New Podcast Attempts To Solve Historic “low Stakes Mystery”

A new local podcast series dives into the curious case of how one of Aotearoa’s biggest companies was tricked into making a public mockery of themselves.

Launched today, Prank of the Year tells the barely remembered story of how an innocent-looking Christmas Card produced by Telecom NZ in 1993 was subtly sabotaged - and how an embarrassing, anti-Telecom message was hidden in the card’s artwork by persons unknown.

The card - which was sent to customers just before Christmas - featured a painted landscape scene but hidden amongst the brushstrokes was the logo of Clear Communications (Telecom’s primary rival at the time) and the message “TELECOM SUX”. These embellishments were not noticed until after the card was in circulation, leading to a short-lived flurry of media interest.

Written, produced, edited, and narrated by independent producers Craig Major and Luke Watkinson, Prank of the Year is a six-part series that stems from Craig’s recollection of seeing coverage of the incident on TV as a child.

“I don’t have the best memory - I struggle to remember what I’ve gone to the supermarket for without a shopping list…” Craig says. “But for some reason, I distinctly remember watching Paul Holmes talk about the defaced Telecom Christmas Card on his show thirty years ago.”

When this memory was rekindled years later, Craig realised two things; that there was virtually no information about the incident online, and that he seemed to be the only person in the country who remembered that it had happened.

These realisations sparked a multi-year investigation, which will culminate with the release of the podcast series - just in time for the 30th anniversary of the incident this Christmas.

“With no information online, we had to channel our inner Nancy Drew and uncover clues with methods more creative than a quick Google search” Craig explains.

“What we found became increasingly compelling - not only did we discover that there were more than a few people who didn’t hold warm feelings towards Telecom in the 90s, we also found that this incident was unique. To this day it remains an unprecedented example of art crime, corporate sabotage, and protest statement.”

Over the course of the six episodes, Craig and Luke unpack their memories, dig through dusty boxes of archived records, speak to professional and academic experts and interview people with first-hand knowledge of the “crime”.

“It’s a quirky story, but we’ve conducted a serious investigation into it,” Craig elaborates.

“We’re both big podcast fans, and there’s something about a ‘low stakes’ true crime story where nobody gets killed that really appeals to us.”

The official Prank of the Year trailer is available to listen to right now, with the first full episode dropping on Friday 17 November.

Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on a Friday - with the finale available on Friday 23 December - the 30th anniversary of the incident itself.

Listen to the Prank of the Year Trailer: https://shows.acast.com/prank-of-the-year

About Craig and Luke

Craig and Luke are longtime friends and collaborators. Craig has a background in the communications sector in Wellington, Melbourne and Auckland, and has spent time working in the community and not-for-profit sector. Luke has a background in the local film sector and has worked in video production, writing and teaching.

Prank of the Year is their first investigative podcast series - and is a self-funded, independent venture, produced in their spare time.

© Scoop Media