Television Stars Take Awards Honours

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Television Stars Take Awards Honours

Television producer, writer and actor Jaquie Brown, Whitebait-TV entrepreneur Janine Morrell-Gunn, former TV3 drama and comedy commissioner Caterina De Nave, and Topp Twins television and film producer Arani Cuthbert, were three of the eight outstanding women who took industry honours at the annual Women in Film and Television Awards held at SKYCITY Theatre on 6 August 2009.

Attended by an industry audience of more than 500, the WIFT NZ Awards have become a significant part of the screen industry calendar and celebrate the successes of New Zealand women in television, film and digital media.

Other winners included long time Greenstone Pictures financial controller Glenda Paterson, Film NZ and WIFT stalwart Natalie Crane, up-and-coming producer and business woman Chelsea Winstanley and Greening the Screen winner Redflame Media.

WIFT NZ Executive Director Anne O’Brien said that the last twelve months have been exceptional years for New Zealand’s screen women.

“These are exciting times. Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, produced and directed by women, is the NZ hit of the year, striking a chord with audiences across the country and rocketing into the New Zealand top 10 box office hits list.

Alongside films with female producers and creatives, such as Strength of Water and Vintner’s Luck, we’re also seeing strong television programming including The Jaquie Brown Diaries, Go Girls, and one-off drama Piece of My Heart. And we’ve just seen the opening of a $7.5 million dollar purpose-built Whitebait-TV production facility in Christchurch, employing up to 140 people.

A full list of winners with brief bios is attached.

WIFT NZ is a not-for-profit industry organisation with over 450 members across the country that works to develop and support women in the screen sector and to build capacity in the industry as a whole. It is part of an international network of 40 chapters and runs a full programme of mentoring, professional development, communications, networking and support services.

ENDS

WIFT NZ AWARDS 2009 WINNERS

IMAGES & SOUND SUCCESS IN TELEVISION: JAQUIE BROWN
Jaquie Brown’s success with The Jaquie Brown Diaries, garners her the 2009 Success in Television Award. Brown’s involvement in the series is extensive as creator, producer and lead actor, and the programme’s innovation and success has seen it commissioned for a second series currently in production.

Brown plays an insecure, overambitious, status obsessed reporter doing fluff pieces for a hard hitting current affairs show called McHuntly at Seven. The series takes a satirical look at the life of a c-grade celebrity and brings the society supplements of the newspapers to frightening fruition as Jaquie encounters, romances and bitch-slaps many of New Zealand’s most well known celebrities.

Prior to The Jaquie Brown Diaries, Brown worked as a television host and in television journalism.

SOUTH PACIFIC PICTURES ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM: ARANI CUTHBERT
Arani Cuthbert conceived, produced and championed the highly successful feature length documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls released at cinemas in 2009. Her role included successfully raising independent finance for the film. Cuthbert is a film and television producer and is the driving force behind Diva Productions. An entrepreneur in the New Zealand creative sector since the mid-nineties, she has worked across the fields of film, television and the performing arts and is now moving into digital media. Cuthbert is best known for producing the comedy series, The Topp Twins. This series ran for three consecutive seasons becoming one of TV3's top-rating shows, and in 1998 won the award for Best Entertainment Series at the New Zealand TV awards.

WIFT NZ ENTREPRENEURSHIP: JANINE MORRELL-GUNN
Janine Morrell-Gunn is a leading producer of children’s programmes through her production company, Whitebait Productions in Christchurch.

Morrell-Gunn trained with TVNZ as a producer and director during the 1980s. As an intern she learned how to make television by fulfilling a myriad of roles on iconic programmes such as: Fast Forward, Spot On and Beauty and the Beast. Her first show as producer was Life in the Fridge Exists (L.I.F.E.).

Her career within TVNZ moved quickly and she was appointed Executive Producer of TVNZ’s Children’s Unit – a position she held for seven years. The Children’s Unit was based in Christchurch and when it moved to Wellington’s Avalon Studios, in 1998, Morrell-Gunn decided to stay in Christchurch to further her own company, Whitebait Productions.

Whitebait’s first commission was Bumble, a preschool series about a bee and his friends. Whitebait Productions also produced: the Jessie.com series for WNTV, (which sold to Disney Australia, and English programmes for Japan); the interactive pop talent quest Wannabes for TV3; and the series Tuhono, a youth hip-hop show for Maori Television. In 2004 Whitebait Productions won the tender to relaunch What Now?, New Zealand’s longest running and most successful children’s programme. 2004 also marked What Now?’s 23rd year on screen, and a changed format.

In 2009 Whitebait announced the opening of their 7 million dollar, 2036m2 purpose
built television production and post production facility in Princess St, Christchurch.
The facility is the first of its kind in New Zealand, featuring two television studios including, at 594m2, one of the largest in the country and a control room that is able to broadcast live to national and international networks. It is fully equipped and provides an extensive range of production and post production services including editing, audio post production and animation.

Whitebait-TV is the producer of New Zealand’s highest rating children’s show What
Now (TV2), Animal Academy presented by Sarah Ulmer (TVNZ6) and the new daily
afternoon programme on TV2 The Erin Simpson Show. It also produces corporate and commercial work for companies such as NZ Cricket, Ian and Mary Grant at Parents Inc., and The Heart Foundation and collaborates with production houses throughout the country.

A significant Canterbury employer; Whitebait-TV has over 140 people that are either, full time, contracted or freelancing going through the company’s books each week.

WIFT NZ OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCREEN INDUSTRY:
CATERINA DE NAVE
Caterina De Nave is acknowledged for her long and productive involvement in the New Zealand screen industry and her support for women in the industry.

De Nave helped break the glass ceiling for women's advancement within the industry, and originated New Zealand's longest running television soap-opera, Shortland Street. She began her career with Television New Zealand in Dunedin in the 1970s, working on Playschool, then worked in the drama department in Wellington and Auckland. After leaving TVNZ in 1988, she set up her own independent company, Oceania Parker. Her television credits include the award-winning series, Erebus: The Aftermath; the internationally successful science fiction series, The Boy From Andromeda; hit comedy series, The Topp Twins; and family dramas Steel Riders and Children of the Dog Star.

Caterina made her debut as a feature producer in 1988 with Trial Run, by writer/director Melanie Read (now Rodriga). Trial Run starred Annie Whittle as a photographer and marathon runner who moves to the country on a photographic assignment, and becomes convinced that she is being stalked. 1988 also saw Caterina appointed as Head of Entertainment at TVNZ, becoming the first female to head a department in that organisation - a significant advancement in opportunities for women within the television industry. She then became Head of Development at South Pacific Pictures.

In 1994 De Nave worked with director Christine Parker to produce Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows Up Another Obelisk - an adaptation of a short story by Keri Hulme. Parker and De Nave collaborated again in 1995 on Peach, before making their feature-debut in 1999 with Channelling Baby. Caterina followed it the next year by working as executive producer on the Michael Hurst-directed Jubilee.

Throughout the nineties, Caterina was executive producer for the prestigious TVNZ Sunday Theatre programme and Work of Art, involving 45 hours of arts documentaries. In addition to producing, Caterina has extensive experience as a director, including: documentaries such as The Italians; several episodes of Shortland Street; Pioneer Woman; Country GP; Close to Home; and The Topp Twins Election coverage in 1996. She also chaired the International Comedy Festival from 1995 to 2000.

She continues to work as an independent producer on a number of film and television projects. In her capacity as the Head of Drama and Comedy at TV3, Caterina was executive producer of bro'Town, Outrageous Fortune, The Jaquie Brown Diaries and A Thousand Apologies. This year she moved to a new position at Australian public broadcaster SBS.

GREAT SOUTHERN FILM & TELEVISION WOMAN TO WATCH: CHELSEA WINSTANLEY
Chelsea Winstanley is one half of independent production company StanStrong. She has been a prolific contributor to NZ film and television, lending much support to the voice of Maori in programme-making. She co-produced the short film Patu Ihu in 2007 and co-produced and directed her first mainstream documentary Tame Iti: Man behind the Moko, in 2006 which was a finalist in the Media Peace Awards of the same year. She produced and directed Butt Why? a documentary for He Matapaki series TVNZ, and art series Kete Aronui and environmental series Kaitiaki for the Maori Television Service. Chelsea worked for KIWA Media and KIWA Productions in varying roles, including as production assistant, production manager, director and producer. Credits include docos No Ordinary Joe and Gang Kids. Chelsea recently formed the production company StanStrong with producer Desray Armstrong to develop a fresh approach to film and television production including internet based content. Stan’Strong intends to utilise the combined talents of its directors to strengthen and enhance a multiplatform content driven industry. Winstanley has served on both the WIFT Governance Board member and Nga Aho Whakaari Executive board and is considered to be the rising Maori producer of her generation.

WIFT NZ UNSUNG HEROINE OF THE SCREEN INDUSTRY JOINT WINNER:
GLENDA PATERSON
Glenda Paterson has worked in the screen industry for more than 17 years starting as Financial Controller for children's television production company, Kids TV. Since then she has contracted to various film and television companies, generally as Production Accountant, and currently works as Financial Controller for Greenstone Pictures.

Film credits include Harry Sinclair's Topless Women Talk About Their Lives, Toy Love and The Price Of Milk, Niki Caro's Memory And Desire, Scott Reynolds' Heaven, Christine Parker's Channelling Baby and Bob Swaim's The Climb. Television credits cover the gamut from drama, comedy and factual series to documentary, including award-winners Amazing Extraordinary Friends, Secret Agent Men, The Zoo, Epitaph, Staunch and The Topp Twins.

Paterson was the founding Treasurer for WIFT Auckland and in that role met many remarkable women, many who have had an influence on her career. She has also been involved behind the scenes with the Screen Directors Guild and NZ Television Awards bodies.

WIFT NZ UNSUNG HEROINE OF THE SCREEN INDUSTRY JOINT WINNER:
NATALIE CRANE
Natalie Crane is a Systems Manager for Film New Zealand, maintaining their technical resources. She is also responsible for their website, locations library and information management system, and assists with projects and enquiries.

Crane has worked in reception, secretarial and personal assistant roles, and in a variety of film production roles. Highlights include working as director’s assistant on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and producing short film Fish out of Water.

Natalie was the volunteer administrator of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Wellington for over twelve years and has been a quietly dedicated supporter of women in the industry.

MINDFOOD GREENING THE SCREEN: REDFLAME MEDIA
Red Flame receives this Award for its production work on Homesick and Homesick Extra, both of which have a strong focus on sustainable living and building practices, alongside its business commitment to greening the screen in-house.

By exposing the issue of toxic houses in New Zealand, both of Redflame’s programmes teach families about simple and effective ways to improve their homes and change their living habits – leading to healthier lives with less impact on the planet. Homesick has led to nationwide, high level discussions about the issues of New Zealand housing stock and its impact on the health of kiwis as well as the environment. Invitations were extended to the producers by Direct Health Boards and schools across the country to discuss the impact of the programme and the broader issues raised by it. Homesick was a carbon neutral production and was both a commercial and critical success.

Redflame Media is a production company specializing in producing positive Green, Carbon Neutral and Earth Friendly programmes for television. Its past series, Even My Pet’s A Porker, encouraged healthy lifestyle choices and food products, and The Outlook featured “Green Dean” spreading the Green message.

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