
Alyssa McClelland
Acting
Biography
Alyssa McClelland is an internationally acclaimed director of film, television and commercials. She is currently the set-up Director and Executive Producer on the TV adaptation of the famous Australian novel My Brilliant Career for Netflix. Prior to that Alyssa directed all 6 episodes of hit BBC comedy Amandaland - the new spin-off of Motherland - which was released to rave reviews in February and has already been renewed for Season Two. "A spin-off that punches above its weight: it is lovely, life-affirming escapism." - The Times "Amandaland: the Mother of all comedies" - BBC Alyssa was the set up director of Everything Now starring Sophie Wilde and Stephen Fry for Left Bank Pictures, along with directing several episodes and the finale of International Emmy award-winning Sex Education for Eleven Film. Both shows were distributed worldwide by Netflix. Alyssa wrote and directed the short film Second Best. After a successful international run, the film won the Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Direction in a Short Film as well as best short film at Flickerfest, the Milan International Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival. She also directed, produced and co-wrote two seasons of Funny or Die's cult web series One Step Closer to Home. In commercials, Alyssa has directed international campaigns for brands such as Apple, Google, Bumble and Air New Zealand. She won the coveted Black Pencil at the D&AD Awards and the award for Direction at the London International Awards. Alyssa studied Media Arts and Production at UTS in Sydney, majoring in Directing. A scholarship from the Australian Theatre for Young People led her to study at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York in the technique of Practical Aesthetics - a course developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy. Alyssa was also the recipient of the InStyle Magazine Woman of Style Scholarship for her work as a filmmaker in Australia.
Known For

Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001.
Water Rats

Medical drama focusing on the working and personal lives of the doctors and nurses working on the front line of a busy inner city Emergency Department at All Saints Hospital.
All Saints

Rescue: Special Ops is an Australian television drama series that first screened on the Nine Network in 2009. Filmed in and around Sydney, the program is produced by Southern Star Group with the assistance of Screen Australia and the New South Wales Government. This drama series focuses on a team of experienced professional paramedics who specialise in rescue operations. It premiered on Sunday 2 August 2009, and the season finale of the first season aired on Sunday 25 October. A second season screened from 28 June 2010. The third and final season consisting of 22 episodes screened from 30 May 2011. The Nine Network has confirmed it will not be renewing Rescue Special Ops for a fourth season.
Rescue: Special Ops

A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.
Knowing

Zane Malik and the Major Crime Squad investigate crime and murder in all quarters of multicultural Sydney.
East West 101

Post her divorce, Amanda has had to downsize and up sticks to South Harlesden, or as the Estate Agent calls it SoHa (definitely not the area around Wormwood Scrubs prison). With both Manus and Georgie now at secondary school, Amanda has to try and get her head around raising teenagers, dealing with modern motherhood horrors like teenage drinking, fake Instagram accounts and eco anxiety. Spin off from Motherland.
Amandaland

Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist, finds himself in a predicament when his dog stumbles upon the mask of Loki. Then after conceiving an infant son "born of the mask", he discovers just how looney child raising can be.
Son of the Mask

Vampire Lestat awakens from his slumber and becomes a rock star. But chaos strikes when his music awakens Akasha, the vampire queen, who may not rest until she makes Lestat her new king.
Queen of the Damned

After months in recovery for an eating disorder, 16-year-old Mia devises a bucket list of quintessential teen experiences to make up for lost time.
Everything Now

Canal Road is an Australian television drama series on the Nine Network. The series was produced in-house, under producer Susan Bower, in collaboration with writers Sarah Smith, John Ridley and Dave Warner, and directed by Kevin Carlin. It was filmed at Channel Nine’s GTV Studio 11 and on location in and around Melbourne. The series reportedly cost A$10 million to produce. The 13-part series went to air from 16 April 2008. The series debuted to mixed critical reception and only average ratings, which were further eroded when the series was moved to a later timeslot. Nine removed Canal Road from its schedules after the seventh episode, which drew in only 360,000 viewers; however the eighth episode was still made available online. Nine aired the remaining episodes during August and December 2008. Canal Road was released on DVD on 4 August 2008 in Australia.
Canal Road

Two fugitives land in hot water when they take a hostage who poses a threat to their well-being.
Restraint

Life is an adventure - especially for a newborn animal who has so much to learn. "Growing Up Wild" takes audiences to the wildest corners of the planet to tell the tales of five courageous animals as they tackle the very first challenges of their young lives. With a little guidance from sage family members, each must figure out how and where to find food, while learning to recognize the very real threat of danger. From their first steps of exploring their world to their final steps into independence, "Growing Up Wild" reveals the triumphs and setbacks of five young lives in which instinct, parental lessons, and trial & error ultimately define their destinies. Featuring the stunning imagery and iconic storytelling that makes Disneynature's big-screen adventures an inspiring movie-going experience, "Growing Up Wild", brings home a special look at how similar and different these young lives can be. - Written by (C) 2016 Disney Enterprises
Growing Up Wild
Modern, rebellious Sybylla dreams only of writing. Choosing an exciting career over a safe marriage is easy — until she falls in love unexpectedly.
My Brilliant Career
A small-time horse trainer has successfully screwed up his life. His wife hates him, hie mistress loathes him and his father-in-law wants to kill him. With nothing to lose, he enlists the help of his best friend and concocts a plan to rig the biggest horse race in Australia.
Horseplay

Young Sydney stockbroker, Will, makes a bet with his rich mate Angus - who can make the most money in three months with $50,000? Obsessed with winning, Will finds himself engaged in high stakes games and deception, bending all the rules, until he discovers that winning at all costs could mean losing more than he could ever imagine.
The Bet

Velika and Nouchka are identical twins, but their overbearing mother and their individual fortunes may just sever their connection forever.
Second Best
Jo has a family wedding to attend, but the wedding is in crisis. Chrissy and Jo face the twin tasks of bringing the wedding to a successful conclusion, whilst at the same time, investigating a murder in which all the suspects are key figures in the wedding party.
Small Claims: White Wedding

Surviving Georgia is a heart warming Romantic Comedy about family and finding your own identity in the world. About realising that sometimes to move forward, we have to let go of the past. Heidi and Rose must find love but in doing so must first reconcile with their feisty, vivacious and slightly alcoholic mother!
Surviving Georgia

Eddy does what he has to do to give his family what they want. For the last 25 years, he has secretly moonlighted as a "standover" man, purely to provide his aspirational wife with her dream house and a privileged upbringing for his only daughter. Eddy finds it hard to express how he feels, especially now that his "little girl" is engaged and will soon be leaving the family home. Chantelle believes her emotionally blocked father has only two feelings "angry" and "very angry" and feels her father just doesn't understand her. Eddy is perplexed: "What's to understand?" Herein lies the problem. Over eager to get on the same wavelength as his daughter and recapture the closeness they once had, Eddy starts reading Chantelle's diary. In the process, more secrets than anyone was prepared for, begin to surface with devastating yet hilarious results. Eddy rides the storm and once the dust settles, all is well... for now.
A Man's Gotta Do
A disgraced young Melbourne lawyer is sent to purgatory in Broome - and discovers a body, himself, and Paradise.