Tauranga director Rose McMahon has made her debut on television with her series In The Rainbow, released last Thursday on TVNZ On Demand.
In this beautifully crafted web series, the authentic stories of LGBT+ youth take centre stage.
She is naturally proud of the project.
"Not to be the biggest fan of my own show, but I'm totally in love with it. Every element has come together so beautifully, and I don't think I could have had a more talented team of people help me bring these stories to life," Rose says.
"It is honestly even greater than I could have ever hoped. I really wanted to make a series that touched people and, just through the people who have watched it, I have already seen that."
Young creative Rose McMahon, 18, has had a love affair with art and storytelling as long as she can remember. She discovered the camera at age 8 and launched her photography business when she was just 12.
Rose McMahon
Her professional path started with capturing events around the Bay of Plenty, and at age 14 she photographed her first wedding. Rose launched her independent film company Twinkling Bat Films in 2016 and since then, she has directed a few scripted short films and made a film for the International Youth Silent Film Festival, with more exciting films in pre-production.
Rose was home schooled and says that was a good grounding for her career today. She is the youngest of two sisters and comes from a supportive family. Her parents have never questioned her ability and have always encouraged both daughters to follow their dreams.
After discovering her passion for filmmaking at such a young age, Rose was eager to get started on a film career, but it turned out it's difficult for a very young female to get work on a movie set.
With many years ahead before she could apply to go to film school, she knew there had to be another way.
"That's why I started my own film production company and roped my sister into writing a script for a short film. After only a couple of months, my first film Implications of Imagination was made. It's a little rough around the edges, but I am still very proud of it.
To this day, I cringe over the mistakes I made, but it was a wonderful way to get started and I learnt so much," she says.
Rose still loves photography, but says being a film director enables her to tell bigger and more powerful stories. She loves getting a group of people together, and work passionately and cohesively to create something truly incredible.
A national breakthrough as a filmmaker is now on the horizon for Rose, but her journey hasn't been without challenges.
"Especially early on, it wasn't a given that people would take me seriously. There were plenty of naysayers along the way, who wouldn't give me a chance to show what I could do. But I knew if I got a small crew together, I could make my own films and my age wouldn't matter so much. I decided to spend the time making my own content rather than trying to get picked to work on somebody else's project," she says.
The people who inspired the episodes of In the Rainbow and are interviewed in the series are a combination of people who Rose knows personally mixed with submitted stories that she put a call out for on social media.
"I wanted to share touching stories that are relevant in today's society, and I feel that the LGBT+ community is often under-represented in media. That is also why the series is inspired by true stories. It adds another layer of authenticity to what we are sharing," she explains.
Rose points out that the team who worked with her on the project are all extremely talented individuals. A lot of them, both in front and behind the camera, are part of the LGBT+ community.
"I was quite particular about building a team of people that were as passionate about the project and stories we were telling as I was. I absolutely believe that we've achieved something incredible," she says.
Rose says she made In the Rainbow with the goal of sharing real stories and connecting people. Now she has completed the first part, she is hoping that people will connect with her personally when the series are on screen.
"If you have a favourite episode, if one of the stories touches you deeply, or you just want to share your story I'd love it if people get in touch with me directly."
