He is one of Australia’s most successful television exports, making his considerable fortune at the helm of the world’s most watched US drama franchises. Now, NCIS showrunner and NCIS: Los Angeles creator Shane Brennan is plunging some of his hard-earned money back into the local industry which gave him his start.

The internationally acclaimed, Bendigo-born screenwriter has committed $1 million a year of his own fortune to fund the development of Australian screenwriting talent, in an unprecedented philanthropic gesture which could help grow more of our own storytellers.

Brennan has teamed with his former script-producing buddy, Tim Pye (an in-demand writer and script consultant on TV favourites including House Husbands and Dr Blake’s Murder Mysteries), launching the fund later this month, in Sydney and Melbourne.

Pye and Brennan have begun canvassing leading production houses and independents for writing talent and scripts to develop and invest in; with a determination to give writers more power and control over their stories, from pre-production to broadcast.

Pye told TV Insider Brennan’s financial support would provide an extraordinary boost to local screenwriters (who often get pushed down the financial and artistic pecking order here — after actors, producers and directors).

“It’s really exciting to have this kind of philanthropy in the Australian marketplace … and shifts the power to writers which is how it happens in the US, where (screenwriters) have much more control.”

Brennan began his career in journalism, but switched to TV writing back in the 1980s; cutting his teeth on local TV productions including Special Squad, The Flying Doctors and All Together Now. It was while working on an Australian-based remake of Flipper that he came to the attention of US television studio bosses.

Brennan travelled back and forth to Hollywood, before jagging his biggest career break, in 2003, on the original NCIS program (now in season 15, starring Mark Harmon and broadcast to more than 200 countries). He is credited with creating the spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles (starring Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J and Linda Hunt) where he has been at the wheel since its launch back in 2009.

Last month it was announced he would be stepping down as showrunner at NCIS: LA after eight seasons and penning 168 episodes.

Holly Byrnes, The Sunday Telegraph – August 7, 2016