Stephen J Campbell: Classic kids TV, comedy, sci-fi fantasy and more...

Stephen J Campbell is a long-time television writer, director and producer who began in TV aimed at younger viewers, including classic series 3:45 LIVE!, and Ice TV. Campbell has also worked on comedy shows including That Comedy Show and Funny Business. In more recent times, he has specialised in creating kidult shows with a sci-fi/fantasy bent, including hits Secret Agent Men and The Amazing Extraordinary Friends. Campbell also worked on Nigel Latta’s Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Grown Ups.

In this ScreenTalk, Campbell talks about:

• Feeling confused but awed on his first day as a TVNZ production trainee
• Crashing the Auckland telephone exchange on live kids show 3:45 LIVE!
• Innovative production techniques used on Ice TV
• How comedy shows taught him the craft of television
• Family being at the heart of the kidult show Secret Agent Men
• The long road to making The Amazing Extraordinary Friends
• How star David McPhail insisted on doing his own stunts
• Changing the format of The Politically Incorrect shows
• Working with the show’s host Nigel Latta
• Producing kidult sci-fi drama Cul De Sac

This video was first uploaded on 23 February 2015, 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