About Helium
Bold stories for a global stage.
At HELIUM, we create distinctive, premium stories for global audiences. Across scripted, factual and unscripted, we bring together creative vision and deep production expertise to develop content that resonates locally and travels internationally. Guided by inclusivity, diversity and responsible production, our stories reflect the richness and complexity of the world we share.
History
Founded in 2021 by producer Mark Fennessy, HELIUM is a premium independent production company developing bold screen stories for Australian and global audiences.
Over a career spanning Crackerjack, Fremantle, Shine and Endemol Shine, Mark has created and overseen an extraordinary portfolio of scripted, factual and entertainment programming — building some of the industry’s most successful and influential television brands.
HELIUM brings that experience into a new generation of storytelling.
Working across scripted, factual and unscripted formats, the company focuses on distinctive, high-quality projects with strong creative voices and global potential — combining creative ambition with world-class production expertise.
Mark Fennessy
Mark Fennessy is one of Australia’s most influential producers — an innovator, entrepreneur and creative leader whose career has helped shape the modern landscape of Australian television.
A founding force behind Crackerjack, FremantleMedia Australia and Shine Australia, and a key architect of the landmark EndemolShine merger, Mark has overseen an extraordinary portfolio of global television franchises and super brands. His work spans acclaimed scripted drama, premium factual storytelling and blockbuster unscripted hits, defined by a rare ability to combine bold creative ambition with sustained commercial success. In recognition of his cultural impact on Australia’s screen industry, Mark was ranked No.1 on the Australian Financial Review’s Cultural Power List.
In 2021, Mark founded HELIUM Pictures, a premium independent production company built around ambitious, internationally resonant storytelling. In just a few years, Helium has established itself as a dynamic force in premium drama, producing bold contemporary stories for Australian and international audiences.
Today, Helium continues to build momentum as one of Australia’s most exciting independent production companies, developing premium screen stories designed to resonate locally and travel globally.
Previous Work
RFDS
RFDS is an Australian drama television series which centres around the lives of workers for the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.
Lambs of God
Lambs of God is a dark, gothic tale about three nuns, each a generation apart, living in an isolated convent by the coast, and an unwelcome visitor who enters their lives and changes their world forever.
Wake in Fright
A young schoolteacher finds himself marooned in a small mining town in the outback, where a string of dangerous events render him a broken, desperate man.
Sisters
It follows the story of three women who discover that they are sisters. Julia finds out that her Nobel prize winning father secretly used his own sperm in a number of "In Vitro Fertilisation" procedures.
Blue Murder: Killer Cop
The series follows Roger Rogerson, post Blue Murder (1995), showing how he met his wife Anne and the murder of Jamie Gao that led to his arrest and murder conviction.
The Beautiful Lie
Anna is happily married. She has the perfect family. But one man will change it all.
Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door
The two part mini-series tells the remarkable story of Peter Allen's rise from country New South Wales to the Hollywood Hills, becoming part of American royalty along the way.
Catching Milat
Follows the life of Ivan Milat, the backpacker killer.
Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS
The story of INXS, their personal lives and their rise to fame from Australian pubs to stadiums all around the world.
Offspring
The story of the impossible loves of 30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman and her fabulously messy family.
The King
The King is the story of Graham Kennedy, Australia's first and greatest home grown TV superstar. It traces his rise and rise, from working class Balaclava kid, through radio, TV, film, and back to TV again.