Brita McVeigh has contributed to the development of over 600 film and television projects in New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. Brita began as a writer and filmmaker, pivoting into a consulting career through working with Taika Waititi on EAGLE VS SHARK and BOY, and now works with independent artists, established production companies, and on the development slates of FX USA, Warner Brothers, and Netflix. Her acting, writing and dreamwork intensives, Acting for Humans, Inner Work and Entering Dreamwork have drawn over 1,000 creatives (actors, writers, directors etc) across New Zealand and Australia. Brita has recently returned to writing through a collaboration with Emily Perkins.

Emily is a writer from Aotearoa New Zealand, making work for the page, stage and screen. Her novels (most recently 2024’s LIONESS) have twice won Best Book of Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards, as well as Best First Book of Fiction for her debut collection of stories. Other recognition for her fiction includes the Believer Book of the Year (US), the Geoffrey Faber Prize (UK), and long-listing for the Women’s Prize UK. For the stage, she has adapted Henrik Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE and written the original play THE MADE, both developed with Auckland Theatre Company. Her screenwriting credits include co-writing the feature film adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s novel THE REHEARSAL with director Alison Maclean, and work on television drama AFTER THE PARTY. She has extensive experience teaching creative writing, and has worked as an advisor and contributor to story rooms across many projects. Emily is an Arts Foundation Laureate and in 2017 was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to literature. She lives in Wellington.

Hamish Bennett (Te Arawa, Patuharakeke, Kāi Tahu) is a director and screenwriter. In 2023, he co-wrote and co-directed his second feature film, Uproar, which celebrated its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2019, Hamish wrote and directed his debut feature film, Bellbird, which premiered in competition at the Sydney International Film Festival.   During the early stages of his career, Hamish directed two award-winning short films. In 2011, his short film The Dump earned him Best Short Script at the New Zealand Writers Guild Awards. In 2014, Ross & Beth claimed both the jury and audience prizes at the New Zealand International Film Festival.   Beyond his creative work, Hamish has over twenty years of experience as a school teacher, and has recently returned to Aotearoa with his whānau after two years living in Rarotonga.

Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa) is a writer and director of Māori and Pākehā descent from Aotearoa. Josephine wrote Titty and Bash (Dir. Awanui Simich-Pene) for Waru (2017), which premiered at TIFF. In 2018, Josephine was awarded the Māori Screen Excellence Award from the NZFC, alongside her fellow Waru filmmakers. Her directorial debut short film Ani (2019) premiered at the Berlinale Film Festival and went on to screen at TIFF. Ani has since been acquisitioned by Fox Searchlight Shorts. Ani won Best Short Film by a Māori Director at Wairoa Film Festival, Best Film and Best Cinematography at Show Me Shorts. Her latest short film, When We Were Kids (2020) won best short at NZIFF, and Best Short at MWFF. Josephine is an alumni of the 2020 TIFF Filmmakers Lab where she was awarded the Canada Goose Fellowship. Her first feature film We Were Dangerous premiered in competition at SXSW in 2024, where she won the Special Jury Prize for Filmmaking. We Were Dangerous has since screened at festivals worldwide and was the Opening Night film for the NZIFF 2024. Aside from her own filmmaking/storytelling journey Josephine moonlights as a screenwriter for various NZ television series. 

Mingjian Cui is a Chinese writer & director. Born and raised in the city of Nanjing by the Yangtze River, she has spent most of her adult years in the US and Aotearoa.  As a film major in the States, Mingjian learned the fundamentals of screen production by participating in over 40 student shorts, working in both ATL and BTL positions. She wrote & co-directed the bilingual miniseries “Inked” (2021), along with her friend Zijun (Jimmy) Yang; In 2022 & 2023, she co-wrote & co-directed the Chinese scenes in the New Zealand drama series “Far North” (created & directed by David White).  As a participant of “A Wave in the Ocean”, an Aotearoa pop-up Film Intensive led by Jane Campion & Philippa Campbell, Mingjian has been exploring and developing her creative voice as a bilingual director by making works deeply connected to self and reflecting her journey as part of the new generation of the Chinese diaspora. Her latest “Awito” short film is now in post production.

International Emmy winner, Shoshana McCallum is a writer, actress and producer in Auckland, New Zealand. Credits include Step-Dave (for which she won the 2016 SWANZ Best TV Comedy Script) Westside, Head High, Stand Up Girl, My Life is Murder and Creamerie.  In 2020, she co-created the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning INSiDE with Dan Musgrove and Peter Salmon. Shoshana was nominated for both Best Comedy script (Creamerie) and Best Drama script (INSiDE) at the 2021 NZTV Awards. She won the Fulcrum Media’s Woman to Watch Award at New Zealand’s WIFT Awards 2022. Shoshana was co-Showrunner and co-Head Writer for Madam, a sexy drama-comedy series for Three, which won Best Pilot at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2024, Best Comedy Series at Berlin Series Festival 2024, and was the Australasian Best Comedy winner at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024. Most recently Shoshana debuted her one woman show, Merely Beloved - a black comedy about grief, love and avoidance. Shoshana is represented by Stacey Testro International.

Sophie Henderson is a screenwriter from New Zealand. Her first screenplay, FANTAIL premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival and won a People’s Choice Award at Melbourne Film Festival. In 2021 her film BABY DONE with Taika Waititi’s Piki Films starring Rose Matafeo won over audiences both at home and overseas, screening at the Toronto Film Festival. The same year, Sophie’s film THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING starring Essie Davis and Thomasin Mckenzie premiered at Tribeca where it received a Nora Ephron Award Special Jury Mention. Her next feature, WORKMATES is due for release in 2025.

Loren Taylor is a director, writer and actor from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her feature directorial debut The Moon is Upside Down won Best First Feature at the A-list European festival Tallinn Black Nights, and was awarded the Special Jury Award for Narrative Feature at the Santa Fe International Film Festival. It was one of ten films selected for the Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Non U.S. Release and had a season at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin. 

Loren won Best Actress at the Newport International Festival for her role as Lily in Eagle vs Shark. She co-wrote the award-winning screenplay, which was developed through the Sundance Feature lab, with Taika Waititi.

She began her casting and on-set coaching career on the Oscar nominated short Two Cars One Night. She has a co-casting credit for What We Do in the Shadows, an additional casting credit for The Light Between Oceans and casting associate credit for Top of The Lake. Loren is also an advisor for Story Camp Aotearoa. 

Sarah Cowley Ross is passionate about health, wellbeing, and performance—and is driven by a desire to help others thrive.

A proud New Zealand-born Samoan, Sarah achieved her long-held dream of becoming an Olympian when she represented New Zealand in the heptathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Over a distinguished 15-year international career, she also competed at two Commonwealth Games—first in the heptathlon (Melbourne 2006), and later in the high jump (Glasgow 2014).

Sarah holds dual degrees in Health Science (Physiotherapy) and Communications. Since retiring from elite sport, she has established herself as a respected voice in sports media and governance. She was a commentator for the Olympic Broadcasting Service at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and regularly provides commentary for Athletics New Zealand. She serves as Chair of the Athlete Leaders Network and sits on the boards of Tennis New Zealand, the HIA NZ Charity, the Perrago Trust, and the Rotorua Athlete Development Trust. She is also a dedicated columnist for Locker Room, championing stories that celebrate women in sport.

Above all, Sarah treasures her role as mum to Max and Poppy.

Jessica Wilson is a writer, editor,  teacher, and performer from the USA. She's taught nonfiction writing and business communication at the University of Iowa; playwriting for the Combined Efforts writers group in Iowa City; creative writing and theatre at the Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp; and introductory fiction for New Zealand's Creative Hub, as well as tutoring at Te Herenga Waka in literature, media, and communications courses. She's held professional writing and editing positions and has acted in dozens of productions in regional and community theatres. 

Her writing has appeared in Best Travel Writing, Best Women's Travel Writing, the Seneca Review Online, Alligator Juniper, New Fairy Tales, Swamphen, and more. In 2025 she received her PhD in Creative Writing at the International Institute for Modern Letters and is currently working on revising her thesis--a hybrid memoir of walking Te Araroa, New Zealand's national long trail--into a book for publication.

Hana Miller is a writer, director, and creative producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. She is co-founder and Creative Director of production studio RDYSTDY, where she works at the intersection of art, film & television, and content — exploring how storytelling on screen can reach audiences across platforms, communities, and cultures.

Of West Sumatran whakapapa and a graduate of the University of Auckland (MA Hons) and Lewis & Clark College, Oregon (BA), Hana lived across Southeast Asia, Australia, and the United States, before more recently settling in Aotearoa, her country of citizenship and family home.

With an unusually hybrid, cross-cultural, and cross-disciplinary practice spanning more than fifteen years, Hana has led multidisciplinary teams producing screen-based work across contemporary arts, commercial marketing, and film & television. She has created and directed projects for broadcasters, arts organisations, and values-led brands, and is known for out-of-the-box ideas, distinct perspectives, authentic voices, and conceptually rich world-building.

Hana's screen work includes creating and directing the original preschool series Riddle & Squizz and the digital game Eye Spies for TVNZ, animated scenes for Yo Gabba Gabba Land! (Apple TV+), and developing her original animated comedy BUZZO, supported by NZ On Air, TVNZ, and the BBC. Hana’s collaborative commissions have featured at the NGV Triennial (Melbourne), Dark Mofo (Tasmania), Footnote Dance (New Zealand), and Coil Festival (New York). She is a member of Women in Animation (WIA) and tutors in Design for Screen and Stage at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School.

Pulkit Arora is an Indian writer-director based in New Zealand. His debut short MILK TOFFEE premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. His follow-up ANU won the Audience Award and the Emerging Talent Award at NZIFF 2023, followed by screening at Melbourne International Film Festival and being acquired by MUBI for a 2024 release. As a screenwriter, he led development for two adaptations at Disney+ Hotstar and wrote for Netflix India anthology HOME STORIES.

Angela Cudd is a Māori New Zealand screen producer with a decade of experience across acclaimed features and series. Her early credits include production management on noted New Zealand titles including Cousins, Muru and the international streaming series One of Us Is Lying (NBCUniversal). From there she moved into producing for digital platforms including credits such as Good Grief (Sundance Now / AMC) and Sextortion (Best Narrative Series, NZ Web Fest 2020). She also co-produced the Indigenous anthology feature We Are Still Here (2022), awarded Best Narrative at imagineNATIVE, and executive produced the Tongan horror series Brutal Lives - Mo’ui Faingata’a (NEON), winner of Best Pasifika Programme at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards. In 2019 she founded Caravan Carpark Films (CCF) to champion distinct New Zealand stories that entertain and move audiences. CCF’s debut docu-series When Bob Came (dir. / prod. Angela Cudd & Orlando Stewart) explored Bob Marley’s only New Zealand concert and won Best Factual Series at the New Zealand Television Awards 2023. The company’s debut feature Uproar (dir. Hamish Bennett & Paul Middleditch) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 ahead of a multi-territory release and subsequent streaming. In 2024 Angela was named SPADA (Screen Producers and Directors Association of NZ) Independent Producer of the Year, nominated for WIFT NZ Woman to Watch and was awarded Best Director at the NZ Webfest. Her aim is simple: grow the craft, grow the network, keep the stories moving - building international pathways so work that feels like Aotearoa can play anywhere.

Orlando Stewart is a New Zealand-based producer who creates content for screens of all sizes. Selected credits include the features The Rule of Jenny Pen (2024) & Bellbird (2019), archival series' Queer Aotearoa: We've Always Been Here (2025), and When Bob Came (2024). In 2019, he won the SPADA Independent Producer of the Year. He has collaborated with Hamish Bennett and Angela Cudd on features, short films, narrative series, and factual television.

Glenda Tuaine is a Cook Islands multidisciplinary artist who has worked in festival direction and curation, theatre, film, and TV. Glenda returned to Rarotonga in 2005 to lead the country’s Tourism marketing and in 2011 with her husband, musician and technical director Maurice Newport, they formed Motone Productions a leading creative company in the Cook Islands. 

In 2019 she delivered the Cook Islands creative section of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Sydney Australia and in that year received the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Special Recognition Award. In 2020 she was funded by Pacific Islanders in Communications to make her award-winning short documentary on legendary master carver Mike Tavioni, Taonga: An Artist Activist and in 2021 co-directed Atui Akaou - Reconnect a TV feature film on Cook Islands resilience at the time of Covid for Pasifika TV. She has developed, produced, and directed many corporate and community film products in the Cook Islands. In 2020 Glenda founded the KukiCre8tive Performing Arts Programme for youth in Rarotonga that works with young people between the ages of 8 – 18 to develop performance skills. She is an advocate for inclusion and access for physically and mentally challenged communities. 

Glenda collaborates with many creatives in the Pacific on a variety of digital and live products. In 2024 she was awarded the inaugural Leanne K Ferrer Fellowship with Pacific Islanders in Communications to develop her short film script Deaf Girl Dancing. In 2025/26 she will complete her Master’s degree in Creative Performance Practice with Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand School of Drama.

Shaun Bamber (Ngati Kāhu, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kuri) is a writer and former journalist who’s read the other Rupture bios and realises his needs serious padding. A Pakeha-Maori from the Far North now residing in Rarotonga, his on-screen credits include Crimewatch and What Now, but only one paid cash money. An experienced interviewer, Shaun has profiled hundreds of actors, filmmakers and broadcasters, including homegrown talent from Dougal Stevenson and Dave Fane to Rima Te Wiata and Rachel House, as well as Idris Elba, Taraji P Henson, William Shatner, Jason Statham and many others. Overdone name-dropping aside, Shaun regularly judges opinion and feature writing categories at the annual New Zealand Media Awards and also has an extensive list of jobs he has done exactly once – among them actor, concrete layer, music video producer, poet and that time he stood in for an absent bouncer at the Kauri Arms Tavern in Kaitaia.

Tabby Robati-Berg (Cook Islands & Ngāti Kahungunu) is a creative collaborator, photographer, and founder of Maunga Media, based in Rarotonga where she was raised. With a background in visual storytelling and a deep love for island life, Tab brings an authentic Cook Islands perspective to her work.

In 2021, Tabby wrote and acted in Good as Gold, a short film that placed in the Top 15 in New Zealand’s 48Hours Film Festival, and won Regional Best Film (Taranaki) - the first Cook Islands team to ever place. Her on-set experience includes projects such as Chief Gary, Tatau, and Paradise Café.

With seven years of photography experience and a growing focus on videography, Tab’s creative practice centres around storytelling that celebrates island living, community, and connection.

Julia Croft is a performance maker from Aotearoa. Her practice draws on a wide variety of critical theory and pop culture to create performance works that are highly theatrical, visual and comedic. Julia’s interest as an artist lies in spaces of potentiality and possibility, radical joy and the Scientific-Poetic. Practicing since 2015, Julia has created over 12 full length performance works including 4 solo works:  If There's Not Dancing at the Revolution, I'm Not Coming, Power Ballad, Working On My Night Moves and Terrapolis. These works have toured extensively throughout NZ and internationally including to the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Singapore. Working On My Night Moves was awarded a prestigious Total Theatre Award at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an Auckland Theatre Award for Excellence. This work was presented at the Melbourne Rising in 2022 and will tour again in 2026. Residencies include CAMPO (Belgium), Something Great (Berlin), Mala Vaodora (Portugal), The Basement (NZ), Forest Fringe (UK) & West Kowloon Cultural District (HK) and Time Place Space (Melbourne). She is the co-director of Aoteroa’s Festival of Live Art, F.O.L.A. [AKL] in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, which took place in 2023 and 2025. She also works as a producer, teaching artist, director and dramaturg and considers karaoke to be her secret superpower.

Dr Jan Eldridge is a theoretical astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland. Her research explores the lives and deaths of stars, with a particular focus on binary star systems, supernovae, and gravitational wave sources. She is the co-creator of the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) code, a powerful suite of computational tools used to model stellar populations across the cosmos—from our own Galaxy to the edge of the observable Universe.

Jan’s fascination with science fiction began in childhood, inspired by authors like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, and series such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This passion continues to inform her work, both in research and public engagement. She regularly gives talks on the intersection of science and speculative fiction, including “The Science of Sci-Fi: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “Does Every Planet Look Just Like Home?”

With a deep love for both rigorous science and imaginative storytelling, Jan brings a unique blend of astrophysical expertise and sci-fi sensibility to any creative collaboration.

International Emmy winner, Shoshana McCallum is a writer, actress and producer in Auckland, New Zealand. Credits include Step-Dave (for which she won the 2016 SWANZ Best TV Comedy Script) Westside, Head High, Stand Up Girl, My Life is Murder and Creamerie.  In 2020, she co-created the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning INSiDE with Dan Musgrove and Peter Salmon. Shoshana was nominated for both Best Comedy script (Creamerie) and Best Drama script (INSiDE) at the 2021 NZTV Awards. She won the Fulcrum Media’s Woman to Watch Award at New Zealand’s WIFT Awards 2022. Shoshana was co-Showrunner and co-Head Writer for Madam, a sexy drama-comedy series for Three, which won Best Pilot at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2024, Best Comedy Series at Berlin Series Festival 2024, and was the Australasian Best Comedy winner at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024. Most recently Shoshana debuted her one woman show, Merely Beloved - a black comedy about grief, love and avoidance. Shoshana is represented by Stacey Testro International.

Nahyeon Lee is a Korean filmmaker and theatremaker based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Nahyeon wrote and directed one part of the feature film anthology KĀINGA (2022), entirely directed by Asian female filmmakers. Her work often explores the Asian diaspora experience and representation. Her debut play, The First Prime-Time Asian Sitcom (2022) presented by Silo Theatre, satirically examines the contradictions faced by Asian artists seeking opportunity and autonomy, focusing on the creation of a groundbreaking Asian-led comedy series in Aotearoa. Nahyeon's work also includes HOMECOMING POEMS (2021), a short film in collaboration with poet Nathan Joe, and she directing the music video for ‘아스라이 (Aseurai)’ by Tāmaki Makaurau-based dream-pop band, Phoebe Rings.

Lealani Siaosi is making her mark in the industry as a writer, producer, and actress. After graduating, she connected with producer Aumua Crystal Vaega at Whakaata Māori, working as a content creator for TUKU. Her scripted debut came with The Panthers, where she swapped a producer’s assistant role for an acting one, starring as the female lead. At 24, she produced Troy Kingi’s Desert Hikoi in the Joshua Tree Desert for TVNZ+ and RNZ, under seasoned producers Tom Hern and Nua Finau. That same year, she made her writing debut as an associate producer on the award-winning Madam. Currently, Lani works as an on-set and development producer for Kevin & Co, collaborating with and learning from established producers Bronwynn and Cam Bakker.

Shortlisted for the Day One New Filmmaker Awards and named a 2025 Filmmaker to Watch, Lani is a rising voice of her generation. She crafts bold, heartfelt stories that blend humour and honesty, repping the power of storytelling as much as she reps her 685 roots.

Yiyi Yin is a bilingual screenwriter and director. She earned her MFAs in Directing from Florida State University and in Screenwriting from UCLA. Her live-action short films, such as Wan Mei and Thirst, have been officially selected at dozens of international film festivals and have won awards including Best Thriller/Horror Short. Her CG-animated short, How to Start a Fire, has amassed over ten million total views on YouTube. Feature screenplays she has written, including Wan Mei and Legend of the Meteor Sword, have been selected and awarded at top-tier American screenplay competitions such as the Austin Film Festival Festival.

Professionally, she has previously worked in the feature film development department at Skydance Productions in the United States and within the Free Fire IP Development Division at Garena in Singapore. Her development and writing credits include the Chinese TV series Radius (adapted from the short story collection Free and Easy by novelist Ban Yu), the feature films Testimony of the Deceased and TV series The Thirteen Embroidered Guards (Executive Producer: Eva Jin), and Inked, the first bilingual (Chinese-English) TV series produced and broadcasted on New Zealand Prime TV (Directors: Mingjian Cui & Zijun Yang, Producer: Roo Reihana-Wilson, Executive Producer: Fiona Copland).

Yiyi is currently a co-founder of Mad Fantasy Productions, serving as a director and the Head of Development.

Eleanor Bishop is a director and writer working across theatre, opera and film. In partnership with writer/performer Karin McCracken as EBKM they have created the works Gravity & Grace, Heartbreak Hotel and Yes Yes Yes which have toured to Australia, North America & Europe. She was a member of Jane Campion’s inaugural pop up film intensive “A Wave in the Ocean” supported by Netflix and her first short film “GIRL TIME” recently premiered in official selection at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.

Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow (Ngāti Hinerangi) are award-winning filmmakers based in Auckland. Their work has screened at major festivals including: Hot Docs, Edinburgh, DOC NYC and Palm Springs. Their 2019 short documentary Egg Cup Requiem was awarded Best Short Film at the 2019 NZIFF.

Their first narrative short film Lion Rock, made as part of Jane Campion’s A Wave in the Ocean film intensive, recently had its premiere in the Orizzonti Short Films International Competition section of the 2025 Venice Film Festival. Their second narrative short School Night, funded by the NZFC, is set for release in 2026.

Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow (Ngāti Hinerangi) are award-winning filmmakers based in Auckland. Their work has screened at major festivals including: Hot Docs, Edinburgh, DOC NYC and Palm Springs. Their 2019 short documentary Egg Cup Requiem was awarded Best Short Film at the 2019 NZIFF.

Their first narrative short film Lion Rock, made as part of Jane Campion’s A Wave in the Ocean film intensive, recently had its premiere in the Orizzonti Short Films International Competition section of the 2025 Venice Film Festival. Their second narrative short School Night, funded by the NZFC, is set for release in 2026.

Dan Musgrove is an Emmy Award–winning screenwriter, producer, and actor based in Auckland, NZ. He has written for many of the country’s most acclaimed series, including the hit crime drama Westside (winner of Best NZ Drama in 2018/19), Hulu’s dystopian comedy-drama Creamerie (NYT Best TV Shows on Streamers; Best Drama, 2022 NZTV Awards), and Happiness, picked up by PBS and nominated for Best Script at the 2025 NZ Film & TV Awards. He also script-produced the half-hour comedy Homebound 3.0, later acquired by the BBC.

He is co-founder and managing director of Luminous Beast, creators of the International Emmy-winning thriller INSiDE, and the BAFTA-nominated drama After the Party (2025). Dan is currently co-creator and producer on two new original series in pre-production for SKY NZ with support from NZ On Air.

Originally from England, Mikey moved to Auckland twenty years ago and has never looked back.
With multiple past lives, including as a psychology major, book buyer and set builder, Mikey always loved writing first and foremost, and in the last few years decided to go all in on screenwriting. Mikey has been on numerous story tables, most recently Not Where I Thought I’d Be, the tragicomedy based on the life of Donna Brookbanks. He’s also a co-creator of In The Dark, a historical epic, set in an underground city, as well as a co-creator of Know Tomorrow - a premium drama, about the apocalypse of the human heart. Driven by authenticity, Mikey is a rare unique and fresh voice.

Grace Hood-Edwards is a Welsh/Irish writer, director, and script supervisor from Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand. She’s storylined for multiple TV shows, working on: The Darkness (CBS), Ms. X, Know Tomorrow, Asian 8, Dead Strangers, Strange Brew, with more in development.  She’s written and edited for Shortland Street, and worked on numerous productions as a script supervisor, including Cowboy Bebop, My Life is Murder, Under the Vines, Power Rangers, Workmates, Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant!, and more. Her award-winning short film Alice? was commissioned by Day One in 2020, and highlights Grace’s passion for body diversity and representation in the film and TV industry. Grace is drawn to women’s love stories, escapism, and homecoming. Occasionally with a sword thrown in.

Photo credit Julie Zhu and Todd Karehana

Zoë McIntosh's work spans feature documentaries, narrative shorts, and commercial campaigns.

Her most recent feature documentary, Stylebender, follows the rise of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, where it was nominated for Best Documentary, and Zoë received a nomination for Best New Director.

Zoë’s dramatic short film The World in Your Window won numerous international accolades, including Best International Short Film at seven major A-list festivals, making it eligible for Academy Award consideration.

As a commercials director, Zoë has created campaigns for leading global and local brands. Her bold YWCA spot on equal pay earned her the Cannes Lions Young Director Award. She has also helmed long-form branded documentaries for Netflix, BBC, SBS, and MasterClass.

Emily Anderton is a producer and developer of film and television. She produced two seasons of KID SISTER for Greenstone TV/TVNZ. She developed and co-produced the television series MYSTIC for CBBC/Channel 7/TVNZ and the feature film DAFFODILS.  She was the Associate Producer of BAFTA nominated animation KIRI AND LOU. Emily was script editor on AFTER THE PARTY and creative producer on the first season of TRALALA.

Dominic Hoey is a poet, author, youth worker, and small dog owner from Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. He’s released three best selling novels and written a million love poems. Through his Learn To Write Good program, Dominic has taught thousands of students how to think dyslexic. His third novel, 1985 was released by Penguin books in May and has received rave reviews. He dreams of one day starting an animal rescue farm for wayward animals.

Holly Hudson has a Bachelor of Communications, minoring in Creative Writing from AUT University. After working as an actor for a number of years, Holly wrote for New Zealand web series Auckward Love. In 2021, Holly began a full-time role writing for Shortland Street and continues to write episodes. Holly has worked as an actor in theatre and screen productions after graduating from The Actor’s Program in 2015. Her credits include The Brokenwood Mysteries and Auckland Theatre Company’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Filthy Business and The Master Builder. Holly studied theatre and clown with John Bolton in Melbourne, creating work for Midsumma Festival in PoPoMoCo’s The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. Holly has story lined and written two episodes in upcoming Lippy Productions series Bust Up. 

Johanna Cosgrove is an award winning comedian, writer and actor. Johanna is the co-host of the cult hit podcast 'Rats in the Gutter' and a rising star on the New Zealand Comedy circuit (Aunty, Hi Delusion! Iconoclast) Johanna has been a full-time writer for Shortland Street and published her debut book of poetry Crying on the Phone in 2022. She has recently starred in Madam (Netflix) with Rachel Griffiths, Martin Henderson and Danielle Cormack and her 2025 stand-up show 'Sweetie' won Directors Choice at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. 

A graduate of Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's most prestigious drama school, Matt quickly made his way on-screen with a series regular role in popular comedy-drama GO GIRLS (four seasons), for which he won a national award for Best Supporting Actor. Matt went on to star as the romantic lead in feature film MY WEDDING AND OTHER SECRETS, closely followed by further leading roles in THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE DYING, aCanadian-NZ mini-series THE SOUNDS, horror film THE TANK and most recently the indie comedy romance WORKMATES. Matt was also cast as a series regular in the BBC One/TVNZ adaption of Eleanor Catton’s Booker-prize winning novel, THE LUMINARIES. Matt's international career took off with a guest role in ABC drama OF KINGS AND PROPHETS in 2016. The next year he landed the role of cultural icon Hugh Hefner in AMERICAN PLAYBOY: THE HUGH HEFNER STORY (Amazon Prime), followed by a series regular role in season 3 of NARCOS as DEA agent Daniel van Ness. He will next be seen in Zak Hilditch’s film WE BURY THE DEAD alongside Daisy Ridley.

Louise Fox’s career has traversed television, film, theatre and radio as an actor, writer, director and producer. Louise recently spent two years in-house at Matchbox/NBCu as a development producer, wrote on SIGNIFICANT OTHERS for ABC and Fremantle and PROSPER for Stan and Lionsgate. She has projects in development with the BBC, Synchronicity (Scotland), Easy Tiger (Aus), Motive Pictures (UK), Chapter One (UK), SBS, See-Saw and TAP.

Louise is the co-creator and showrunner of the 3 seasons of ABC’s GLITCH, awarded Best Drama at the 2015 AACTA Awards and Most Outstanding Drama at 2016 Logies, and still on Netflix. She has written on numerous award-winning drama series, including LOVE MY WAY (for which she won an AWGIE for best screenplay), the Star Wars live-action series, CAMELOT (Starz) and THE KETTERING INCIDENT (Porchlight Films). She wrote an episode for the acclaimed first season of ITV drama BROADCHURCH. Louise also wrote the acclaimed Australian feature, DEAD EUROPE (SeeSaw).

Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian showrunner, writer and director, and a founding member of Matchbox Pictures. In 2018, Tony established his production company Tony Ayres Productions (TAP), developing and producing feature films and television for global audiences and international marketplaces. Tony’s feature films and TV shows have been nominated for more than 100 Australian and international awards, and he has won more than 60 of these awards, including an International Emmy, a BAFTA, a Golden Horse (the Asian Oscars), six AACTA awards, and six Logies. Tony was the creator/showrunner on THE SLAP, NOWHERE BOYS and global number one Netflix hit, CLICKBAIT. He co-created and was an Executive Producer on GLITCH, STATELESS and FIRES. He has executive produced acclaimed shows such as BARRACUDA, SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY, WANTED, CREAMERIE, THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, OLD SCHOOL, UNDERGROUND: THE JULIAN ASSANGE STORY, THE STRAITS and FAMILY LAW. Tony directed feature films CUT SNAKE (2015), THE HOME SUNG STORIES (2007), and WALKING ON WATER (2002). His films premiered at A-list festivals, including Berlinale and Toronto Film Festival.

Susan Soon He Stanton is a writer for theatre, film, and television from ‘Aiea, Hawai‘i. Susan has worked on all four seasons of HBO’s SUCCESSION, as a writer/producer, for which she has received multiple awards; EMMY, Writers Guild of America, and a Peabody Award. Her television work includes Amazon’s DEAD RINGERS and MODERN LOVE, BBC’s CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS, and HBO’s THE BABY. In film, she received a Feature Film Development Grant from the Sloan Foundation. DRESS won the audience award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Other films include BUSHWICK BEATS, SAME WILL, GOOD HOUSE, and DISPATCHED.

Her plays have been produced internationally and regionally across the United States, and include We, The Invisibles, Today is My Birthday, Moana Jr. (book) for Disney Theatrical Group, among others. Her new ending of Puccini's unfinished Turandot, will premiere in 2024 at Washington National Opera. BFA: NYU Tisch Dramatic Writing, MFA Yale School of Drama.

www.susansoonhestanton.com

Blake Ayshford is a multi-award-winning screenwriter and producer.  He Script Produced and was EP on the AACTA winning Mystery Road: Origin for which he was also nominated for Best Screenplay. In 2020 Mystery Road was voted one of the Top 20 international series by the NY Times. Blake was Producer and Script developer on the 2022 feature Here out West, which opened the 2022 Sydney Film Festival. Most recently he EPed, Script Produced and was one of the co-creators of ABC’s new drama, House of Gods, a tale of power, intrigue and faith drama set amongst the inner workings of a Shiite Mosque in Western Sydney which premieres on ABCTv in early 2024. He is the 2018 creator of  Fighting Season and was Showrunner on the AACTA and Logie award winning Devils Playground starring Toni Collette. Blake also wrote an episode of the BBC/ Netflix drama Requiem for New Pictures and two episodes of the Matchbox Pictures/ABC miniseries Barracuda, which he also script produced with Belinda Chayko. Barracuda won the 2016 AWGIE for Best Television Miniseries Adaptation. His feature film Cut Snake starring Sullivan Stapleton premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014.

Writer, showrunner and producer Sarah Lambert has created some of Australia’s most critically-acclaimed drama series in recent years. Most recently, Sarah was the creator and showrunner of THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART, an Amazon Prime television adaptation of Holly Ringwald’s best-selling novel, starring Sigourney Weaver. THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART received widespread praise from critics, international and local audiences alike, and is Amazon’s most successful global launch ever for an Australian show. It was nominated for twelve AACTA (Australian Academy) Awards, ultimately taking home Best Miniseries. Additionally, her work on the series earned her an AWGIE (Australian Writers Guild Award) nomination for Best Screenplay in a Limited Series, and she was Highly Commended by the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards for her pilot episode ‘Black Fire Orchid.’ Sarah was recently selected by Screen Australia and the Australian Writers’ Guild to participate in the second edition of The Creators Showrunner Program in the US.

Prior to THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART, Sarah adapted Marcus Zusak’s THE MESSENGER for ABC TV. Sarah was the creator and showrunner on LAMBS OF GOD, a gothic tale about three nuns living in an isolated convent who must confront an unwelcome visitor starring Ann Dowd. The limited series received eighteen AACTA award nominations including Sarah for Best Screenplay in Television and Best Miniseries at the AWGIE Awards. LAMBS OF GOD won Best Miniseries at the AACTAs and Miniseries Production of the Year at the Screen Producers Awards.

Sarah’s earlier work is equally impressive with many of her shows now recognisable classics in Australian television. Sarah created and wrote LOVE CHILD, a series set in Kings Cross in 1969 as Australia was coming of age and the new generation broke all the rules. Over four seasons, LOVE CHILD received twenty nominations including Best Miniseries at the AWGIE Awards, Best Television Drama Series at the AACTA Awards, and Best Drama Program at the Logie Awards on two occasions. Sarah has also written episodes for award-winning shows THE DOCTOR BLAKE MYSTERIES, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, and DANCE ACADEMY, for which she was nominated for Best Children’s Screenplay at the AWGIEs.

Sarah recently partnered with multi award-winning director Jane Manning and television executive Andrew Lambert to create her own production company, Lantern Pictures.

Alice Snedden is a writer, comedian and improviser from Auckland. A 2017 Billy T nominee, she has been the head writer of multi-series TV3 shows, JONO AND BEN, FUNNY GIRLS and GOLDEN BOY, is a writer/co-director on STARSTRUCK (BBC/HBO MAX) and host of Alice Snedden’s Bad News (The Spinoff) and podcast Boners of the Heart.

Anahera Gildea (Ngāti Tukorehe) is a poet, short story writer, essayist and ‘artivist’. Her work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Cordite, The Spinoff, Newsroom, Sport, Landfall, Takahe, and JAAM. Her first book Poroporoaki to the Lord My God: Weaving the Via Dolorosa was published by Seraph Press (2016) and her collection, Sedition was published by Taraheke (2022). She is the co-editor of Te Whē, a bilingual literary journal, is the co-chair of Te Hā o Ngā Pou Kaituhi Māori, and sits on the board of ReadNZ Te Pou Muramura. She has a Masters of Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters, as well as Graduate Diplomas in Psychology and Teaching, and is currently completing doctoral research at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, developing a critical literary theory based on Māori intellectual traditions.

Louise Fox’s career has traversed television, film, theatre and radio as an actor, writer, director and producer. Louise recently spent two years in-house at Matchbox/NBCu as a development producer, wrote on SIGNIFICANT OTHERS for ABC and Fremantle and PROSPER for Stan and Lionsgate.  She has projects in development with the BBC, Synchronicity (Scotland), Easy Tiger (Aus), Motive Pictures (UK), Chapter One (UK), SBS, See-Saw and TAP. Louise is the co-creator and showrunner of the 3 seasons of ABC’s GLITCH, awarded Best Drama at the 2015 AACTA Awards and Most Outstanding Drama at 2016 Logies, and still on Netflix.

She has written on numerous award-winning drama series, including LOVE MY WAY (for which she won an AWGIE for best screenplay), the Star Wars live-action series, CAMELOT (Starz) and THE KETTERING INCIDENT (Porchlight Films). She wrote an episode for the acclaimed first season of ITV drama BROADCHURCH. Louise also wrote the acclaimed Australian feature, DEAD EUROPE (SeeSaw).

Rosabel Tan is a writer, strategist and producer of Peranakan Chinese descent. She is the Director of Satellites — currently working on an archive of Asian diaspora artists and art-making in Aotearoa, as well as a visiting artist programme — and Programme Manager for The Next Page, a national training programme for early-career magazine editors. Rosabel is a founding editor of arts and culture journal The Pantograph Punch and was the inaugural Curator: Asia for the 2022 Auckland Writers Festival and a co-programmer for Verb Festival 2023.