Rebecca Gibney
Within two years of acting in kidult TV adventure Sea Urchins, Kiwi Rebecca Gibney had set up shop in Australia. There she would find fame — and a long list of awards and nominations — thanks to a television CV which includes Wanted (which she also created), Packed to the Rafters, The Flying Doctors, mini-series Come in Spinner, and 21 Halifax tele-movies as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax.
Erik Thomson
Scots-born Erik Thomson moved to New Zealand at age seven. In the mid 90s his career took off, after he began acting in Australia. In 2004 he won an AFI award for feature Somersault, then later starred in Aussie TV hit Packed to the Rafters and NZ drama/comedy We're Here to Help. In 2016 Thomson won a Best Actor Logie for his role in TV series 800 Words, as an Australian widower who moves his family to NZ.
Kerry Brown
Director and photographer Kerry Brown's extended résumé of images began when he was a teenage skateboarder, snapping shots of skater culture. Having directed iconic music videos for many legendary Kiwi bands, including Crowded House (Four Seasons in One Day) and The Exponents (Why Does Love Do This To Me?), he now works as a stills photographer on movie sets across the globe.
Kim Sinclair
In 2010, thanks to his work on James Cameron's Avatar, Kim Sinclair joined the short list of Kiwis to have scored both an Academy Award and a Bafta. His globetrotting career as a production designer has seen him working in locations from Mexico to Thailand to the Southern Alps, and for directors Martin Campbell (Vertical Limit), Steven Spielberg (The Adventures of Tintin) and Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away).
Chris Harrington
Chris Harrington began in local television in 1976, reporting and producing current affairs and news. Highlights of his career include award-winning Sunday stories about allegations of police pack rape by Louise Nicholas, and another on treatment of Porirua Hospital inmates. In 1989 he was awarded a QSM for services to journalism. In 2007 Harrington moved into private production and public relations.
Ria Vandervis
Ria Vandervis grew up in Dunedin, before completing a major in acting at Unitec in Auckland. Moving to Australia after a spell as a Power Rangers villain, she won a recurring role on the second season of Packed To The Rafters, and on police drama Cops LAC. Returning to New Zealand she continued to act in law enforcement; she was Detective Christie Mills in Harry, TV3's acclaimed police drama. Shortland Street's Doctor Harper Whitley was her next role, in 2013. The character initially appeared as best friend of fan favourite Sarah Potts, and continues to be a regular on the series — including doing time as hospital CEO.
Hannah Marshall
Actor Hannah Marshall did four seasons on Australian TV hit Packed to the Rafters; she was nominated for a 2011 Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent. The ex-gymnast began acting at high school in Auckland. Later she appeared in The Amazing Extraordinary Friends, was a victim of Shortland Street's Ferndale Strangler, and showed her comic touch on Diplomatic Immunity. In 2014 she co-starred in acclaimed Aussie sci fi film The Infinite Man. After time in the United States, Marshall and partner David de Lautour returned home to create Alibi, a whodunnit whose episodes can be watched in any order.
Douglas Drury
Douglas Drury was one of a group of producers who lead an expansion of local television drama at a time — the mid 60s — where New Zealanders rarely saw their own stories on screen. Later, as second in command of state television’s drama department, he helped launch landmark series Pukemanu and initiated NZ's first situation comedy, Buck House. Drury passed away in Australia on 5 February 2016.
Brian Kassler
Brian Kassler started his career building sets for theatre and film, then worked as a camera grip on a host of New Zealand features. In the mid 80s he started supplying film equipment to local crews, before launching successful production company Flying Fish with Lee Tamahori. Today he fronts Showtools, a film production website.
James Blick
James Blick packed in a job as a lawyer in Auckland to get into filmmaking. His first short, relationship drama Us, was nominated for Best Short Film and Best Script at the 2006 NZ Screen Awards (Alison Bruce was named Best Actor). Follow-up Roof Rattling, starring Grant Tilly, was invited to festivals in France, Japan and the United States. Married to a Spaniard, Blick directed adverts downunder before relocating to Madrid in 2011. Soon after he co-founded a tour company, then in 2013 launched YouTube channel Spain Revealed. Since then Blick has made and presented dozens of videos about Spain and its cuisine.