Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo sees two ambitious, young upstarts – journalist and editor, Ita Buttrose  (Asher Keddie) and Sir Frank Packer’s second son, Kerry (Rob Carlton) – start CLEO magazine. Creating one of the most dramatic sensations in Australian publishing history, they flung the modern girl headlong into the passion and politics of this turbulent era. As the backlash hits and optimism crumbles, Ita and Kerry refuse to take a backward step as they both reach for their own glittering crowns.

Paper Giants: Magazine Wars is the story of the battle between Nene King (Mandy McElhinney) editor of Woman's Day and Dulcie Boling (Rachel Griffiths) editor of New Idea, from the rival Packer and Murdoch empires, who 'battled' to make their publication the number one seller in Australia. It charts the period from 1987-1997 with the rise of cheque-book journalism, the age of celebrity power, paparazzi, media moguls and the two remarkable women who helped make them.