EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Eloise Veber has twelve years’ experience in talent development and programming in the screen industry.

In 2022-23, she was the Film Hub Manager for A Wave in the Ocean, Jane Campion’s development programme for 10 NZ directors. Prior to this, Eloise was Programme Manager at Script to Screen for 4 years, designing and delivering a range of talent development programmes for writers, directors and producers at varying stages of their career. She was also the Programme Manager of the Big Screen Symposium – NZ’s largest screen industry conference. Eloise was Community Programme Manager at Script to Screen from 2012-2017.

She moved to Toronto in 2017, working at the Toronto International Film festival as Film Coordinator and then Associate Producer of the TIFF Filmmaker Lab – a one-week lab for 20 directors. She also worked as Office Administrator for two Canadian production funding agencies – the Bell Fund and Independent Production Fund.

TREASURER

Thomas Coppell (they/them) is a film and TV producer & storyteller passionate about empowering under-represented humans in and behind screen work. They have extensive experience producing factual & scripted content for big and small screens, substantially for rangatahi, the young at heart, and our rainbow community. 

Their producing credits include two NZIFF NZ’s Best Short finalists, most recently, teen drama GATE CRASH (NZIFF 2023, MIFF 2023), and four NZ On Air funded series; including LITTLE APOCALYPSE, New Zealand’s first children's drama by, for and about rainbow young people currently available on TVNZ2 & TVNZ+. Thomas also co-wrote and co-created the series. Thomas is currently producing their first feature film, ‘A Wave in the Ocean’ alumni Paloma Schneideman’s debut feature, BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY alongside their longtime mentor Vicky Pope. 

Outside of their producing mahi, Thomas worked with NZ On Air through late 2023 - 2024 to co-design and project manage the Within My Reach youth content initiative. They are an Executive Board Member of the New Zealand Screen Producers Guild, SPADA, and the Wellington Regional Manager for the Vista Foundation 48Hours Film Competition.

SECRETARY

Todd Karehana (Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngai Tamaoki, Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana) is an writer and director passionate about making bold, innovative work for underserved audiences. He has eight years experience across the New Zealand screen sector with organisations such as Pango Productions, Piki Films, Kura Productions and NZ On Air.

Karehana graduated from The University of Auckland in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Screen Production specialising in Drama Directing. During his studies he made several short films such as The Kweenz of Kelston, and My Brother Mitchell - both screened in several international film festivals.

After graduating, Karehana worked as storyliner, writer and script editor on the scripted Māori drama series Ahikāroa. He later worked on the children’s animated series The Exceptional Squad and the indigenous anthology film We Are Still Here.

Between 2021 and 2022, Karehana directed Young and on the Paepae for TVNZ, the short documentary Night Ride for Loading Docs, and worked as a Funding Advisor at New Zealand On Air.

In 2023, Karehana co-created the immersive audio drama series The River with Piata Gardiner-Hoskins, and has just completed a year-long intensive film program in Wellington under the tutelage of Dame Jane Campion and Phillipa Campbell, A Wave in the Ocean.