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New Zealand Arts Foundation New Generation Laureate, 2013.Kip Chapman has worked in the screen and theatre industry since 2002. He is the creator, head writer, and producer of Happiness, a new musical comedy series set to premiere on TV3 in 2025.As the writer and director of Hudson & Halls, Kip led the production on a successful tour across New Zealand and Australia. The show won Production of the Year in both Auckland and Wellington, with Kip being awarded Director of the Year.Kip also wrote and directed the interactive theatre and gaming experiences APOLLO 13: Mission Control and Destination Mars, which have been seen by over 50,000 people. He was the director of the world premiere of the New Zealand musical That Bloody Woman.He wrote The Resistance for The Australian Theatre for Young People, which was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award in 2023.In 2017, Kip served as the Creative Director for the World of Wearable Art show.As an actor, Kip has appeared in films such as Bellbird and 6 Days. He was a core cast member in Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake and had a guest role in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series. Kip’s acting work has involved collaborations with major theatre companies across New Zealand and in Australia.From 2009 to 2015, Kip founded and ran the Auckland Theatre Awards, showcasing his continued involvement in New Zealand’s arts community.Kip trained as an actor at UNITEC’s School of Performing and Screen Arts in Auckland, graduating in 2002.A portfolio of Kip’s work can be found on his website: www.kipchapman.com

Pennie began writing and directing films during the nine years she lived and worked in Germany. Her first two German language shorts, one of which was financed by the Bavarian Film Commission (FFF Bayern), were festival successes, winning awards and showing at the acclaimed Palm Springs, Aesthetica and Hof festivals, while her third short film 'Milk' began its festival run as the only New Zealand short film at Austin. Her debut feature Tandem has been the recipient of a New Zealand Writers Guild Seed Grant (2019), a New Zealand Film Commission Online Mentorship with Rob Sarkies (2021) and development through the Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Female Filmmakers Incubator (2020) and the prestigious FilmUp professional development programme (2021-22). In 2023 Tandem received Boost and EDF funding. In 2024 Pennie was selected to take part in the inaugural 'Southern Pilots' TV development lab run by Script to Screen and her teen series 'I, Elizabeth' was a finalist in the NZWG's Kōpere Ake development fund.

Jess Karamjeet is an award-winning British-Indian screenwriter, comedian and producer who emigrated to Aotearoa in 2019. For over a decade, her focus has been on authentic representation across arts spaces prompted by her experiences as a queer, disabled maker. She has a Masters degree in writing for performance and publication (Distinction) and graduated at the top of her BA Creative Writing. Her screenwriting, script editing and storylining credits include the BAFTA-winning series Cold Feet, soap-opera cult Neighbours and TV development seasons within Aotearoa. She was recently awarded development funding for her semi-autobiographical TV series Chronic, as well as a psychological feature film But Then There Was Ella. She was shortlisted as 'One To Watch' by the 2019 Edinburgh TV Festival. Selected as NZ Comedy Trust’s ‘One To Watch,’ Jess has taken the comedy scene by storm since 2020, having created and performed in three hour shows since 2022. She performed 25 shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024, to critical acclaim. After assessing the state of comedy in Aotearoa, Jess stepped into the role of teacher, comedy producer and MC to create PACSA (Laughs): the first ever Pan-Asian Comedy School Aotearoa, which sees participants learning the ropes and taking to the stage in a fully funded course.

Originally from Paris, Laurence has traveled extensively before settling in Auckland 20 years ago. She began her career as a French teacher in Northern Ireland, later thriving in various administrative roles for major French Productions and Distribution companies, MK2, and UGC in Paris. Her journey then took her to Tahiti, where she met her husband, and together built a successful jewelry business. They both fell in love with New Zealand, so they relocated to educate their twins and opened a jewelry boutique in central Auckland. They worked together for 25 years and after his passing, she started writing screenplays. Laurence is known for her people-oriented approach, boundless curiosity, and engaging sense of humor. She can speak four languages and has a deep understanding of diverse cultures; she is adept at connecting with people from all walks of life.

The original screenplay 'Friggin Phenomenal' was motivated by my passion for New Zealand and living in our Aotearoa paradise. The story can be summarised very briefly as ‘A farmer is lifted from the black dog of suicidal depression in the company of three Maori people on a South Island Road trip.’ Why have I chosen Maori characters for the story. The answer lies in my personal experiences of working with or being helped by Maori people in New Zealand. My first job in NZ was with Maori guys and girls on a tobacco and apple farm in Riwaka, Motueka. My abiding memory of those times was that the characters were not just great people but they were so darned jocular and life was so enjoyable in their company. There have been so many occasions when it has been Maori people who have helped me when I need it. I was cycling around East Cape and was camped at a small motor camp over the hill from Hicks Bay when Cyclone Bola hit. After three or four days of continuous rain the campground became a lake and I had to move. I cycled all day through torrential rain and arrived in Tokomaru Bay hoping to find accommodation. No chance, my sleeping bag and tent were drenched, there was a tiny patch of ground above the lake behind the pub, that was my only option. I was approached by a Maori who offered that I could sleep on the lounge floor in their unit. So, with a couple of blankets I slept and recovered. If I had slept in that wet sleeping bag and tent that night in my exhaustion, I may have got pneumonia and who knows, not made it.  A few years later I escaped from office work in the city and became an inexperienced longline fisherman out of Auckland. I seized the engine near Kawau Island and it was a Maori fisherman (John Hore ?) who towed me to Auckland and then gave me great help to get the engine out of the boat, and once reconditioned helped me reinstall the engine. John was amazing in the voluntary assistance he gave, which has happened by others on other occasions around NZ.Why have I chosen to have Maori travel companions as characters on this road trip, it is because I genuinely think there is more chance of Dion recovering from the black dog of suicidal depression with Maori companions than with a bunch of pakeha misfits, and more especially with Miriama and her affinity with the natural world. My additional writing over the past seven years is on website initially called ‘Co-operativecapitalism’. The concept addresses the perceived alienation in society arising in capitalism since the industrial revolution and more recently since the phase of neo-liberal capitalism. The concept has been promoted through the website www.co-operativecapitalism.com , The latest BlogPost ‘Timacapitalism’ encapsulates the gist of the concept.        http://www.co-operativecapitalism.com/blog-posts

ANTONY GUSSCOTT (40s) perceptive deadpanned enabler. Crafts characters, stories and worlds, to lay the foundation for animated series and auxiliary content. He specializes in Competitive Market Analysis Reports used to highlight series potential and reveal opportunities during per-production.

Shuchi Kothari is a Kiwi-Indian filmmaker. She has written and produced award-winning films ( Firaaq, Apron Strings, Seen, Shit One Carries, Coffee & Allah, Fleeting Beauty) that have screened at over 100 international film festivals including Venice, Cannes, Toronto, BFI, Busan, and Telluride. She has mentored several acclaimed filmmakers/ projects and served on juries of Film and Television awards, and national funding bodies. In 2018 Shuchi co-founded the not-for-profit Pan-Asian Screen Collective to advocate for equitable representation of Asian screen practitioners on and behind the screens in Aotearoa New Zealand. To subvert the axiom “those who can’t do, teach” she heads the screen production programme at the University of Auckland, where as associate professor, she teaches screenplay writing. Many of her ex-students have gone ahead to forge stellar careers in the screen industry.In 2022 Shuchi received WIFT -NZ's "Outstanding Contribution to the Screen Industry" award in acknowledgement of her work as a screenwriter, producer, and mentor. In 2024, Show Me Shorts International Film Festival awarded her "The Spirit of Short Film" for her decades long mahi in bettering scripts and enabling careers of short film makers in Aotearoa. She is currently seeking a producing partner in India for her feature film Night Nights that was developed through Hollywood's Blacklist Programme in 2021. She loves to write just as much as she loves helping other writers navigate their stories.

As a writer-for-hire, I’m an unashamed swot who reads the room and aims to fill the gaps - as ready with a joke as a I am a timely logic check. I’m curious for notes and always meet deadlines.I take no gig for granted - the chance to discover, break, and grow another writer’s brainchild? Yes, please. The story table is my happy place - drama or comedy, the inevitable in-between. Hand me a cuppa and a pencil… let’s go.I’m the product of mixed heritage and divorce. My own stories tend to circle identity - a subject that resonates with the world’s melting pot. My father was raised under the thumb of fascism. My mother, a generation of internalised racism. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel confusion or shame in relation to my own identity. I am the result of my own unique patchwork of love and trauma. Who would I have been in a sliding doors world? Who might I still become? I ask my characters these questions. I’m drawn to tales of ordinary people navigating the complexity of life. I’m particularly intrigued by trauma and its indelible watermark. My work is hopeful at heart. I like to laugh. I’m a sucker for romance. Little Miss Sunshine 4 LIFE.

Born and bred in Wellington. BA in English & Education at Victoria University. Worked as a scriptwriter in NZ and Australia since 1980s. Writes feature film drama, comedy and horror. Has also written short films, animation and documentaries. Currently lives on Waiheke Island.

Chye-Ling Huang is a Chinese-Pakeha writer and director for film and television. Highlights includeThe Han Chronicles, a two-episode TVNZ web series inspired by her father’s immigrant experience in 1970s New Zealand, and co-wrote and starred in Life is Easy, also for TVNZ. Life is Easy was hosted on the international platform Revry and nominated for a NZTV Award for best comedy. Chye-Ling's writing grew over her time writing for theatre, including accolades for her original plays Call of the Sparrows and Orientation, and receiving the Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship Fellowship. She has been recognized with NZFC development funding for her debut feature film Love in the Time of Cabbages and her biracial family comedy pilot Happiness is the Path was selected for development and production through the PASC Episode One Pilot programme.Most recently she co-directed and co-wrote the NZOA-funded comedy series Camp Be Better for TVNZ+ and is set to shoot the Fresh Shorts-funded short film Beast Mode she wrote with Natasha Daniel in 2024.Chye-Ling is a strong advocate for Asian representation in film and television, frequently contributing to projects that highlight underrepresented voices. She’s signed with Auckland Actors and is a founding member of the Pan Asian Screen Collective.

Harry was born in Hong Kong to a Filipino mother and a Kiwi/ British father. He has always been into creative writing but began his Film career as an actor. Working with many creatives and wanting to collaborate on projects with them, Harry began writing for them and himself. He has been writing short films and specs for Films and TV shows for 15 years. Although he still has not had a theatrical release for one of his Films yet, he has only recently focused on prioritising that aspect of filmmaking.

Raised in New England amidst a backdrop of mob ties and Stephen King-worthy tragic losses, Keren Green channels her dark past into stories about resilient characters clawing toward redemption. Whether crafting post-apocalyptic wastelands or delving into identity crises, she brings an unflinching and authentic voice to her worlds as characters battle through their own personal hells. A dual US/Canadian citizen, Keren currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Auckland. She has been staffed in multiple development rooms for various television series across genres, however, Keren leans toward sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, drama, and action-adventure stories.In the US, Keren developed the sci-fi feature ARK and TV series PROGENY Z with The Gillen Group (Fried Green Tomatoes, The Man in the White Van). In 2020, she was tapped to create and develop ten episodes in a mini-room for the short-form series GHOSTED, intended for Quibi through Zaza Productions, which secured her WGAW membership shortly before Quibi's demise. Her award-winning short films HOLDING SOUTH and DEFENSE+4 have screened at festivals worldwide, garnering Best Screenplay and Best Director honors. An MFA graduate in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University and alumna of UCLA's Professional Program in TV Writing, Keren pays it forward by teaching screenwriting between projects. But, ultimately, it’s her husband, children and two dogs that complete her.

Indigo Paul is a playwright, screenwriter, and actor based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She received her MA in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting) with Distinction from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in 2022. She is currently working on a TV dramedy with co-creator Kyan Krumdieck, producer Thomas Coppell, and support from New Zealand On Air. Her work for the stage as been produced at Basement Theatre and BATS and she has appeared in Shortland Street and Auckland Theatre Company’s The Cherry Orchard as an actor.She is interested in ecology, animism, and how everything is a metaphor for everything.

Rebecca is an established, award-winning filmmaker who works as a writer, director and producer across both drama and documentary. Rebecca's films have screened in festivals around the world and been sold to the likes of Netflix, Disney + and HBO. Rebecca develops and produces narrative and documentary projects with international partners and works with other producers as a writer for story and script development and screenwriting.

Kenna Stephenson, a native Texan, graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin, joining the estimated 3% of children orphaned at birth who hold university degrees. At age 5, she declared her desire to become a physician. As a teen she worked in cotton fields, excelled in fast food, and following her 18th birthday, she eagerly became a certified nurse’s aide. She received her last nurse’s aide paycheck on graduation day from medical school. A human artist with an eternal passion for patient care, she thrives on helping others achieve well-being and has cared for over 100,000 patients in diverse settings: on a Marae in rural New Zealand, under triple canopy jungles of Guatemala, inside a mobile unit traversing East Texas mine fields, and on a Paramount Pictures’ set. She received the Doctor of Medicine degree with Research Honors from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and completed a student clinical research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Her residency at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center culminated with the Resident’s Resident Award. She is board certified in Family Medicine, a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians, and a member of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Her career has spanned private practice, community medicine, creation of a health center for female veterans, employee health, academic medicine, and global health. She has practiced in underserved areas of Texas, Arizona, Belize, Guatemala, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. Her research has been featured in: Family Practice News, Cardiology News, Ob/Gyn News, Medscape, and UK News Digest and she is an award winning science educator in radio and television. Doctor Kenna currently practices medicine in Arizona and is Associate Professor of Family, Community & Preventive Medicine at The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Her book, The Gospel of Women’s Health: Awakening Athena Again has received international acclaim.

Steve Barr moved to New Zealand in 2010 after working for 16 years in the Hollywood industry. He has been a studio suit for Universal Studios, a television commissioner for the biggest broadcaster in New Zealand, a feature screenwriter for Walt Disney Pictures, and the vice president of development for indie production company SMASHfilms. Steve has been hired to write over a dozen screenplays in the New Zealand, American, and Chinese industries, two of which have been produced - Timeslow and Born To Dance. He has produced nearly 20 short films and two features - Chronesthesia and Hang Time.Steve has a BFA in Theatre from the University of Southern California, and has taught screenwriting for the New Zealand Film and Television School, the New Zealand Writers Guild, Massey University, and Victoria University. He is a member of the WGA, WIFT, SPADA and served as president of the New Zealand Writers Guild. From 2019-2023 he was the commissioner for drama and scripted comedy for Television New Zealand.

Alan is a produced TV writer with credits in comedy and drama. In 2000 he created The Strip for The Gibson Group and TV3 and ran the script department for 2 seasons (40 ep's). He writes spec feature scripts and has written and directed a short film. He has been a development executive, screenwriter lecturer and script assessor, production accountant and financial controller. He has more than 30 years' experience in the industry and has been involved in many industry guilds and organisations over the years.

Amanda Alison is an experienced, enthusiastic and accomplished screenwriter with particular success in comedy and children’s television. She’s written for Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s Wellington Paranormal (Winner Best Comedy NZ TV Awards 2020 & 2021) and won Three’s “Comedy Pilot Week” with her sitcom Mean Mums (Finalist Best Script Comedy NZ TV Awards 2019 & 2020), where she acted as creator, head writer and showrunner for three successful seasons. Amanda created and wrote two seasons of teen dramedy Lucy Lewis Can’t Lose (Finalist Best Web Series NZTV Awards 2018 ), starring Thomasin McKenzie, and was nominated for “2013 SWANZ Best TV Comedy” for Sunny Skies. She began her career writing and directing for youth show Ice TV and has been a game creator and joke writer for 7 Days since its inception. Amanda’s had extensive experience in children’s television, her credits include: The Moe Show, What Now, Darwin + Newts, The Exceptional Squad and Kiwi & Cat Mānawatia a Matariki, as well as sketch comedy Only in Aotearoa, comedy news show Paddy Gower Has Issues, and teen sci-fi adventure The Cul de Sac. Amanda recently developed an animated comedy for Dreamworks Animation and is currently developing comedy series for both Three and TVNZ. Amanda is also acting as head writer for her own animated series Katie’s Kurī, head writer for children’s comedy Mr Hugo’s Little Library, and writing for the new season of Lucy Lawless’s comedy mystery series “My Life is Murder.

Nimish is a self-taught screenwriter with an insatiable hunger to craft meaningful stories that engage, impact and inspire. His narrative style transcends genre limitations, focusing on flawed characters driven by deep-seated vulnerabilities within a fascinatingly plausible world. An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Military Academy (IMA), Nimish understands the rigmarole and discipline required to be a professional screenwriter and attempts to draw from his life experiences and emotions. Born and bred in India, Nimish graduated as an IT engineer followed by a post-graduate diploma in Business Management. After working in Mumbai’s corporate world for seven years, he migrated to New Zealand and continues to pursue his passion to appreciate the ‘art’ and learn the ‘craft’ of screenwriting in Mumbai.His first feature length script – ‘Meiktila’ started off as a finalist (Top 20) in India’s national screenwriting contest Cinestaan 2020 led by Aamir Khan, Anjum Rajabali, Rajkumar Hirani and Juhi Chaturvedi and later went on to be amongst the 6 winning scripts at Screenwriters Association (SWA) Development Lab 2022 where he had the privilege to be mentored by the stalwarts such as Sudip Sharma, Abhishek Chaubey, Smita Singh and Alankrita Srivastava. His journey into the enchanting world of creative writing began in 2012 when he penned his first coming-of-age novel titled ‘Moments of Truth.’ The love affair with storytelling persisted leading to his second novel in 2018 titled ‘Divyastra’ – a captivating fusion of mythology and a sci-fi thriller. Apparently, literature was merely a stepping stone towards discovering his passion for screenwriting and he embarked on a self-guided expedition. During this time, he seized every opportunity to learn, immersing himself in books, attending seminars, enrolling in masterclasses and workshops, and participating in contests – all while skillfully juggling the demands of his daytime commitments.Starting off with shorter format, his debut short film ‘Room 306’ was selected by Pocket Films India for exclusive digital distribution while his second short film ‘Don’t Let Her In’ was selected at Zee5 Global Content Festival and played on Zee5 OTT platform in 190+ countries. His third short film script ‘The 7-Day Test’ was selected at the ‘Short Cuts Development Lab 2021’ by the Pan-Asian-Screen-Collective group (PASC) in New Zealand led by renowned screenwriter and teacher, Dr. Shuchi Kothari and also went on to be a Semi-finalist at NY International Screenplay Awards 2022. Graduating to long form, his dark-comedy feature script ‘Mama Moo’ was shortlisted at PIKI PITCH 2021 and underwent a 4-week development sprint led by Academy-award winning Producer Carthew Neal and Morgan Waru and also featured in Top 2% at TSL Coverfly’s global screenplay contest and quarter-finalist at Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay awards 2021. While two of his original spec scripts are being developed at a leading production houses in Mumbai, he is also currently working with a prominent director in Mumbai to develop a quirky satire feature film.Nimish is represented by India’s first and largest talent agency for writers – TULSEA and can be reached at: Nimishtanna@gmail.com | Shruti@tulsea.com | Chaitanya@tulsea.com

René Le Bas is a writer who grew up in the US, calls Wellington home, and is learning to love Tāmaki Makaurau where he currently lives. He enjoys writing horror, sci-fi, and dark comedy in particular, as tools to explore what it means to be a contemporary human in a way that a plain drama can’t. His work is often cynical and satirical, with the occasional sprinkle of hope. Recent projects that've gotten development funding include an adult animated comedy about lice living on a receding hairline, and a horror-comedy about broke uni students killing INCELs and selling their virgin blood on the black market. If these sound like the kind of voice you’re looking for in a writers' room or on one of your projects, or if you want to read a writing sample, get in touch.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Desiree Gezentsvey emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand in 1985 with her husband and three daughters. Desiree has an MA in Creative Writing (International Institute of Modern Letters), and an MA in Literary Translation Studies (VUW). She writes in various forms, including theatre and film, and has published a bilingual book of poetry, ‘Next Time Around / la próxima vez’ (Steele Roberts) which deals with the subject of immigration and separation from loved ones. Her poetry piece ‘Under the Southern Stars’ was recorded and broadcast by Radio NZ. A number of her poems have been set to music by award winning NZ composers Gareth Farr and Dorothy Buchanan. Desiree has also been involved in various projects as script development consultant, and has translated poetry, theatre and fiction from English to Spanish and Spanish to English, including the English translation of the book Náhuatl Stories: Indigenous tales from Mexico by Pablo Gonzáles Casanova (pub VUP, 2012), through the Mexican Embassy in NZ. Desiree's play NUCLEAR FAMILY won the Best Stageplay Award (Script) at the 2011 Moondance International Film Festival Competition (USA) and received 5-star reviews in Adelaide (AU), London (UK), Edinburgh (IE), Auckland and Wellington (NZ). Desiree’s latest play, CAGING SKIES, based on the novel by Christine Leunens, had its world premiere at Wellington’s Circa Theatre and has now been translated into Spanish, French, Euskera and Japanese, and it’s being staged in Tokyo, Japan, in December 2024 by the renowned theatre company Gekidan Mingei. In 2023 she received a CNZ Arts Grant to write a stage adaptation of Gigi Fenster’s novel A GOOD WINTER. Desiree has a passion for Oral History and the value of recording and preserving personal life stories as a gift for future generations.

FIONA SAMUEL – 2024 BIOFiona Samuel is a multi-award-winning writer and director for television, theatre, radio and film, a NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, and a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to television and theatre. Her latest project is the screenplay for PIKE RIVER, a feature film starring Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm due for international release in 2025. Fiona has made a body of work that puts the female experience front and centre with several acclaimed and high-rating telemovies, writing and directing One Sunday Theatre dramas PIECE OF MY HEART (2009) and BLISS - THE BEGINNING OF KATHERINE MANSFIELD (2011), writing the screenplay for CONSENT – THE LOUISE NICHOLAS STORY (2014) and co-writing the screenplay for PRINCESS OF CHAOS (2023). She has written many episodes of NZ’s most popular drama series including OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, THE PANTHERS, THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES, LOVE CHILD, NOTHING TRIVIAL and SHORTLAND STREET. Awards: 2019 – MNZM awarded for services to television and theatre2014 - NZ Writers Guild Award, Best Telefeature Script for CONSENT2014 - MOA Award, Best Television Drama for CONSENT2012 - NZ Screen Award, Best Director, Drama for BLISS2012 – NZ Arts Foundation Laureate Award2011 - NZ Writers Guild Award, Best Telefeature Script for BLISS2007 - NZ Film & Television Award, Best Drama Script for GIRL IN WOODSFiona is also a highly regarded writing teacher at the YooBee South Seas Film & Television school, the co-president of the NZ Writers Guild and an experienced script assessor for Script to Screen, NZ On Air and the NZFC.

Ben Powdrell is an editor, writer and producer with 23+ years industry experience working in theatre, documentary, popular factual television series, unscripted, drama, comedy and feature films. His latest editing work includes feature films RED, WHITE and BRASS for Piki Films (#1 NZ boxoffice 2023), documentary RIVER OF FREEDOM for Braided River FIlms (#3 NZ boxoffice 2023), and television comedy/drama MILES FROM NOWHERE for the Gibson Group (2024 Sky Open/Neon).Working with long time collaborator Dean Hewison, Ben developed theatre shows FOOTBALLISTIC and HYPNOTASTIC, starring Cohen Holloway and the Fringe Award winning radio comedy series OUT OF BOUNDS SOUNDS. In the 2017 Fringe Festival Ben wrote and performed autobiographical comedy show DILF with wife Francesca Carney and directed by Dean Hewison.Ben has spent a number of years working as a visual effects editor at Wētā FX on numerous feature films and television shows (BFG, AVENGERS: INFINITY WARS, GAME OF THRONES Season 7&8, SHADOW IN THE CLOUD, THE BATMAN) and before Wētā, Ben was senior editor, writer and content producer on THE HOBBIT behind the scenes webcontent and extended edition documentaries. In 2020 Ben completed his M.A. in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting) from Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters and in 2021 was commissioned to write a series of digital animated books LITTLE BIG THINKERS for Rascality Media. The two animated stories screened at the 2023 10th Māorilands Film Festival. Together with wife producer Francesca Carney Ben is producing animated comedy series BLOKE OF THE APOCALYPSE with funding from NZOA and STINKY PITS with Floating Rock Studios.

Lynda Chanwai-Earle SCREENWRITER/DIRECTOR/PLAYWRIGHTLynda Chanwai-Earle (She/Her, Ngāti Haina, Ngāti Pākehā) is a Eurasian New Zealander with a background in scriptwriting and public broadcasting (TVNZ, RNZ). Lynda’s award-winning plays have been published, produced, and toured here and abroad. Lynda’s ground-breaking play Ka-Shue (Letters Home) is the first authentic Chinese New Zealand theatre production. Her screenplay Little Dragon was the first from Aotearoa to be pitched for co-production at the Shanghai Film Festival, 2009. Her feature scripts have had Early Development Funding from NZFC numerous times. Her short film AFTER… screened with the NZIFF in 2002 and at film festivals in Tel Aviv and Brussels.Lynda was 2019 Writer In Residence at the International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington where she co-wrote The Only Son, a tele-feature in development for TVNZ and worked on her second play HOLE in her Antarctic Theatre Trilogy. Lynda participated in Screen POD Canberra with Man in a Suitcase (her tele-series in early development). Lynda is the screenwriter for the hybrid docu-feature Memory of Longing (Kimihia Films). Lynda wrote The Owl and the Rainbow funded for production in 2024 (Kōpere Hou – Fresh Shorts, NZFC). Lynda directed and filmed Farewell Guangdong a documentary web series (Tawera Productions) for upcoming broadcast on RNZ.

Ankita Singh is a screenwriter, playwright, director and award-winning theater producer raised between Chandigarh and Kirikiriroa. Not long after completing her Master's in Screenwriting from AUT University, Ankita won the 2021 Piki Pitch. With a firm grasp for storytelling, Ankita has had a recent streak of successfully funded projects including co-creating action-comedy ‘GIVE ME BABIES’ for TVNZ’s Motherhood Anthology and receiving a Seed grant in 2022. In 2023, Ankita made history as the first South Asian female playwright to be commissioned by Auckland Theatre Company. Her debut neo-noir play ‘BASMATI BITCH’ premiered at Q Rangatira - the season was extended twice due to popular demand. Ankita has been in several writers room’s for series in development including “Chronic”, “The Golden Pig” and “Permanent Resident”. She has received development through Playmarket’s Te Hono, Fresh Off The Page, Oryza Asian Playwrights Lab, ATC Young Writers Table and PASC’s Seat At The Table. Her producing credits include “The Hustle” (Three & Discovery) and “Nathan Joe: Homecoming Poems” (Going West, 2023). She has written articles for Satellites Magazine, Pantograph Punch, Playmarket Annual and Migrant Maharanis. She has been a keynote speaker for the MOCA Launch and spoken on a panel for the Pan-Asian Screen Collective and Proud Voices on Screen. She is currently directing a documentary for TVNZ, developing interactive children's novel 'Hine' and working on her next play - a horror magic-realist play 'RABID' through the Rocket Park Writers Lab.

Paolo is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist, working in Film, TV, and Theatre as a Writer, Director, and Producer. Paolo has won acclaim for his Filmmaking, Plays and Screenwriting. His debut feature film, Orphans & Kingdoms, won festival awards internationally, including a ‘Best Film’ at the Anchorage Film Festival. His New Zealand Film Commission-supported short films have screened around the world, and all three are studied in NZ high schools. Most recently, the short Maunga Cassino won a ‘Best Short Film’ award at Ora Fest in Italy in 2023. Paolo’s Plays have toured nationally and internationally to acclaim, most notably Strange Resting Places, which toured internationally for nine years. Italian-born Paolo’s creative life began as an actor, starring in numerous NZ films, TV series and theatre shows. In 2019 Paolo played Aubert Gascoigne in the BBC, Working Title Series The Luminaries. Dividing his time between Hawkes Bay and Auckland, Paolo directs for TV in the commercial world while continuing to write for Film and Theatre with various projects in development. With his partner, he established the ‘Cinema Italiano Film Festival’ now in its 9th year and a nationwide cultural event. The Italian Republic bestowed Paolo with a ‘Cavalierato’ (order of merit) for his contribution to Italian culture and the arts in New Zealand. Paolo and his partner Renee are proud parents of Sofia and Dario. LINKS TO SELECTED WORK: Orphans & Kingdoms. Feature Film:https://vimeo.com/192750734 Maunga Cassino. Short film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igsu9UADLJA Dead Letters. Short film https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/dead-letters-2006/overview The Freezer. Short film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR2thryVzls TV Commercialshttps://flyingfish.nz/paolo-rotondo/ Kororāreka. The Ballad of Maggie Flynn. Theatre. https://redleaptheatre.co.nz/production/kororareka/ Strange Resting Places. Theatre.https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/F221313/#:~:text=STRANGE%20RESTING%20PLACES%20is%20a,soldier%20and%20an%20Italian%20deserter.Little Che. Theatre https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/iperformancei-little-che/N2TGTNSPO63ZZYAQSISWQKBLCM/

Tanya M. Wheeler is a multi-award-winning screenwriter, playwright, producer, director and lecturer from NZ. Tanya writes in all genres and for all mediums with an award-winning Sci-Fi web series for kids funded by NZ On Air, as well as numerous short films, plays and a produced feature. Tanya was a part of the writers' room for Power Rangers Dino Charge and lectures in Screenwriting and Directing at Unitec, Auckland.

April is one of New Zealand's most licensed playwrights and is well known for both stage comedy, drama and musicals. She has written radio plays for RNZ, and her short films have been selected and award winners at festivals such as NZIFF, Show Me Shorts, Screamfest, Fantasia, Sarasota International FF (United Nations Through Womens Eyes), Burbank International FF, FilmQuest, to name just a few. She has a Masters degree in Scriptwriting and also works as a Script Consultant and Acting Coach.

Jeremiah Tauamiti is an award winning writer/director, who has a heart for Pacific people and their stories. Both his debut documentary feature film, "For My Father’s Kingdom", (Co-director/DOP), and short film "Liliu" (Writer/Director), had their World Premieres at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival. Both films have gone on to win awards around the world, with Liliu winning multiple best film/director awards. His most recent work tele-feature documentary, "Family, Faith & Footy; A Pasifika Story", shot across 5 countries in the UK and the Pacific, won both Best Documentary, and Best Pasifika Programme at the recent, 2024 NZ Television Awards. Jeremiah is currently in production with a TVNZ one-hour special, and is in development with the NZ Film Commission with his debut feature length drama film, and in development with an animation series, and in pre-production with a Sky Sport documentary. His villages in Sāmoa are Falelātai/Solosolo, and Tuana’i/Faleāsiu/Pu'apu'a, and his high chief titles Nanai and Faalavaau are from the village of Falelatai. He is most proud of being a chef, and quiz master for his 3 sons Malosi, Talavou and Manako.

David is a Northland based screen writer who has also directed 14 short films- he has worked on many local feature films in the capacity of storyboard artist, which has enabled him to unlock the potential of the written word into visuals. Finding patterns and reoccurring motifs that drive home the themes of the story. David has a broad understanding of all Historical periods, quickly identifying anachronisms in plot points or characterisation. He considers world building (past, present day or future) to be an elementary part of any story because it shapes the characters, tone and themes of the tale to be told.

Matt Butler is an award-winning writer and performer who was worked in and around the film industry his entire adult life.A 2016 graduate of South Seas Film & Television School, he has written for advertisements, videogames, photo exhibitions, short films, features and more. From 2021 he wrote scripts for production company One Day Video and in 2023 received a NZWG Seed Writers Grant for feature film JUNIORSENIOR. Inspired by filmmakers like Jim Henson, The Wachowski Sisters, Billy Wilder and The Daniels, Matt loves to tell stories that have beating hearts at their centre and sincerity in their DNA. Life is too short for cynicism.

Andrew Todd is an award-winning, hyper-indie, genre-focused Canadian-NZ writer-filmmaker from Ōtautahi, Aotearoa.At age 9, Andrew commandeered his grandparents’ VHS camera; at 22, he shot self-produced feature Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws; now, he’s launching his idiosyncratic stories, finely-honed craft, and subversion of genre into the global industry. A former manager of NZ’s 48hours filmmaking competition, his shorts have won countless awards and played at international genre festivals around the world. With 70+ professional credits across stage, screen, and games, Andrew also serves as a script assessor for the NZ Film Commission and a board member for the NZ Writers Guild, and spent eight years as a full-time film critic, jurying for genre festivals like Fantastic Fest alongside luminaries like Leonard Maltin and Edgar Wright.As of late 2024, Andrew’s second feature as a director, relationship horror So Lonely I Could Die (prod. Morgan Leigh Stewart), is currently in advanced development, after winning Best Pitch at the 37°South Co-Financing Market. He is also developing science fiction rom-com Dishonourable Discharge (prod. Alix Whittaker), which received NZWG Seed Advanced and NZFC EDF funding. Beyond that, he has a slate of projects in various states of development.

​​Mia Maramara is a Filipino filmmaker whose work has screened around the world. Her passion for authentic, trailblazing stories has led her to wear different hats in the industry, most notably as a writer, director, and producer. Mia’s 2024 feature film Grafted (dir. Sasha Rainbow) was picked up by AMC’s Shudder and UK-based sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment. It premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival and screened at the acclaimed Sitges Film Festival 2024. Mia also wrote for anthology feature film Kāinga, the third film in the trilogy of Waru and Vai, which won the NETPAC Best Feature Film in 2022. Writing and directing Beyond the Veil: Albularyo for TV2 earned Mia the distinction of being the first Filipino director to helm a prime-time drama on New Zealand TV. That same year, she won the SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year. Mia has participated in Philippine National Artist Ricky Lee's Cinemalaya Masterclass as well as the DEGANZ Female Directors Incubator. She produced Vivie, an NZFC-funded short film which premiered at SXSW Sydney and Show Me Shorts 2024. Mia’s recent short film script, Still Got It, placed as a finalist at the Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition (2023), beating out over 1180 applicants.

Short film writer/producer/director

Maddie Dai is a writer, director and New Yorker cartoonist originally from Wellington. Her debut feature as a writer, WE WERE DANGEROUS, had its world premiere at SXSW in 2024 where it won the Jury Prize for Filmmaking. She has been in writers rooms for shows on HBO, Amazon, BBC, and TVNZ, and has contributed over 90 cartoons to The New Yorker.

Guy Dobson, Founder and Managing Director (UK and NZ) has a background in capital markets, fund management, IT, HR on and offshore, working for such firms as Coutts Private Bank (Trustee and Investment Office), Morgan Grenfell (Capital Leasing), Prudential Bache (Securities Trading), Rothschild Asset Management (Offshore Fund Management), Royal Trust Company of Canada (Global Custody) and Citigroup (Global Transaction Services Group) ++. To gain REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE, as working in capital markets can become surreal from REAL-WORLD-CHALLENGES, Guy joined engineering group Hawker Siddeley R.A. Lister, Gloucestershire, in finance and HR roles. Two decades later, Guy founded Dynamique in London and then in New Zealand. Over the years Guy has represented banks on industry forums and written a number of articles on contemporary esoteric topics such as: • Marketing Risk and Risk Mitigating Tools (Journal of Financial Advice) • So, what’s all the fuss about Short Selling? (Journal of Financial Advice) • Role of custodian in derivatives (Derivatives, Use Trading Regulation Journal) • International Securities Lending and Cash Management (The Journal UK)• Accounting for Derivatives (Global Investor Magazine)Guy is also Executive Producer of Blue Anchor Productions New Zealand Ltd (film production company) – a co-author of screenplays, project manager, fund raiser specialising in period maritime docudramas. He lives in Levin, Horowhenua, New Zealand with Kiwi wife with family scattered around the globe. A keen yachtsman when the opportunity arises!!

Guy McDouall crafts screenplays in two distinct realms: dark genre narratives and children’s animation. His adult-oriented macabre tales are marked by strong hooks, unexpected plot twists, and supernatural intrigue. These stories often evoke empathy for flawed characters as they grapple with temptations and moral dilemmas. In contrast, drawing from years of experience in preschool and primary education, he creates warm, wholesome content for young audiences. His work on the animated series "Kiddets" has been showcased in multiple countries.McDouall has garnered accolades from prestigious organizations, including the New Zealand Writers Guild, The PAGE Awards, The BlueCat Screenplay Contest and Roadmap Writers. His short horror film "Feeder"—directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Christian Rivers—has been featured in numerous film festivals, such as Fantasia, NZIFF, Sitges, MIFF, and Morbido. Recently, he has been collaborating with the online health platform D’connect to produce non-fiction video content. Additionally, director Nat Boltt, known for Netflix’s "Riverdale" and the upcoming feature adaption of Joy Cowley’s "Holy Days," is set to helm his spine-chilling feature, "Dark Plague".

Playwright, screenwriter, writer, editor, communications consultant. Born Westport, New Zealand 1954. Currently lives in Lower Hutt.Master of Arts in Film and Television Studies, Westminster University, London (formerly Central London Polytechnic).1984-1993, Film critic/reviewer/journalist/editor (The Independent, Sunday Mirror, LAM, and freelance contributor to: the Guardian, New Statesman, Time Out, City Limits, The Face etc). 1994-2002, The Press, Christchurch, NZ, final position Deputy Editor.2003-2008 Freelance writer, and weekly columnist (journalism, screen & stage). Member of NZWG, Screen Dunedin; writer The Wild Bunch (nhnz filmed Table Play); screenwriter Okasene & Vice (aka The Samoan Detective), full-length feature film, unproduced; occasional contributor of short sketches to satirical TV comedy series Facelift; unproduced proposals/projects for TV series/feature films. 2008-2012 Journalist/Playwright/Screenwriter: Otago Daily Times, final position Deputy Editor; The Truth Game (stage play, 2011 Fortune Theatre, Dunedin, 2012, Circa Theatre, Wellington); 2011, Best Script, Dunedin Theatre Awards for The Truth Game; 2012, Canon Media Awards columnist of the year.2013: acting general manager Fairfax Editorial Services.2014, Chief Press Secretary/Media Director Leader of the Opposition, Parliament.2015-2022, communications contracts, Government ministries, ongoing development of theatre/film related projects.2022-2024: specialist editorial advisor; ongoing theatre, creative non-fiction and screen-related projects.Particular subject interests/expertise: politics and institutions of democratic society (the executive, judiciary and fourth estate -- media). Currently sketching out projects on interface between the executive and the judiciary (stage play); personal history of the mainland (creative non-fiction -- history/memoir); contemporary drama (novel/screenplay/series).

I am a screenwriter and film producer from New Zealand with 27 feature length film scripts completed over 30 years. In addition to writing feature screenplays I've also written, produced and directed short films and stage plays. I've had several of my feature film projects optioned and developed over the years. In 2011 I won the $25,000 Kairos Prize screenplay competition in Hollywood, and that script 'Blue Water Metal', was optioned in the US in 2016, and is awaiting production funding.I've staged 18 of my own theatre productions since 2015, as writer, producer and sometimes director. In 2017, 'Maungatapu' debuted in the Nelson Arts Festival and afterwards toured the South island. 2021 the acclaimed play 'The Wairau Affray', debuted in Nelson and Marlborough, and my other plays continue to be performed around New Zealand.In 2018 I won Best Film at the Top of the South Film Festival for a short film 'Opal Valley', and in 2019 won again for 'Death Round Every Bend'. In 2021 I again won Best Film in the Top of the South Film Festival for 'War Paint', which has also won Best Film at Festivals around the world, including in Berlin and New York. My short film 'The British Broadcasting Corporal' was released in 2022 and has been winning awards, and I've just released two more short films in 2024, 'Manager, Please!' and 'Gangster Nicknames'.In 2023 my first feature film 'Northspur', had a theatrical release in New Zealand, and sold North American rights to major US studio Lionsgate. It is now beginning to sell in territories around the world including the UK, Germany, the CIS and Latin America.I have feature films 'Riverlands', 'Red Zone Six' and 'A Special Force' in development for 2025/6, and a slate of 9 feature films in development for the future.At present I am writing articles for Nelson Magazine, Marlborough Magazine, and Best Life Magazine, in between copywriting jobs and being paid to edit film scripts.

Peter is a writer/director whose films probe the heart of the human condition using the jagged scalpel of dark comedy — while telling important stories along the way.He grew up between Auckland and Sydney and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. His love of cinema and his Polish background led him to study film-directing at Gdynia Film School in Poland, where he shot his diploma film, the short surreal comedy-drama "I (Don't) Love You" (2017). Since then Peter has been writing short scripts in the genre of black comedy, in between writing and producing the narrative history podcast "Stories From the Eastern West", and the short video series "Slices of Poland" for the online magazine Culture.pl.In 2021 he co-wrote and starred in the short mockumentary "Let's Talk about the Birds", and in 2023 he won the Millenium Docs Against Gravity Warsaw film festival award for best upcoming project aimed at young audiences, for the animated documentary "Patchwork".His short dark comedy script "BARK!" was included in the top 20 short comedies of the month on Coverfly and placed in several competitions, including: Bluecat Screenplay Competition 2024 — Quarterfinalist, PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2024 — Quarterfinalist WeScreenplay Short Script Lab 2024 — QuarterfinalistHe is now working on his first feature, a dark comedy eco-horror set in the South Island.

RYAN PEARCE: I've been writing professionally this year, after working on my Honors degree in filmmaking and writing at EIT. While my credits are limited, I've been writing for the better part of 5 years, in both the academic and creative sense. I've written everything from music reviews to short films, yet to be released. I've you'd like to work together, please contact me and I'll be excited to work on any and all projects!

Lee Murray is a writer, editor, screenwriter, and poet, and a third-generation Chinese New Zealander. Winner of the New Zealand Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction, she is a five-time international Bram Stoker Awards® winner, Shirley Jackson Award winner, and a USA Today Bestselling author.

Michael’s most recent work Third Term, is an online political comedy series which he wrote, directed and produced. He also wrote and directed the award-winning short film Tee Party which screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival.Michael also co-wrote the thriller The Bad Seed for TVNZ which won a New Zealand Television Award for best script. Michael has written for South Pacific Pictures including the comedy 800Words, a South Pacific Pictures/Channel 7 production and the long running drama/comedy Westside for TV3. Michael entered the world of film and television following a 15-year broadcasting career working for Local TV networks and Aljazeera. He’s produced two documentaries for Aljazeera: Locked up Warriors which looked at New Zealand’s high prison rate and The Buzz Around Niue which examined whether the tiny country could save a global bee population. Michael’s romantic comedy The Bridal Shop was optioned by South Pacific Pictures, and he is currently developing several film and television projects, among them the animated family feature, Kiwi Idle which received early development funding from the NZFC. LINKS TO WORK SAMPLESTHIRD TERM https://youtu.be/6uomWqkG588 TEE PARTY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qLpHoO6ZnEALJAZEERA 101 EAST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ict7H0_DkgA

Steph Matuku (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga) is an award-winning author of stories for young people. As well as short stories, plays and articles, she has written eight books: ‘Flight of the Fantail’, ‘Falling Into Rarohenga’ and ‘Migration’ for young adults, the junior fiction series, ‘Whetū Toa’, and picture books, ‘The Eight Gifts of Te Wheke’ and ‘The Dream Factory’ all published by Huia Publishers. Two of her books have been translated into te reo Māori, two were finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and six were Storylines Notable Books. She has mentored emerging writers for the NZSA and Te Papa Tupu Writing programmes. Her screenwriting credits include ‘Mystic’, ‘Under The Vines’, 'Secrets at Red Rocks', 'What Will I Be Today?', and ‘Shortland Street’.

I have a diploma in journalism and used to be a freelance photo journalist specialising in advertorial copy for small businesses. I am studying film in my spare time while I work. Recently i completed a rough draft of my first screen play which I am very excited about!

Nick Schaedel is a writer/producer whose diverse work has seen international acclaim.He co-created and co-wrote the funeral home comedy Good Grief, which was funded fora second season by the US-based AMC Networks and TVNZ, and received raves in TheNew York Times, Deadline, and The Guardian.He has written extensively for multiple video games, including Sherlock Holmes: TheAwakened, available on PC and consoles, and the upcoming The Sinking City 2. In 2023,his original narrative detective game Visualiser, conceived with Sean and Aaron Lewis,received a grant from the Whakawhanake Te Ao Niko | Interactive Development Fundthrough the New Zealand Film Commission.Nick’s varied portfolio also includes sketches for What Now, children’s educationalanimation series Darwin & Newts, and designing multiple escape rooms for competitivereality series One Way Out.

David Fa'auliuli Mamea (Safune/Safotu, Sāmoa) writes for theatre, film, television and radio. He has worked in genres ranging from sci-fi to soap, comedy to horror, and documentary to drama. He has numerous spec scripts if you're not careful, and is available as a writer for hire, script consultant, and theatre dramaturg.He has won the NZWG SWANZ Award for Best Play, the Adam Award for Best New Zealand Play, the New Zealand Radio Award for Best Drama, and prizes for scriptwriting, television pilots and theatre. He has written for periodicals and collections, and was pleasantly surprised to have one of his plays printed. He is a Master of Arts graduate of the International Institute of Modern Letters, and a proud survivor of the South Seas Film & Television School. Born and raised in Wellington, he now lives in Te Tai Tokerau with his Lovely Wife, dogs, cat, ponies, chickens, kunekune pigs and sheep.

Alwyn Dale has been writing television for nearly ten years. With over a hundred hours of screen credits, his work has been seen by millions worldwide on TV and Netflix. After cutting his teeth as a Writer Assistant on Power Rangers Dino Charge, Alwyn quickly gained experience telling stories in the spotlight of internationally beloved IP. Sticking with the Power Rangers across multiple seasons culminated in Alwyn working as a Lead Writer, Story Editor, and Co-Producer on the show. Highlights from this time include co-writing the franchise’s celebrated 30th anniversary special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always, as well as the success of 2021’s GLAAD award-winning Power Rangers Dino Fury, and its 2023 follow-up Cosmic Fury.In addition to television, Alwyn also writes features and stage plays, designs tabletop games, and is a published comic writer.

I am an award-winning screenwriter with hundreds of hours of writing experience across a wide range of genres. I have worked as a creator, show runner, writer and script editor on numerous one-off and returning television series. I’ve been a story and script consultant for both TV and feature film. I enjoy working in development and helping other creators realise their ideas. My main creator credits are series Outrageous Fortune, Go Girls, Nothing Trivial, Westside and The Almighty Johnsons. I’m also proud of futuristic thriller This is Not My life; noir murder mystery The Blue Rose and power soap Filthy Rich. I am a proud board member of The New Zealand Writers Guild (Puni Taatuhi o Aotearoa).I live in Tāmaki Makaurau, and have two grown-up sons.

Joseph's life could be an adventure movie. He has spent over twenty-five years as a Marine Biologist in some of the most amazing and remote Indonesian islands learning the cultures and language before marrying a warrior princess in Bali. And then he changed tack, sailing to Australia to launch a career in film. After seven years of living on the boat and making movies, he returned to Bali with only one thing on his mind: to tell stories that matter. Today he is one of a handful of registered foreign Film Directors in Indonesia, working as director-writer-producer-consultant on international productions shot in Indonesia including projects for Discovery Channel, ZDF Germany, Arte France and ABC Australia.

David’s short films have taken many awards at international festivals. He is currently developing feature scripts including NZFC supported The High Road and NZWG supported Shadowboxer. He comes to film from factual television, having directed, written, produced or edited 100s of hours of shows for international and local networksincluding National Geographic, PBS, Channel 4, and NHK.

A member of the New Zealand Writers Guild, Geoff has been writing professionally for over 30 years. He was first a journalist in Australia, covering the film industry (interviews include; Wes Craven, Robin Williams, Billie Crystal, Jack Nicholson) before being signed by Harper Collins for his first book in the late 90s. Geoff is now the author of four books and has also written for Australian TV. In addition, Geoff wrote and produced several short films which he sold to TV networks and cable in Australia and overseas. Geoff also taught writing for 10 years at The Australian Writers Centre in Sydney.As a script editor, Geoff consulted for the book Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton to be adapted to a stage play for the Queensland Theatre Company. The same year, Geoff consulted on the book Tim by Colleen McCullough to be adapted to a stage play for an Australian national tour.Geoff's comedy screenplay, Memory Lane has been optioned by a US production company.Most recently, Geoff's play, The Illiterate Book Club opened in 2023 and has had three sold out seasons in NZ.

Angeline Loo is a writer and director based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Of Chinese Malaysian heritage, her recent mahi explores the collision of humanity, culture and technology.Her credits include writing and directing a vignette for the anthology feature Kāinga and co-writing and co-producing AMAH, a sci-fi thriller episode for the TVNZ Motherhood series. She is also the co-writer of the feature film My Wedding and Other Secrets, a romantic comedy which won Best Script at the New Zealand Film Awards. Previously, Angeline has storylined and written for television, including for the much loved series Go Girls and on the sketch comedy show A Thousand Apologies. Her feature script Hungry Ghosts, co-written with Alvie McKree, is currently in development and has received a Seed Advanced Grant.Angeline is interested in exploring the richness of lived experience within the unique landscape of Aotearoa. Her work often sparks conversations around what it means to be tauiwi, while revealing the unexpected connections that unite us. She loves crafting stories that entertain and inspire, inviting audiences into the messy, beautiful complexity of what it means to be human.

First and foremost I'm an Internationally published writer and have been writing articles for leading magazines, working at ACP in Sydney but my first love is writing fiction, be it novels or screenplays and theatrical plays ...since I'm very visually orientated. As an early member of WIF in the USA, I went to Film-school there were my mentors were Merata Mita and Geoff Murphy. I also direct as well as produce (co-produce). I mostly work independently but have done work for hire.

…is a filmmaker/writer/teacher based in Auckland, who has worked in journalism, film and TV production and secondary school Media Education. He has a Masters in Screen Production from the University of Auckland (2018-19), and a Diploma in Journalism from AUT (2006). Cameron has made several experimental shorts and co-produced the film Matua (2021) that was a best film finalist in the Showmeshorts festival. As a screenwriter he has written two features and numerous short films. He has worked in various departments in the film industry and as a writer on commercial projects.

Author of eight novels variously published by Penguin Random House in New Zealand and by Allen & Unwin in Australia. Longlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize, the International Dublin Literary Award and the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, and shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for crime fiction. Twice awarded Seed Grant early development funding for original screenplays. Graduated from the Master of Creative Writing for Scriptwriters programme at AUT with First Class Honours and made the Dean's List for 2023. In previous lives has worked as a journalist, television post-production director and promo producer/director.

Caleb Currey is a 23-year-old emerging screenwriter who’s been writing original content for over 10 years. After studying film & producing two of his own shorts, Caleb has garnered 15 awards from film festivals around the world, including two as an Award Winner. With ambitions as bold as his dreams, Caleb will do whatever it takes to produce all his work he has developed over the years. He hopes to be a part of the next generation of writer/directors that evolve the industry & create never-before-seen film & television.

Malinna Liang is a Chinese-New Zealand screenwriter and storyliner based in Auckland. She has written for My Life is Murder Aotearoa for TVNZ, Homebound 3.0 and N00b for TV3, and has contributed as a storyliner to a diverse array of projects such as Madam, Vegas, and the upcoming Vince. She is currently developing several exciting projects, including The End of the World with Greenstone TV and Eccho Train, an adaptation of the best-selling novel She's A Killer by Kirstin McDougall, in which New Zealand is the last bastion in a not-so-distant apocalypse; and Chan, an elevated murder mystery comedy, with Kevin&Co and Easy Tiger. In 2022, she was awarded the Great Southern Tahuna Residency, and she has been a Semi-Finalist at the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as the Runner-up in Script Pipeline's 2020 TV Writing Competition with her original works. In her previous life, she made a powerful stand against Asian stereotypes by dropping out of law school, failing out of math class, and quitting classical piano. Nowadays, she is a firm believer that cheese supplied in the writers' room is calorie free - however, she has since discovered that the stereotype about Asians being lactose intolerant is, unfortunately, true. Alas.

Jeremy is a versatile creative with over 25 years experience in children's media. His most popular creation, a furry monster named Moe, has been delighting children and families in New Zealand, and around the world, for over a decade. Jeremy is adept at quickly identifying story and format problems, and is just as skilled at offering solutions.