Eight’s Miki Magasiva wins at 2022 NZ TV Awards

AUCKLAND, Monday: Eight director Miki Magasiva has been named Best Director Drama/Comedy at the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand TV awards for The Panthers.

The Panthers, produced for TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+, dominated the scripted content, winning eight awards and of the show’s three director finalists, Magasiva was named Screen Auckland Best Director: Drama/Comedy.

Born in Savaii, Western Samoa, his parents moved to New Zealand in search of a better life for their family.

An Eight spokesperson said: “Known for his ability to breathe life into words on a page, this big-hearted man possesses an innate sense of pace and timing.

“He has a strong sense of empathy and a natural way with people. He uses idiosyncratic character details to craft rich, textured visual narratives.

“The third of five boys, Miki hails from a long line of performers, artists and storytellers. His thespian background gives him a unique insight into the actors’ craft.

“After graduating from Film & Television school in Wellington, he moved to London and threw himself into the vibrant UK market.

“Eight has been working closely with Miki and Mario Gaoa from The Brown Factory to foster indigenous, Māori and Pacific people in advertising and film.”

“He returned home to New Zealand and quickly established himself as the hottest new commercial director in New Zealand. He’s also found great success in Australia.

“Over the years Miki has directed high-end campaigns for countless clients and has won multiple industry awards, establishing a reputation for himself along the way as one of the nicest guys in advertising.

“Eight has been working closely with Miki and Mario Gaoa from The Brown Factory to implement a strategy to foster indigenous, Māori and Pacific people in advertising and film.

“Based on the US Association of Independent Commercial Producers’ Double The Line initiative, Eight’s ‘inclusion line’ is up and running on all productions with the aim to broaden access to the industry.”

About Eight
Eight is an Australasian film production company founded in 1998 with offices in Sydney and Auckland.

We are passionate directors, producers, writers, editors, photographers, designers and visual artists. We’re proud to be in the picture business servicing the advertising industry and we love what we do. At the heart of it, we’re a bunch of creative people with the urge to tell stories, always fighting to get the best work made.

We are a straight-up, down to earth production company and we pride ourselves on our no dickheads policy. To this day, our rock-solid rep is the product of our people.

In 2022 Eight implemented a Double the Line initiative. Eight’s ‘inclusion line’ is present on all productions with the aim to broaden access to the industry.

• eight.com.au