Former Neighbours star Taylor Glockner on Mason memories and new career projects

"How many other shows make it to 37 years?"

If you mention Neighbours to a former actor or crew member, chances are that they'll credit the show as their training ground. For the past 37 years, the iconic Aussie soap has given actors and other creatives their first major break in the industry, paving the way for new opportunities.

In a new exclusive chat with , former cast member Taylor Glockner has opened up about his time on the show and subsequent career highlights.

The actor, who played bad boy Mason Turner in 2013 and 2014, has now formed his own production company – and the good news for Neighbours fans is that we could see some other familiar faces from Ramsay Street in his upcoming projects.

How did you feel when you heard the news that Neighbours would be ending?

"The moment I heard the news, I was watching a game of football. My team was winning, so I'd been feeling happy! I then read the news about Neighbours ending and it was 'allegedly' at the time. I wondered if it was just speculation or if they'd got it wrong, but I looked into it and it became more and more real.

"I was very saddened overall, but also very proud of everyone who's worked on the show. How many other shows make it to 37 years? That's an incredible achievement.

"I anticipate any day now we'll hear that another network, a streamer or some other studio has picked up the rights and is going to continue the show. I would not be surprised at all if someone makes a continuation or spin-off."

Lots of people credit Neighbours as their training ground. Do you feel the same way?

"Without a doubt. I was 21 or 22 when I joined Neighbours. I was very fortunate to become a main character on one of the most successful shows in Australia.

"When I was working on Neighbours, it was a little bit of a whirlwind for me at the time because I was working so hard. It was 15, 16, 17-hour days, often five or six days a week.

"But I had a great time and I really learned so much that I'm now applying in everything else that I'm doing. I certainly think I'm a better creative because I worked on Neighbours."

What have you been up to since leaving?

"It's been a ride! It's been a lot of fun. After leaving Neighbours, I worked on Mako Mermaids, which was a really big studio project. We shot that alongside Pirates of the Caribbean at the Gold Coast Studios. That whole experience was massive.

"Then I worked on some smaller indie stuff, both in the US and Australia. I've now teamed up with other creatives to form our own production company, called Calligram Pictures. We have a feature film called Bloom coming up, which we've created ourselves."

Was it always your plan to form your own production company?

"I think people who chatted with me even when I was a young boy know that I'd always wished and hoped that I could do it. Even after Neighbours and Mako Mermaids, when I was in LA and auditioning for shows, I was thinking about when I'd get the opportunity to create my own independent production company.

"I wanted to find the right people to work with, who I could trust. That really came together around 2020 when I came back to my hometown of Brisbane because of COVID. I met these young filmmakers – Noah Gerometta, Izac Brodrick, Jackson Kanaris and Jack Murphy –and we created Calligram Pictures together.

How does being in charge of productions compare to regular acting work?

"When you work on a big project and you're an actor, really your only job is to work on your role. You're asking how you can make this as believable and interesting as possible. But you're not really noticing the producer running around in the background, organising a permit to shoot somewhere or working on the schedule.

"Those are the types of things you have to think about when you're creating your own projects. I certainly have grown an appreciation for the producers who need to organise everything in the background so the creatives can do what they need to do."

What have the main challenges been?

"It's a lot of work. It's like any company or business – people will do a lot of work that an outsider looking in may not see. We created Calligram Pictures and brought all of our content into the company, which involved working on contracts.

"Just today I'm talking about a possible location scout, as we have to look at a barn for a short film we're shooting in November.

"We also have to cast our projects. If I'm not right to play a certain part, maybe I'll bring in one of my friends from Neighbours, which I certainly intend to do. It involves working on several multi-faceted departments and I feel my understanding of film-making is growing."

What are the projects you've been working on?

"We have Flesh and Ivory, a short film directed by Izak Brodrick, one of the partners of Calligram. It was also produced by Jackson Kanaris, who is another partner. That was their film and we've brought it into the company.

"We're very fortunate at how well-received it's been internationally. It's just won Best Short Film at the 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival. It has also received nominations for Best International Short Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer and Best Actor at the Swedish International Film Festival.

"We've also got a feature-length film called Bloom, directed by Noah Gerometta – another one of the five – and I'm in that one. We're aiming to release later this year or 2023."

Are you still happy to do other roles, or are you concentrating on your own material now?

"I'm happy to do both. I'm still auditioning for lots of really big stuff and getting close. I'm happy to work for someone else on a big project, or maybe even a small one. I'm also really excited to be developing our own stuff through Calligram.

"One of my favourite actors, who I really look up to, is Joel Edgerton. I really admire how Joel is an actor and he jumps into other people's projects, but he's also a producer, writer and director. I think I might be going that way a little bit, which I'm really excited about."

Is there anyone from Neighbours you have your eye on to cast in a project?

"Definitely! I'm still friends with Harley Bonner [who played Josh Willis] and I'm sure at some stage he will end up in something that we do – whether I can help it or not! (Laughs) Harley and I always banter about each other in the media, but it's nothing but love. We're like brothers and we're so close.

"I've also spoken with Kaiya Jones [who played Sophie Ramsay] about possibly bringing her into one of our projects, as well as Josef Brown [who played Matt Turner] and Teressa Liane [who played Rhiannon Bates]. I'm great friends with Teressa and I think she's going to have a huge career, she's doing so well. I was also messaging Finn Woodlock, who played Rhiannon's son Jackson.

"I've still got so many friends who I was on the show with, or people who I met through the show. I'm always thinking of how I can get one of them into one of our projects. It has to work and be the right role, but I'm always looking for opportunities."