Working Dog Productions

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Working Dog Productions Pty. Ltd.
Company typePrivate company
IndustryProduction company
Founded1993; 32 years ago (1993)
Founders
Headquarters
Melbourne
,
Australia
Websitewww.workingdog.com.au

Working Dog Productions (originally Frontline Television Productions Pty. Ltd.) is a film and television production company based in Melbourne, Australia.[1] It was formed in 1993 by actors Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner, and producer Michael Hirsh.[2]

History

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Working Dog was formed in 1993 by five collaborators who had worked together on earlier comedy projects; the company initially traded as Frontline Television Productions before adopting the name Working Dog Productions in the mid-1990s.[3] The founders have described the company origin as “five friends formed a production company with a dodgy camcorder and a dream.”[4]

The company name and mascot (an Australian Cattle Dog) reflect the founders’ affection for dogs, and the company has retained the original creative core across decades while expanding into multi-platform production and a small executive/staff structure.[5]

Three of Working Dog's founders: Tom Gleisner (left), Rob Sitch (middle), and Michael Hirsh (right).

Television

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  Programs with a shaded background indicate the program is still in production.

Title Network Genre Years Seasons
Frontline ABC Comedy, Satire 1994–1997 3 seasons, 39 episodes
Behind the Frontline ABC Documentary 1995 1 documentary
Funky Squad ABC Comedy 1995 1 season, 7 episodes
The Campaign ABC Documentary 1996 2 episodes
A River Somewhere ABC Documentary 1997–1998 2 seasons, 13 episodes
The Panel Network Ten Talk show 1998–2004 7 seasons, 237 episodes
All Aussie Adventures Network Ten Mockumentary 2001–2002, 2018 3 seasons, 20 episodes
The Panel Christmas Wrap Network Ten Talk show 2003–2007 5 annual specials
Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge Network Ten Mockumentary 2004 1 telemovie
Thank God You're Here Network Ten (2006–2007, 2023–present)
Seven Network (2009)		 Improvised comedy 2006–2009, 2023–present 5 seasons, 49 episodes
Thank God You're Here NBC Comedy 2007 1 season, 7 episodes
The Hollowmen ABC Comedy 2008 2 seasons, 12 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Cup Fever! SBS Sport, Comedy 2010 1 season, 26 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Sports Fever! 7mate/Seven Network Sport, Comedy 2012 1 season, 10 episodes
Pictures of You Seven Network Talk show 2012 1 season, 16 episodes
Audrey's Kitchen ABC Comedy 2012–2013 2 seasons, 20 episodes
Santo, Sam and Ed's Total Football Fox Sports Sports, Comedy 2013–2015 2 seasons, 56 episodes
Have You Been Paying Attention? Network Ten Game show 2013–present 10 seasons, 261 episodes
Utopia ABC Comedy 2014–present 5 seasons, 40 episodes
Pacific Heat The Comedy Channel Animated Sitcom 2016–2017 1 season, 13 episodes
The Cheap Seats Network Ten Comedy, Current Affairs 2021–present 4 seasons, 91 episodes

Film

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Title Genre Release date Distributor
The Castle Comedy 10 April 1997 Village Roadshow
The Dish Comedy 19 October 2000 Roadshow Entertainment
Any Questions for Ben? Comedy 9 February 2012 Roadshow Films

Other

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In addition to television and film, Working Dog Productions have also ventured into books, stage shows, and podcasts.[6]

Books

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Books which have been published by Working Dog include, but are not limited to, mock travel guides.[2] Books published by Working Dog include:

  • Molvania: A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, 2003. ISBN 1-58567-619-5
  • Phaic Tan: Sunstroke on a Shoestring by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, 2004. ISBN 0-8118-5365-9
  • San Sombrero: A Land of Carnivals, Cocktails and Coups by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, 2006. ISBN 0-8118-5619-4
  • Molvanian Baby Names: With Meanings, Derivations And Probable Pronunciations, by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch 2009. ISBN 978-1-74066-859-0

Stage

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Working Dog produced the stage show The Speechmaker. The show was written by Working Dog's Sitch, Cilauro and Gleisner and had a sellout season at the Melbourne Theatre Company.[2] Gleisner has produced a musical under the Working Dog brand titled Bloom.[7]

Podcasts

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  • Santo, Sam & Ed's Total Football Podcast (2017–present on ABC iview)
  • Santo, Sam & Ed's Cup Fever! Podcast (2018 on ABC iview)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cassar, Jeremy (7 October 2016). "Working Dog: 30 years of biting at the cutting edge of comedy". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Enker, Debi (7 August 2014). "Utopia proves there's nothing else like a Working Dog formula". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ^ "About Us – Working Dog". Working Dog Official. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  4. ^ "About Us – Working Dog". Working Dog Official. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Working Dog On Demand | About Us". Working Dog On Demand. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Working Dog's Pacific Heat to air on Foxtel November 27". IF.com.au. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  7. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (20 February 2025). "Christie Whelan Browne And John Waters Join The Cast Of BLOOM at STC's Roslyn Packer Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
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