Raymond Thompson
Raymond Thompson, MNZM, has created and supervised a run of television shows since setting up base in New Zealand in the mid 90s. Longtime head of production company Cloud 9, he first began selling scripts in his native England. Thompson's series The Tribe, set in a world without adults, became a cult international hit, running for five seasons plus a sequel. His shows have sold to more than 130 countries.
Debra Kelleher
Wellington-raised producer Debra Kelleher has more than three decades experience in the screen industry. She cut her production teeth in Australia (Neighbours, Sale of the Century), before returning home to work on Shortland Street, then cult teen show The Tribe. Kelleher was at the helm of breakfast TV show Good Morning, and five seasons of flagship TVNZ show Dancing with The Stars.
Florian Habicht
Though most of his films have been documentaries, Florian Habicht's work has often blurred the boundaries between truth and fiction. His CV includes offbeat fairytale Woodenhead, two love letters to New Zealand's far north (Kaikohe Demolition, Land of the Long White Cloud), films on theatre legend Warwick Broadhead and Brit band Pulp, and his award-winning, genre-stretching romance Love Story.
William Kircher
Since graduating from NZ Drama School, William Kircher has gone on to act in more than 100 plays, and at least 30 screen projects. Often cast as policeman (TV's Shark in the Park and movie Out of the Blue) or villain, Kircher has also worked on the other side of the camera. He was Bifur the dwarf in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of The Hobbit.
Philly de Lacey
Philly de Lacey heads company Screentime New Zealand. De Lacey began in television in 1999. By 2003 she was producing the company’s newly-launched show Police Ten 7; three years later she became managing director at Screentime NZ. The company’s staple of shows ranges across drama (Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud, Siege), and various long-running actuality series (Beyond the Darklands, Marae DIY).
Tessa Hoffe
Tessa Hoffe’s directing credits include Shortland Street and iconic British soaps Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Grange Hill. The Wellington raised filmmaker has written and directed six short films, all selected for international film festivals. She has also directed children’s dramas, including World’s End and Bafta-nominated family tale Rocket's Island.
Shaun Brown
From trainee reporter to TVNZ’s Head of Television and then on to Managing Director of Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service, Shaun Brown’s career spanned 45 years. And all but four of those years were linked directly to public broadcasting. While the latter half of his career saw him increasingly taking on executive roles, he brought with him the experience of having worked at almost every level of the business.
Des Monaghan
Des Monaghan has worked as a producer and network executive in both New Zealand and Australia. A pioneering force in local current affairs, he went on to beome TVNZ's Controller of Programming, and sue Prime Minister Robert Muldoon for defamation. In 1996 Monaghan joined Bob Campbell to found Australasian production company Screentime, producers of the globally successful Underbelly drama franchise.
Niamh Peren
While studying fine art at Elam, Niamh Peren won the Best Moving Image prize for The Great Bunny Hunt. Her shorts Moustache Me Oh My and Bubblegum have played on Austria's Channel Okto. As an actor Peren has appeared in Stephen Kang's Cannes award-winning short Blue, and acclaimed docudrama Erebus: Operation Overdue. She also shared camera duties on Florian Habicht's Land of the Long White Cloud.
Tony Simpson
Keen for Kiwi children to see themselves on the big screen, Tony Simpson made his movie directing debut in 2012 with trolley tale Kiwi Flyer (also known as Derby Dogs). The film was inspired by memories of racing in Nelson’s annual trolley derby as a child. After completing 2016's A Mindful Choice, a documentary about mindfulness, he began work on Santa downunder movie, Kiwi Christmas. Simpson's screen career began long before any of these; he has directed for Shortland Street, created 2002 animated series The Adventures of Cumie the Cloud, and worked on a run of titles as an assistant director.