Latest news with #SouthPacificPictures
Otago Daily Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Andrew Shaw, TV executive
Andrew Shaw. Photo: screenshot/NZ On Air Andrew Shaw was a highly influential broadcasting manager, but for New Zealanders of a certain age he will always be remembered for his first job in the medium: as a children's television host of the wildly popular 1970s' show Hey Hey It's Andy. In the days of just two TV channels Mr Shaw quickly became a beloved star of daytime TV, as well as a respected presenter of other shows. Unlike many a youthful presenter, he stayed in the industry and became a producer, director and ultimately an executive commissioner with TVNZ. He became head of programming for both TVNZ channels in 1996, before leaving five years later to become chief operating officer at South Pacific Pictures. After a range of other roles in the industry, and various projects through his own production companies, Mr Shaw returned to TVNZ in 2007 as general manager of commissioning, production and acquisition. A long-serving NZ On Air board member, Mr Shaw was named a "Television Legend" at the 2020 NZ Television Awards. He died on May 24, aged 68. — APL/agencies
The Spinoff
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Tonight, a Shortland Street cameo three decades in the making
Shortland Street is known for its celebrity cameos, but this one is something special. Last year, we published a Godfather-style trilogy of stories about the hunt for The Shortland Street baby. Appearing in the very first episode of the beloved soap in 1992, in which Stuart Neilson (Martin Henderson) crashed his car while trying to get his pregnant girlfriend to hospital, the baby stole the show (not an easy feat among many show-stealing moments, including a Chris Warner shag-a-thon and Dr Ropata not being in Guatemala anymore). 'Reminiscing on the first ever episode of Shortland Street, actors Michael Galvin and Ngahuia Piripi wondered where the extra, who played the first baby, was now,' explained Kristina Hard, publicity manager at South Pacific Pictures. 'By our calculations they will be the same age as the show, having grown up on the same timeline.' So began a dramatic worldwide hunt for a 31-year-old former baby, possibly a Pisces, possibly born in Auckland, and possibly with brown hair. Soon, the leads came flowing in like a poonami down Dr Drew's hallway. One source revealed that their son was Baby Lucas, son of Nick and Waverley in 2000 – not the baby of interest but a baby of interest nonetheless. Then the midwife from the episode, who was also the midwife of The Shortland Street Baby in real life, got in touch with this delicious morsel: 'I remember her and her mum as delightful and very patient on the day.' We thought it couldn't get any better, but soon we were on Zoom with that same delightful and patient baby after she got sent a 'weird looking link' to The Spinoff. Bronte Bell, now living in London, was just a few days old when she was thrust into what would become our country's most enduring soap opera. 'Watching the scene where I was 'born' actually made me really emotional' she said. 'You see pictures of yourself as a baby, but actually seeing video was crazy.' Would she ever return to the show? She was reluctant. 'It would be so trippy and weird,' she said. 'Sometimes your acting career peaks at just a few days old, and that's OK.' Over a year later, that trippy and weird idea has come to life as Bronte Bell, the original Shortland Street baby, returns to Ferndale tonight. In a scene-stealing turn where she brings a patient in on a gurney, Bell says it was 'really interesting' to return to the very same place her showbiz career began (and ended). 'The crew was super welcoming, and I ended up chatting with a few of the extras and even met some of the cast, including Dr Chris Warner himself,' she says. Taking on the show-stopping role of 'anonymous healthcare assistant', Bell says her character had a set of complex motivations and goals to untangle. 'Walking with purpose, pretending to look busy in the background, wheeling patients and handing off notes, a spot of mopping,' she explains. 'The main challenge was trying not to overthink how I was walking. There were a few accidental near-collisions, but the crew said it added to the realism, so it wasn't too bad.' All in all, Bell is grateful to have been welcomed back into the Shortland Street spotlight, if only for a brief cameo before she flew back to her life in London. 'It was a fun experience and a cool little full-circle moment,' she says. 'Mum was stoked.'
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Shortland Street's first baby returns to show 33 years after appearing in pilot episode
Bell was 'born' in dramatic fashion when the prime-time show first hit New Zealand screens in 1992. A pregnant Lisa Stanton (played by Anne Cathie) was involved in a car crash. Paramedics Tom Neilson (Adrian Keeling) and Sam Aleni (Rene Naufahu) had taken Stanton to Shortland Street Clinic with concerns about her injuries. Fresh arrival Dr Hone Ropata (Temuera Morrison) then made the call that he had to deliver the baby, against the hospital's protocol. While Neilson's son, Stuart (Martin Henderson), initially claimed to be the father, it was later revealed that the baby was the daughter of Darryl Neilson (Mark Ferguson) - Tom and Marjorie Wilson's (Elizabeth McRae) dangerous and deceptive son. Fans reflected on their memories of the nostalgic episode in the comments. 'I remember seeing this on telly at 6 years old,' one person wrote. 'After that I thought that if you had a car accident you could end up having a baby. 'How fantastic. Looking to Monday. Keep going Shortie please,' said another. Shortland Street is one of New Zealand's most-watched and highest-rated shows. Set in the imaginary Auckland suburb of Ferndale, the drama series follows the personal and professional lives of an ensemble cast centred around work at Shortland Street Hospital. Over 8000 episodes have been produced since 1992, making it the longest-running drama series in Aotearoa. Amid declining viewership and a drop in advertising revenue, the number of Shortland Street episodes produced were reduced from five to three, South Pacific Pictures and TVNZ announced in July 2024. The show recently made its way back to British screens for the first time in 15 years after being picked up by on-demand streaming service STV Player.
NZ Herald
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Media Insider: Shortland Street head writer Jessica Joy Wood joins Casualty; the gender gap at RNZ's 30 with Guyon Espiner; TVNZ's new Europe correspondent Kate Nicol-Williams and Gore's nOOb makes it to Cannes
Like Shortland Street, the series is set in a fictional hospital and tells the stories of patients and staff in southwest England. 'I'm so excited to work on a production like Casualty. I've loved the show, been watching so much of it,' Wood said. 'I'm just super excited for a new challenge.' Wood and her family arrived in Britain on Monday and she is due to meet the Cardiff-based team today. South Pacific Pictures chief executive Kelly Martin said while they were sad to lose Wood, who also previously acted on the show, the team were delighted she was headhunted to work on the British drama. 'We wish her the best for this exciting opportunity. Her new adventure provides yet another example of Shortland Street 's vital importance as a training ground for Kiwi talent sought all over the world,' Martin said. Despite being thrilled about her new role, Wood said leaving her Shortland Street family had been tough. 'It was honestly such an amazing time of growth and learning and building friendships. 'Acting was super fun, but I played a character that was the sister of a core character, so I was in and out over the course of six years. In that time I started being a regular writer for the show.' To any fans worried about Wood's departure, she said the show is in safe hands and she will still watch from afar. 'I've worked so closely with that team and they all love the show as much as I do and are so dedicated to it.' #Notallmen – but mostly men Interesting and influential. That's the bar that RNZ sets for interviewees on 30 with Guyon Espiner, an in-depth interview show. Espiner brings his extensive broadcasting experience – including as a former political editor on TV3 and Morning Report co-host – to question his subjects in an uncut, unedited 30-minute clip. So far, it appears the programme considers men as more 'interesting and influential', as just four of the 25 guests profiled to date have been women. This week, Media Insider was alerted to the fact that none of the five people on this season so far are women. A spokesperson for RNZ said the broadcaster took its responsibility under the RNZ Charter to reflect diversity seriously. 'We look at our entire output rather than one show to assess this. 'At the start of every season, 30 with Guyon Espiner starts with a long, diverse list of potential guests. However, with scheduling conflicts, availability and guests declining to appear the actual interviewees can end up not being as diverse as we would prefer.' The spokesperson said it was something RNZ monitors and the show does have some female guests scheduled to be interviewed in later episodes. In my view, it's difficult to see how such a wide gender gap has occurred in a format like this. Advertise with NZME. Unlike reporters who work in breaking news environments responding to the events of the day, Espiner's show is one with the luxury of time where the team can be more selective in who appears on it. I understand the difficulties of interviewees pulling out, or desired guests being unavailable, but long-form style shows should be able to adapt and make necessary changes to ensure better gender representation. Polkinghorne in paperback If the wall-to-wall coverage of his murder trial, followed by a three-part television documentary wasn't enough, now the case of Philip Polkinghorne – accused and later acquitted of killing his wife Pauline Hanna in their Remuera home – is being immortalised in a book. Writer and journalist Steve Braunias, who covered every day of the eight-week murder trial for the NZ Herald, has authored the tome. Polkinghorne ($37.99) will be released on July 15 with publisher Allen & Unwin today unveiling the book's cover and teasing 'an extraordinary encounter that will leave readers stunned'. The company won't say if that encounter is with Polkinghorne himself – or if he has participated in any interviews for the book. If you can't wait for the book, read Braunias' epic account of the trial's conclusion from last September. TVNZ's new Europe correspondent After two and a half years, TVNZ 's Europe correspondent Mei Heron is returning to Aotearoa to rejoin the local reporting team. Heron is being replaced on the continent by TVNZ Wellington journalist Kate Nicol-Williams. The state broadcaster's interim chief for news and content Brent McAnulty said the 1News Europe correspondent role was a highly sought-after secondment in the newsroom. 'Some of our most experienced and skilled journalists have filled the role and we're really excited to have Kate joining their ranks and taking over from Mei officially in the middle of the year. She's going to do an incredible job.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mei Heron (@ McAnulty said 1News had been fortunate with the timing of the appointment, given the busy news agenda in Europe. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. ' 1News viewers have benefited from both the incoming and outgoing Europe correspondents being in situ this past week. Kate covered the Pope's funeral and conclave news out of the Vatican, while Mei was able to head to Gallipoli to report on Anzac commemorations and the Prime Minister's visit.' He told Media Insider bringing Kiwis' perspectives on global events was important, which is why the outlet continued to send correspondents to London, New York, Sydney and the Pacific. TikTok to Cannes It may have been set in Gore, but the team behind Kiwi TV series n00b were right at home among the glitz and glam in Cannes this week. The show, which follows a 2005 Southland heart-throb who is outed after his gay fan fiction writing is discovered, is the first New Zealand series to become a finalist in the short-form section of the Cannes International Series Festival. Speaking to Media Insider from Cannes, Victoria Boult, the show's 27-year-old creator, said it was an 'incredible honour' representing Aotearoa at Canneseries. 'The short-form category highlighted largely young, fresh, voiced work from around the world – and I felt really lucky to have our show screen alongside them.' Attending the festival, she said, was a 'pretty surreal' experience and her show was selected as runner-up in the youth-judged Student Award category. 'We got to walk on the pink carpet (not red!), talk to international press, attend talks with leading international screenwriters, watch amazing new television shows – the list goes on. 'But I think my favourite part was getting to meet other writers, directors, producers and creatives. This can be such an isolating and competitive industry at times, and I feel like I walked away from this experience with a whole new friend group of artists from around the world.' Great Southern TV founder and chief executive Philip Smith said Boult independently wrote n00b and entered it into a TikTok competition. 'It won, so we picked it up and developed it as a TV series, supporting Victoria who was working for us. Warner Brothers in New Zealand picked it up and we shot it in New Zealand and it's already screened on New Zealand television on TV3 and it's on ThreeNow. It had radical components, it's fair to say that it was really brave. 'Then it got picked up by Netflix.' On the show reaching Cannes, Smith told Media Insider: 'It puts it on the world stage. 'It's the only show in Australasia selected. So everything in New Zealand and Australia that was entered, this was the only show that made it. So it's a significant success for New Zealand.' One good text This week's One Good Text comes from Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan, who is on air again following the birth of her second child, a bay girl named Mackay. From the Darkhorse's mouth The co-founder of global brand and experiential agency Darkhorse has resigned. Liam Taylor, who helped set up Darkhorse in 2012, is set to join Special PR as business development director in its Auckland office. Managing director Kelly Grindle said Special PR had experienced rapid growth in its infancy. 'As we shift into this next phase, we want to do so responsibly. This means investing strategically in our senior leadership for the benefit of our team and clients. 'We couldn't think of anyone more suited for the role than Liam. His depth of experience and creative brilliance will help further cement Special PR's work as a global benchmark for the industry.' He gets his feet under the desk at Special PR on May 12. Rescue chopper swoops in on ads The sound of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter will disrupt TV advertisements for top brands – including Toyota, Lotto NZ, Spark, Chorus, Z Energy and Turners. The advertisers are uniting in support of Chopper Appeal Month, which runs throughout May. During the month, the sound of helicopter blades will overlay the brands' usual television ads. The initiative will also be present in cinemas, train stations and on social media. Last year 9289 potentially lifesaving missions were flown by the national network of rescue helicopters. Westpac NZ chief marketing officer Sarah Williams hopes the campaign will inspire more Kiwis to donate. 'By having so many brands working in unison, we are hoping to reach even more Kiwis, bringing the idea 'there's no greater sound when you need it' to life through every means possible. The sound of the chopper will be loud and proud.'
