Seven West Media : Studios and Great Southern Te...

Monday November 26, 2018

Seven Studios and Great Southern Television Scoop the 2018 New Zealand Television Awards

Seven West Media's (ASX: SWM) Seven Studios and its subsidiary Great Southern Television were the big winners at this year's New Zealand Television Awards taking out a suite of major awards at the Gala ceremony held last Thursday night in Auckland, New Zealand after dominating the New Zealand Television Craft Awards earlier this month.

Seven Studio's original format My Kitchen Rules NZ came home with Best Format Reality Series. The series, which is based off the highly successful Australian series celebrating its 10th anniversary next year, has expanded successfully across the globe.

Great Southern Television's telefeature The Dance Exponents: Why Does Love? took home

a total of five awards this year - the most of any single production - winning Images & Sound Best Feature Drama, Best Cinematographer: Drama, Screen Auckland Best Art

Direction/Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Script: Drama.

The movie, which premiered on TVNZ 1 in 2017, is a rock 'n roll coming of age story detailing the rollercoaster journey of one of New Zealand's best loved bands, The Exponents. A heartwarming biopic, it explores themes of friendship, betrayal and love as the group clambers to the top.

The award-winning script was written by Great Southern's CEO and head creative Philip Smith, in partnership with top New Zealand screen writer Pip Hall, the daughter of acclaimed playwright Roger Hall.

Smith says: "The movie is a classic example of fact being stranger than fiction. We had such dramatic characters all battling their demons and seeking out their own version of fame. They constantly collided - sometimes it was hilarious, other times it was heartbreaking. But they somehow rocked on through to find their place in all New Zealanders' hearts. When New

Zealand sings as a nation, they sing the Exponents, so it was a great honour to bring this to life.

"We are also thrilled for Pip Hall. She is an emerging talent in the New Zealand drama writing scene, and the award acknowledges her arrival."

Great Southern Television's unscripted content also enjoyed several wins across key programme categories at last night's awards gala. Charming observational documentary, The Casketeers, which follows a Māori family-run funeral home, won the award for Best Original Reality Series. The show already has a second season in production for TVNZ 1 and has recently been sold internationally to Netflix.

In addition, Coast New Zealand, the local version of the perenially popular series hosted by historian Neil Oliver, won NZ On Air Best Factual Series, and NZ Wars: The Stories ofRuapekapeka, which was produced by GSTV for Radio New Zealand, won two awards: NZ

On Air Best Documentary and Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Programme.

Earlier this month, the New Zealand Television Craft Awards were also held in Auckland at which Katrina Hodge was awarded Best Costume Design; David Paul named Best Cinematographer: Drama; and Miro Harré given the award for Best Production Design. "These awards highlight the amazing quality of the production and are a testement to the individuals involved," says Smith.

Miro Harré and Katrina Hodge are now entering pre-production for Great Southern

Television's next major drama for Three in New Zealand: Jonah Lomu, Legend, a $7 million biopic on the late Kiwi rugby icon. The miniseries will be shot in early 2019 for broadcast on Three prior to the Rugby World Cup next October.

End.

For more details: Jack McLintock

Corporate and Government Affairs Assistant, SWM T: 0450 608 022

E:[e-mail]

About Seven West Media

Seven West Media (ASX: SWM) is one of Australia's leading integrated media companies, with a market-leading presence in broadcast television, magazine and newspaper publishing and online.

The company is the home to many of Australia's leading media businesses - Seven, 7TWO and 7mate, 7flix, Pacific Magazines, The West Australian, The Sunday Times and Yahoo7, and the biggest content brands including My Kitchen Rules, House Rules, Home and Away, Sunrise, the Australian Football League, Cricket Australia, Tennis Australia, the Olympic Games, Better Homes and Gardens, marie claire, Who, PerthNow, racing.com and 7plus.

About Seven Studios

Seven Studios, Australia's biggest producer of premium long-form video, is the content creation and distribution division of Seven West Media, one of Australia's leading integrated media companies. In the 2018 financial year Seven Studios created and produced more than 1,000 hours of premium television across all genres from offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, Auckland and London. Its content has sold into 190 countries across the globe. Major projects included My Kitchen Rules, Border Security, House Rules and Home and Away, which is currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary. In 2017 Seven Studios acquired a majority ownership of Great Southern Television to further complement the growing revenue stream from the division's activities including 7Beyond (Los

Angeles) Slim Film & Television (London) and Seven Studios (Sydney, Melbourne).

About GSTV

Acquired by Seven Studios in 2017, Great Southern Television is an award-winning production company with offices in Auckland and Sydney. Led by CEO, Philip Smith, Great Southern Television produce across all genre with major projects that include drama series, Hillary; factual productions, The Casketeers, Coast Australia, Coast New Zealand and Crayfishers; along with scripted comedy series, Agent Anna and Eating Media Lunch. GSTV projects are distributed worldwide by Seven Studios Distribution.