NZ Screen Business Programme Activator Opens Today

Applications are now open for the Activator Screen Business Programme, an international professional development accelerator for entrepreneurial New Zealand film and television producers.

The programme will build leadership skills and expand industry networks through workshops, expert-led training, and international market visits, equipping participants with confidence and essential tools to succeed in a rapidly evolving global screen industry.

Activator is designed for internationally minded, ambitious film and television professionals who want to enhance their business acumen and international networks and build commercially viable businesses. Participants will benefit from the support of their cohort and gain insights from top industry leaders across film and television on business growth.

Libertine Pictures’ Richard Fletcher says: “The screen industry is dynamic and rapidly changing - no more so than in the past decade. We are operating in an increasingly globalised marketplace, and the imperative to be commercially viable and competitive is more important now than ever. For New Zealand producers to be able to compete in this international marketplace, they need first to understand how the industry operates in key territories like Australia, LA and the UK in particular, and then learn how to build commercially viable and sustainable business models that will enable them to take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded them by the NZ screen industry.”

Ian Murray, CEO of corporate advisory firm 113 Partners says: “Activator has been developed to grow the export market for New Zealand’s screen production sector. This is a practical, hands-on international professional development initiative designed to bridge the gap between creative and business skills and to enhance the capabilities of mid-career and established film and television producers who have a track record in the NZ domestic market, providing them with a robust toolkit for navigating and excelling in the constantly changing international film and television sector.”

Key components of the structured programme include:

Knowledge: A series of 3 x two-day workshops that will enable participants to develop a clear understanding of how the international marketplace operates and how development, financing, pitching, and production vary between key territories;

Relationships: Establishment and development of relationship networks with key market players in international territories that will enable participants to engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration in those territories. This includes two weeks of online learning modules with LA-based screen experts, and 3 x five-day in-person market visits to Sydney, London and Los Angeles to meet sales agents, distributors, streamers, broadcasters, financiers, agents, managers and other industry professionals;

Commercial Competency: Ensuring a high degree of business acumen so that participants’ future projects provide genuine value and commercial sustainability for the participants and the broader NZ screen industry.

Netflix Director APAC Studio, Policy & Production Affairs, Deb Richards, said: “New Zealand’s content production ecosystem has a valued international reputation, but it’s essential that the industry is fostering and upskilling a pipeline of skilled professionals. We’ve joined the Activator Screen Business Programme to ensure Kiwi film and TV producers can participate in and share the benefits of the rapidly increasing global production activity and the huge opportunities it creates for many years to come.”

Annie Murray, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Film Commission, said: "New Zealand is known for its extraordinary depth of creative talent. The Activator programme is about backing that talent with the tools, connections and commercial insights to help make an impact on the global scene. We’re proud to financially back a programme that is laser focused on turning local potential into international success – and in doing so strengthening the business capability that underpins a sustainable screen industry."

Cameron Harland, NZ On Air CEO says: “Activator is coming at a crucial and important time for local screen producers. This is one way New Zealand can grow and develop our screen industry. It draws on industry experience, local and international stakeholders and the three screen agencies working together in support of local producers, growing their connections and capability to make great content that connects with local and global audiences.”

Larry Parr, Kaihautū of Te Māngai Pāho says: “Te Māngai Pāho is thrilled to be involved in this programme and the opportunities it represents for the screen industry. We are particularly invested in building the capacity of Māori creatives and this is an avenue in which we can help build the future of successful content creators.”

Vista Foundation Board Member Brian Cadzow says: “The Vista Foundation is delighted to be a supporter of the Activator programme. The aims of Activator match Vista Foundation’s goals of educating promising industry participants about not just the art of filmmaking, but the business of filmmaking so it can be profitable and sustainable for the industry going forward. The exposure the participants will receive through Activator will deepen their knowledge, build their networks and should enable them to create successful projects for the New Zealand industry.”

The Activator Programme is made possible with the support of the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, and Te Māngai Pāho, the Vista Foundation, Netflix, Grant Thornton and Gallagher Insurance. The programme was developed by Libertine Pictures and 113 Partners, with 113 Partners overseeing the course content and Libertine Pictures and Hinterland managing the market connections and assisted by SPADA.

Applications close on Friday 16th May, and the programme will run from July to October 2025 for the 12 successful producer participants. Four scholarships with additional mentoring from Libertine Pictures and Hinterland are available to those from underrepresented communities.

ABOUT LIBERTINE PICTURES

Libertine Pictures is an award-winning independent film and television production company founded in 2013 and led by accomplished producer Richard Fletcher and internationally acclaimed writer Neil Cross.

Libertine produces bold and compelling feature films, documentaries and television drama. It works with established storytellers and filmmakers and nurtures emerging talent.

The company’s most recent productions include Secrets at Red Rocks for BYUtv and Sky, three series of the award-winning family mystery adventure Mystic for BBC and TVNZ and three series of Under the Vines, for AMC Networks’ Acorn TV and TVNZ.

www.libertinepictures.com

ABOUT 113 PARTNERS

113 Partners is a strategic advisory firm that assists businesses in the creative industries to grow, seek investment, and realise their value. Its principals are strategic advisers to the Asia Pacific region' s most cutting edge creative businesses and bring a wealth of insights, access to strategic partnerships, and on the ground experience to their clients.

The business uses its principals’ commercial experience to assist creative businesses to plan robust and achievable strategies to achieve domestic and international growth, financial stability, sustainable resourcing, and streamlined operations. They have advised many of ANZ's top television production, broadcast, music, design, advertising, media and entertainment companies and been instrumental in many of the most significant international acquisitions of content businesses in the region.

www.113partners.com

ABOUT HINTERLAND

Hinterland supports independent and creative producers, primarily in New Zealand and Australia, by providing flexible, producer-friendly financial solutions. With extensive local expertise, global industry connections, and over 25 years of experience in cashflow finance for film and television, Hinterland’s leadership team possesses deep knowledge of regional screen industry incentives, complex multi-party transactions, sales agent advances, distribution advances and pre-sales within New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

www.hinterland.nz

ABOUT SPADA

Established in 1982, Spada is the preeminent producer's organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Spada has a high profile amongst the industry, government officials, key funding agencies and associated organisations as well as wide-reaching international contacts in the US, UK and Europe.

Spada has regular and constructive dialogue with funding bodies, broadcasters, government, and with other national and international industry groups and opinion leaders. This ensures the organisation can monitor and influence the development of New Zealand's screen production policies while advocating for the production industry and fostering a vibrant and dynamic domestic screen industry.

spada.co.nz

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