Bettina Hollings is a New Zealand television producer and media executive. [1]
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Bettina Hollings is a New Zealand television producer and media executive. [1]
Hollings was born and raised in Wellington and moved to Auckland to study advertising and communications at the Auckland Institute of Technology (now AUT). After graduating, she worked as a media planner at the advertising agency Colenso for three years. In 1987, she moved to TV2 as a programmer. She was one of the creators of the long-running and highly successful soap opera Shortland Street - in 1991 she advocated for a five-day-a-week local soap opera and convinced Ruth Harley at New Zealand on Air to fund it. South Pacific Pictures (owned by TVNZ) won the tender to deliver the show and Hollings suggested it be set in a hospital. Together with producer Caterina De Nave and writer Jason Daniel she created the key characters. [1]
In 1995, Hollings moved to TV3 and developed factual reality shows such as Police Stop and Fresh-up in the Deep End. [1]
In March 1997, Hollings became the first woman to head a major television network in New Zealand, when she became the head of Canwest’s new channel C4. [2]
In 2004, she left the company and moved to New York to study at the New York Film Academy. [3] On returning to New Zealand, she became more active in creating TV content via her production company Imagination TV, founded in 2001. [4] The company has introduced many reality shows to New Zealand viewers, including as MasterChef New Zealand , New Zealand's Got Talent , Stars in their Eyes , My Kitchen Rules and Grand Designs . [1]
She has also worked on the TV series RSPCA Animal Rescue and Wild Life at the Zoo. [1]
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a television network that is broadcast throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air and commercially funded.
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992. It is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 7,700 episodes and 31 years, and is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.
TVNZ 2 is the second New Zealand television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It targets a younger audience than its sister channel, TVNZ 1. TVNZ 2's line up consists of dramas, comedies, and reality TV shows. A small number are produced in New Zealand which are either of a comedic, soap opera or reality nature, with rest of the line-up taken from international catalogues.
Ria Vandervis is a New Zealand actress. She is most known for her role as Harper Whitley in Shortland Street and Miratrix in Power Rangers Operation Overdrive.
Robyn Jane Malcolm is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street.
Angela Marie Dotchin is a former actress best most known for her roles as Kirsty Knight in Shortland Street, and as Emilia Rothschild in Jack of All Trades and for starring as Kora on Young Hercules.
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Sarah Thomson is a New Zealand actress, known for playing roles in two series of the Power Rangers franchise, and for her role in New Zealand's longest running soap opera, Shortland Street.
Dr. Stuart Neilson is a fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Martin Henderson as part of the original cast until early 1995. The character returned after 22 years off screen to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary episode which aired on 25 May 2017.
Marjorie "Marj" Brasch is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. Being part of the original cast, she was portrayed by Elizabeth McRae from the show's first season in 1992 up until 1996. She returned as a guest character in 1998, 2002, as part of the show's 20th anniversary in May 2012 and again for the show's 25th anniversary in 2017.
Jenny Harrison is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Maggie Harper as part of the show's original cast, making her first appearance in the second episode. Harper quit the role in 1998 but reprised the character briefly 4 years later.
ZacharySmith is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who has been portrayed by Mike Edward in multiple guest stints since mid 1995. The character returned in a more central role for the shows 20th anniversary in 2012.
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Judy Coralyn Sylvia Callingham is a New Zealand scriptwriter, television presenter and journalist. Since the 1970s she has worked on numerous New Zealand television dramas including Close to Home, Homeward Bound, Duggan and Marlin Bay. She is a former deputy chair of NZ On Air, and together with her husband Brian Edwards runs a media training consultancy company.
Nisha Madhan is a New Zealand actor, director and producer with experience in film, theatre and television. She appeared on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street for three years. She is a regular performer in theatres in New Zealand and has appeared both nationally and internationally in theatre productions including with the Indian Ink Theatre Company. Madhan has also created, produced and directed theatre shows including co-creating and directing the award-winning Working On My Night Moves.
Vanessa Byrnes is a director, actress and educator in New Zealand. She has collaborated on many theatre and screen productions including feature films, short films, television commercials and theatre. As an educator she completed a PhD at the University of Waikato in 2015, titled Removing the ‘Cloak of Invisibility’: New Zealand Directors Discuss Theatre Directing Praxis. Byrnes has been in senior roles at both Toi Whakaari and Unitec Institute of Technology, leading drama training for many years. She is an experienced theatre director and as an actor was in popular television soap opera Shortland Street.
Maxine Fleming is a New Zealand television screenwriter and producer. She was recognised at the Women in Film and Television New Zealand Awards in 2018.
Caterina De Nave was a New Zealand television and film producer, director, and media executive. She was the first woman to head a department at Television New Zealand (TVNZ) and one of the creators of New Zealand's longest-running soap, Shortland Street.
Philly de Lacey is a New Zealand television producer and media executive. She is chief executive officer of production company Screentime New Zealand.
