Mark DeFriest

Mark DeFriest became New Zealand’s youngest television director when he arrived at Avalon to take over the twice-weekly soap opera Close to Home in 1977. Over the next half-decade, DeFriest worked on local comedies, dramas and children's shows, generating extensive television production experience that would result in hundreds of hours of credits on both sides of the Tasman. Although born in the United States, his globetrotting childhood made him an adaptable character, and his love of storytelling saw him lead some of Aotearoa’s most iconic programmes.

Comedy is the hardest of all. Drama … you can make it look pretty, good music, great shots, CGI … If comedy isn't funny, you're standing there with your pants around your ankles. You're buggered. Mark DeFriest