NZ Comedy Awards - winners
The remarkable success of local comedians overseas was recognised at the New Zealand comedy awards held in Auckland at
the weekend - as was the growing support of media for the local comedy industry.
The NZ Comedy Guild's major award for "Best Artist Achievement 2004" was shared by Wellington's Flight of the Conchords
(Jemaine Clement and Brett MacKenzie) and Auckland's Benjamin Crellin.
The Conchords - nominees for a Perrier at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe - have recently signed a deal with a major American
television network.
Crellin was recognised for making a huge success of his comedy tour of North America - a tour which started almost
six-months ago and doesn't look like ending soon.
Other top comedians honoured have also worked overseas this year. The Best Male Comedian Award was shared by Dai Henwood
and Ben Hurley, and Best Female Comedian went to Michele A'Court. All three have spent time in the last eighteen months
performing in Australia and the UK.
A new award for comedy scriptwriting went to Jeremy Elwood, another veteran of the international stand-up comedy
circuit. Elwood won the Windsor Castle Productions Script Award for his short film script, "The Wager" - receiving his
$1000 cash prize on the night in briefcase filled with $5 notes.
Some comedians were recognised, not for their international experience, but just for being international. Andy Parsons -
possibly best known in New Zealand for his sausage commercials - won the award for "Best International Guest" for the
support and encouragement he gave the industry during his time here for the 2004 NZ International Comedy Festival.
Other major awards went to well-known faces and voices: breakfast radio host Jeremy Corbett won Best MC for the second
year running; and last year's Billy T Award winner, Justine Smith, won the award for Best Show for her season this year
at the Herald Theatre.
And National Radio picked up the award for "Best Media Support" of local comedy. As well as regular coverage of the
industry in the daily 4.30pm show, "What's Going On", National Radio has established a "comedy zone" on Saturday
afternoons which features programmes like "Off the Wire" made by the DownLowConcept, and a recent documentary series
made by Nine-to-Noon's resident wit, Te Radar.
The NZ Comedy Guild Awards have been held annually for the past four years, and are peer-voted by workers in the comedy
industry.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
THE KEVIN SMITH MEMORIAL CUP FOR BEST ARTIST ACHIEVEMENT
Flight of the Conchords / Benjamin Crellin
BEST MALE COMEDIAN
Ben Hurley / Dai Henwood
BEST FEMALE COMEDIAN
Michele A'Court
BEST MC
Jeremy Corbett
WINDSOR CASTLE PRODUCTIONS SCRIPT AWARD
Jeremy Elwood
BEST NEWCOMER
Andrew Holland
BEST SHOW
Justine Smith
BEST SHOW CONCEPT
The Day Before Tomorrow (Bret Rudnick) / Mark Scott's Sketch Show
THE ANDREW KOVACEVICH CUP FOR MOST OFFENSIVE GAG
Gish
BEST MEDIA SUPPORT
National Radio
BEST COMEDY VENUE
The Classic Comedy & Bar, Auckland
BEST INTERNATIONAL GUEST
Andy Parsons
MOST IMPROVED COMEDIAN
Gish
BEST INDUSTRY FRIEND
Ben Hurley
THE PRESIDENT'S MEDAL (for outstanding service to comedy) Terry Williams
For further information, go to http://www.nzcomedyguild.org.nz Or hit reply.
Michele A'Court
President, NZ Comedy Guild.