Screen Council Membership Announced

Screen Council Membership Announced

Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton has today announced the membership of the new screen production industry body, the Screen Council.

The establishment of the screen council was one of the key recommendations of the Screen Production taskforce, one of four sector taskforces established by the government in May 2002. The taskforces were charged with developing growth targets for their sector and to report on what they needed to reach those targets and stimulate growth across the economy.

Speaking to the annual conference of the Screen Producers and Director Association (SPADA) Jim Anderton said the government expected the 11 member Screen Council to provide a leadership voice for the sector, to oversee the implementation of the Taskforce’s recommendations and to provide ongoing independent advice to ministers on the sector’s development.

"I know you’ve got the breadth and depth of experience to do that. And I know that you have the necessary vision and ambition for your sector to provide the leadership it requires," Jim Anderton said.

The government is to provide two year’s of start up funding for the Screen Council with the expectation that future funding will come from the industry. The Screen Council’s primary objective will be to mobilise industry support for, and take ownership of, the growth targets identified by the Screen Production Taskforce.

These targets are:
·sustainable foreign exchange earnings of $400 million per annum within five years;
·at least 10 companies to achieve an annual turnover of $50 million each and at least another 20 companies to achieve an annual turnover of $10 million each.

The Screen Council members are:

Brent Harman (Chair) - currently chair of Prime Television

Michael Stedman - Managing Director, Natural History New Zealand, previously a member of the Taskforce

Ian Fraser - CEO Television New Zealand, previously a member of the Taskforce

John Barnett - managing director, South Pacific Pictures, previously a member of the Taskforce

Nicole Hoey - of Cinco Cine Productions and currently president of Spada

Julie Christie - managing director, Touchdown Television, former chair of the Taskforce

Bill Birnie - deputy chair, New Zealand Film Commission and managing director Birnie Capital Partners

Ian Taylor - director, Taylor-Made Media and Animation Research

Wendy Palmer - Film Production Fund trustee and film sales agent

Barrie Osborne - executive producer, Lord of the Rings trilogy

Geoff Dixon - managing director, Silverscreen/Oktober, previously a member of the Taskforce.

Contact:Jim Anderton 021 777 680

www.progressive.org.nz

For more information on the Screen Council and the government response to the Screen Production Taskforce visit www.med.govt.nz/irdev/econ_dev/growth-innovation/screen/index.html

Bios follow

Screen Council - Members’ Bios

Brent Harman (Chair)
Brent is currently chair of Prime Television, New Zealand. He started his working career as a journalist before rising to a number of senior management positions in the communications industry. These include General Manager, Newstalk ZB, Chief Executive, Television New Zealand, Managing Director of Content and News Media, TeleWest Communications (UK), and Chief Executive, Prime Television, Australia.

Michael Stedman
Michael is Managing Director of Natural History NZ Ltd. He has worked in the television industry for close on 25 years. He has extensive experience in television production, international co-production, industry training and senior management, and has produced more than one thousand programmes. Previous roles include Head of Features at ABC Australia, Head of Training at the Australian Film and Television School and Head of Production at Television New Zealand. Michael was on the Screen Production Taskforce.

Ian Fraser
Ian is Chief Executive of TVNZ and previously the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Ian was a member of the Screen Production Taskforce.

John Barnett
John is Managing Director of South Pacific Pictures Limited. He began his career in the film and television business as an independent producer in 1973. Over the past 30 years, he has produced television drama, documentaries and 13 feature films, including Middle Age Spread, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, Race for the Yankee Zephyr and Footrot Flats. He was also Executive Producer for What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? and Whale Rider and television serial Shortland Street.

John was a founder of New Zealand’s industry magazine, OnFilm, a member of the Board of the Screen Producers and Directors Association, the Film & Video Labelling Body, and the New Zealand Film Commission. John was a member of the Screen Production Taskforce.

Barrie Osborne
Barrie Osborne is an internationally renowned Executive Producer who most recently produced all three The Lord of the Rings movies. Now a New Zealand citizen, Barrie has produced a range of movies while previously working from the United States. These include Face/Off, The Fan, Dick Tracy, Child's Play, Wilder Napalm, Rapa Nui and China Moon.

He has also worked on a number of other films in various capacities, including Director. These include The Godfather Part II, Three Days Of The Condor, All The President's Men, Apocalypse Now, The Big Chill, King Of Comedy, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue Got Married, Cutter's Way and Fandango.

Nicole Hoey
Nicole runs Cinco Cine Productions in Auckland and is the President of the Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA). Nicole has spent the last twenty years making television commercials, drama, documentaries, youth and children's programmes both in New Zealand and overseas. Descendant of Ngati Kahu in the North, she was the first producer to put Maori language content into prime-time, with Koina Te Korero.

Julie Christie
Julie is Managing Director, Touchdown Productions with extensive experience in the television entertainment business. She is Executive Producer of a number of entertainment programme formats, including The Chair, Mitre 10 Changing Rooms and Going Straight. Touchdown is 100% New Zealand owned but now has offices in Australia and the United States. Julie was the chair of the Screen Production Taskforce.

Geoff Dixon
Geoff is Managing Director of Silverscreen/Oktobor with more than 25 years of film directing experience in New Zealand. Silverscreen is a film production company, while Oktobor is an interactive multi-media company, as well as a digital post-production facility. Their work encompasses commercials, short films and feature films. Geoff is on the Board of Film NZ and was a member of the Screen Production Taskforce.

Bill Birnie
Bill is the Managing Director of investment banking company Birnie Capital Partners and formerly a Director of Fay Richwhite Holdings. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the NZ Film Commission.

Ian Taylor
Ian is the Managing Director of Taylor-Made Media and Animation Research. He has been involved in television and the media for over 30 years as a musician, director and presenter.

Taylor Made-Media is a full multi-media company working in web design, CD Rom production, print and photography, as well as television. Animation Research has led developments in 3D computer animation including real time sport. In 2001 Animation Research was part of a consortium that purchased Terralink (now Terralink International.)

Wendy Palmer
An accountant by trade, Wendy is a New Zealander with strong overseas experience as a very successful film sales agent, having worked for CIBY 2000 in Paris, United Artists and Goldwyn. Her sales include Jane Campion’s The Piano, many of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s films, and Niki Caro’s Memory and Desire. Wendy has strong overseas industry connections, and is currently a Film Production Fund trustee.