Kelly Martin: from the copy room to CEO...

Interview – 2016

Kelly Martin is Chief Executive of South Pacific Pictures. She began her TV career in the photocopy room at TVNZ, before moving on to international acquisitions for the company, then to TV3 where she was a scheduler and ultimately Director of Programming. At the network she oversaw a number of hit TV shows such as Outrageous Fortune, bro'Town, and 7 Days.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Martin talks about:

How the photocopying room led to a career in television
Becoming the scheduler of local shows at TV3
The risks associated with commissioning animated comedy bro'Town
The slow takeff of Outrageous Fortune
Being lobbied to have Robyn Malcolm as the show’s lead actor
Trying to persuade people that 7 Days would work
Producing Step Dave for South Pacific Pictures
Pitching Westside to TV3
The secret behind the success of The Brokenwood Mysteries
Working with Channel 7 in Australia on 800 Words
Local content being the future for local broadcasters

This video was first uploaded on 12 September 2016, and is available under this Creative Commons licence. This licence is limited to use of ScreenTalk interview footage only and does not apply to any video content and photographs from films, television, music videos, web series and commercials used in the interview.

Interview, Camera and Editing – Andrew Whiteside

The future for free-to-air broadcasting is local content, because it's what you have got that's exclusive. And that's why Netflix is wanting to make their own things; that's why Lightbox in this country won't really cut through untill they make something that's their own, and that's why the free-to-airs still have a major advantage. Make stuff that you cannot buy anywhere else.
– Kelly Martin on the future of free-to-air broadcasting

Kelly's Full Profile