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JesseGriffin

  • Comedian
  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Director
Profile_Jessie Griffin

Comedian, actor, writer and director Jesse Griffin began his career as an internationally touring comedian, before utilising his comedy and improvisation skills for local screen productions. Alongside Jonny Brugh and his wife Jackie van Beek, he co-created the award-winning show Educators; the couple also collaborated on the Australian version of sitcom The Office, which Griffin was a writer and director for. He has also directed series like Talkback and Last At 11, and acted in feature films Klara and the Sun and Nude Tuesday. He often performs comedy on various TV shows and specials, and is the man behind alter-ego country singer Wilson Dixon.

Screenography

Lucky Luke
2026 Director, Writer Short film
Ms. X
2026 As: Principal Ferguson Series
Klara and the Sun
2026 As: Scarecrow Film
New Zealand Spy
2026 As: Abe Series
The Best Foods Comedy Gala 2024
2024 As: Wilson Dixon Television

Awards

2026 New Zealand Screen Awards/Ngā Taonga Whakaata O Aotearoa
Nominated for Best Comedy (with Rachel Jean, Jackie van Beek, Jonny Brugh, Kelly Martin, Andrew Szusterman & Sally Campbell): for Educators

“We made this proof of concept in a school with some cameras, no scripts and the show got picked up. When we went to make the show we were like 'Well, let's just keep doing that'. We won't write any scripts, we will just develop these characters.”

— Jesse Griffin on the decision to use improvisation for Educators, Radio New Zealand interview, 17 August 2024