All Blog Posts
Around the Traps
BlogLast newsletter I postulated about what might and might not occur in regard to the screen industry once the portfolios were assigned. Little did I know it would be referenced in the Hollywood Reporter here. I was wrong about Grant Robertson…
What Does Jacinda Mean For Us?
BlogLike most everyone else, I’ve been walking around with a smile on my face since Winston Peters decided which side of the seesaw to get on. I’m not as rabidly dogmatic as many left of centre seem to be in the screen industry, but I do…
The Times, They Are A Changin’
BlogI’ve had an incredibly busy time these last few weeks attending industry gatherings, and if there’s one thing certain, it’s that change is coming. New Zealand On Air held a drama day recently with more than 130 industry people who intersect…
Prof. Dev. – The Next Best Thing To Doing It
BlogWith the Big Screen Symposium almost upon us again with a host of excellent speakers to hear from, I thought I might reflect on professional development. Eight or so years ago I decided to focus on narrative feature film and TV drama. I had…
Knockin’ Around Asia
BlogI was fortunate to have been invited to the Asia-Pacific Producers Network annual meeting last week in Taiwan. There were 40 or so producers there from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, and Patrick Frater, Variety’s…
Express Yourself
BlogThere are a number of opportunities fast approaching for you to voice your opinions on the state of the industry and how it affects you. I encourage all of you to engage as we are all faced with ongoing rapid transformation that will have a…
Politics and the Screen Industry
BlogJacinda Ardern’s rise to the top of the totem pole in the Labour Party brings politics and the screen industry into focus. Jacinda, like Helen Clark before her, has always been a big supporter of Arts and Culture, and she’s been proactive…
Support Independent Film in Theatres
BlogHere we are again with New Zealand International Film Festival about to start. The weather’s been relatively atrocious. And digital is still buffeting the film and television worlds, with indie film taking the biggest hit. We’ve had Lightbox,…
The Lucky Country
BlogWhen you look at the problems besetting the world, with amongst other things COVID-19 still rampant in many countries, the U.S. a powder keg ready to explode and war raging on a number of fronts, it’s hard not to look at little ole New Zealand,…
Ch-ch-changes
Blog, COVID CornerJust when you thought we were all stuck in our ways, along came COVID-19. Now changes are flowing thick and fast to adapt to the brave new world this deadly virus has inflicted upon us. The Resource Management Act is being given the flick…
View from the Bottom (of the North Island)
BlogAs the first glimmer of dawn lights the sky and the promise of Level Two becomes more real, its time I stopped leaving all the communication to our ED Tui. He is doing an amazing job. Thank you, Tui. Tui and Tema, our events manager, are working…
B.C. and A.C. – Before and After Coronavirus
Blog, COVID CornerYou would think 28 days in lockdown would give you plenty of time to think. For me, it hasn’t as I have been extremely preoccupied along with a number of other industry people in the Pan-Sector COVID-19 Action Group, working on how to get…
COVID-19 – A Reminder of the Small World We Live In
Blog, COVID CornerI asked myself and my colleague whether or not I should write about the impact of the coronavirus on our industry in my regular Op Ed. I’d decided not to, then woke up to some news that has changed my mind. CANNESERIES, the TV version of…
An Eye Opener
BlogI was fortunate to be invited as a guest to the New Zealander of the Year Awards last night. It was an eye-opener for me. It brought home how myopic I have become with the screen industry essentially consuming my every waking hour. When I’m…