developer and their consultants to devise appropriate public platforms or meetings to take the messages to the various stakeholders both public and corporate.
    e) Devise, design and incorporate a "theme" or a "mission statement" to provide community focus and generate enthusiasm in the vision.
    f) Recommend the most appropriate mix of communication mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the project.
    g) Production of "user friendly" material to reach the mass audience.
    h) Produce appropriate editorial media, or encourage direct media involvement in story concepts which will support developer initiatives or at least provide a balanced view.
    i) Be available for "crisis management" issues, to assist in the preparation of media statements in response to publicly-raised issues or queries.
    j) Plan and establish information or viewing centres where public can assemble to review plans, watch video, talk with authorities, and respond to issues which concern them.