Kia ora Waikato Whanau

We are excited to bring to you the first Producer Panel to our Waikato Screen Sector. You will have the opportunity to hear from actively working producers who will address the core of Producing from a range of mediums.

The free interactive online panel will be hosted by Prashanth Guna, NZFC Talent Development Coordinator. A link will be emailed prior to the event.

Panel members include:

• Ruby Reihana-Wilson - Originally trained in technical design for theatre, Ruby Reihana-Wilson has transferred their skills into producing POC-led projects such as TVNZ web series Life Is Easy (nominated for Best Comedy at the 2020 NZ Television Awards), Loading Docs crowd favourite Asian Men Talk About Sex, and the first NZ-made, multilingual Chinese show Inked 半的绊 for Prime TV. Ruby has recently released Elephant in the Bedroom, a podcast & documentary series for RNZ, and is currently line producing Lisa Reihana's next large-scale artwork Groundloop.
• Miryam Jacobi - Miryam is an award-winning director, producer, writer and co-founder of 2113 Creatives, based in Kirikiriroa/Hamilton. Miryam has shown work at Show Me Shorts, Galway Film Fleadh, Melbourne Women in Film Festival, Vail Film Festival and Hollywood Short Film Festival. Miryam trained at Toi Whakaari; NZ Drama School, graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. Her body of work includes directing and producing online advertising campaigns for much-loved Kiwi brands, second unit directing for Hannah Marks on Amazon’s DON’T MAKE ME GO, creating an NZ On Air funded documentary about eating disorders now used in schools and specialist clinics around the world, and producing music videos for local artists such as DICK MOVE and TĀNE WILLIAMS.
• Rachel Fawcett - Rachel Fawcett is Chinese/Kiwi producer and founder of Lusty Ace Films. She was a co-producer on Roseanne Liang's Friday Night Bites (season 2), and produced Steven Chow’s award-winning short thriller, Munkie. Last year, she produced Matariki Bennett's Wind, Song and Rain, as part of Notable Pictures’ Loading Docs initiative, and recently wrapped production on the feature film biopic, Joika, starring Diane Kruger and Talia Ryder, for which she served as associate producer. She is currently working on a NZ OnAir-funded TikTok series, n00b, with writer-director Victoria Boult, set for release in late 2022. Her focus is on bringing female-centric stories to the screen.
• Alexander Borges - Alexander is the Lead Producer at Honest Rogues and has a multi-disciplinary production background originally stemming from Live Arts, Event and Production Management. He graduated from Te Kura Toi Whakaari o Aotearoa, New Zealand Drama School in 2013 and has been Producing for Film and Live Arts ever since. Alexander spent 5 years alongside Tom Hern as the Associate Producer for Four Knights Film. Alexander is the Producer for Viva La Dirt League. Career highlights include Producer and Production roles on VLDL, Talkback, Shadow in the Cloud, Guns Akimbo, Pork Pie, The Dark Horse and Everything We Loved.