Lisa Taouma: Bringing Pasifika flavour to television...
Producer/director Lisa Taouma cut her teeth on long-running Pacific magazine show Tagata Pasifika. She is the driving force behind popular PI youth show Fresh, and has made a number of documentaries on Samoan culture. More recently Taouma has been involved in online venture The Coconet.
Pat Cox: On Footrot Flats, Murray Ball saying no, and more...
Producer Pat Cox instigated Kiwiana classic Footrot Flats: The Dog's (Tail) Tale and has produced some of New Zealand’s most iconic commercials, including the long-running Speights 'onya mate', Mainland Cheese 'these things take time', and the 100% Pure NZ tourism campaigns.
Oscar Kightley: On bro'Town, Sione's Wedding, and more...
Oscar Kightley is a celebrated writer, actor, director and television presenter. He is a key part of comedy theatre troupe The Naked Samoans, whose members are behind the hit TV animation series bro’Town and the feature film Sione’s Wedding.
Colin McRae: Forty years of news, current affairs and documentaries...
Producer and director Colin McRae has a television career spanning 40 years. In that time he has worked in news and current affairs for both TVNZ and TV3, and was the private channel’s Head of Sport to boot. His ground-breaking historical series The New Zealand Wars won Best Documentary Series at the 2006 Qantas Media Awards. In recent years, McRae has produced Native Affairs and Anzac Day coverage for Māori Television.
Michael Galvin: Shortland Street’s Dr Love...
Actor Michael Galvin is Shortland Street’s longest-serving actor, having played Dr Chris Warner on the soap for most of its 20-something years. During that time on the show, his character has survived four marriages, drug-dealing, an emergency tracheotomy, and earned the title ‘Dr Love’. Outside of Shortland Street, Galvin has written stage plays and appeared in TV series Cover Story and feature film The Climb.
Simon Prast: From playing the son to playing the father...
Simon Prast made his television debut in cop drama Mortimer’s Patch. Best known for playing spoilt rich kid Alistair Redfern in Gloss, Prast’s biggest film role was playing a gay man in 1998 movie When Love Comes. He also has a strong background in theatre, and for 11 years ran the Auckland Theatre Company.
Two Heads: The two heads behind The Food Truck...
James Anderson and Nick Ward are the brains behind Auckland based production company Two Heads. They've made a name for themselves producing fresh and quirky documentaries and TV series such as Santarchy, Making Tracks, The Cheerleaders and Funny Roots. Two Heads are also the creative force behind TV ONE’s hit show The Food Truck.
Katie Wolfe: Moving from acting to directing...
Katie Wolfe made her small screen acting debut in the early 90s. Fresh from drama school she played the daughter of Andy Anderson's character on TV series Marlin Bay. Many acting roles later, Wolfe moved into directing, including well-travelled short film This is Her and TV movie Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
Steven Zanoski: From our favourite kids show to our favourite soap...
Shortland Street producer Steven Zanoski’s first job in television was as a writer/reporter on kids programme What Now? He went on to become a storyliner for Shortland Street and eventually the programme’s producer. During his time as a writer on the show, he also penned the screenplay for one-off TV drama House of Sticks. Zanoski has also had a hand in the development of Outrageous Fortune and executive produced Mataku and Mercy Peak.
Fiona Samuel: Marching to success…
Fiona Samuel has found success as an actor, writer and director. Her first acting job was in long-running soap Close to Home, and she followed that with appearances in a number of film and TV shows. Samuel’s greatest passion, however, is for writing and directing. She was the creative force behind pioneering female-centric series The Marching Girls, and has written scripts for Outrageous Fortune, The Almighty Johnsons and Interrogation. Samuel also wrote and directed award-winning dramas Piece of My Heart, and Bliss: The Beginning of Katherine Mansfield.