My job: NZ film on the small screen

Irene Gardiner enjoys working in the online world. Photo / Graeme Sedal

Name: Irene Gardiner
Role: Content director, NZ On Screen
Age: 49
Working hours: 30 a week
Employer: NZ On Screen Trust
Pay scale: Depends on the applicant's background and experience
Qualifications: Background in television and/or film production

Describe your job?

I joined NZ On Screen in January 2009 as content director. I am responsible for the content on the site - what titles go on and in what priority.

I also organise our featured collections and our ScreenTalk video interviews with members of the screen industry.

I assist our rights clearance team and do some writing for the site. Along with the rest of the team, I also help with PR and marketing.

This is important as there isn't much point in having a great website if people don't know it exists.

What is NZ On Screen?

NZ On Screen was set up in late 2008 to be an online showcase of New Zealand television, film and music video titles going back to the beginning of our screen industry. We now have more than 700 titles on the website, all free for the public to view.

We are funded by NZ On Air. We are part of NZ On Air's digital strategy and a way for them to give NZ content back to New Zealanders.

Your background?

My background is in journalism and television production. I worked as a television director and producer for a long time and then ran the internal production unit at TVNZ for several years, before becoming head of commissioning there.

Lately, I have worked as a freelance television consultant and executive producer.

I still do some executive producing, as my job with NZ On Screen is only 3 days a week. I also have a small sideline career as a television and radio media commentator.

Why did you choose to work with NZ On Screen?

I liked the sound of the project - showcasing and celebrating the NZ screen industry. And I also liked the idea of working in the online world and learning about that.

How many people work on the site?

Project director Brenda Leeuwenberg, editor Paul Ward, rights executives Kim Baker and Catherine Juniot, content co-ordinator Kylie Buck, writer Ian Pryor and editor Alex Backhouse, plus two freelance directors contributing to ScreenTalk (Andrew Whiteside and James Coleman).

Why is the job important?

It's important to me to celebrate and showcase the New Zealand screen industry, which I have been a part of for a long time and feel a great loyalty to. It is an excellent way for television and film titles that have maybe only been seen once or twice to have a longer life and for New Zealanders who have supported the screen industry to get something back.

How do you decide what goes on the website?

We add titles to the website almost daily, we will just build and build. Our brief is to feature titles that are either popular favourites, nostalgic gems or of cultural, historical or artistic significance.

Do you know who uses the website?

People of all ages and types visit the site. Our most popular titles with local users are Billy T James, Gloss, Close to Home, Count Homogenized, Gliding On, and the Country Calendar Spoofs Special. But we also have titles that attract a lot of international interest - one is a documentary on John Britten that some international motor-cycling websites have linked to and we have an episode of the arts show The Living Room, which features the Flight of the Conchords, and is popular internationally.

How do you juggle your different jobs?

I'm fairly organised, so it's not too difficult for me to fit everything in around each other, and my jobs are all complementary. The main NZ On Screen office is in Wellington and I live in Auckland and travel down for a few days every three weeks or so, so mostly I work from my home. You get a lot done when you are working in solitude.

What skills do you need for this role?

The fact that I have worked in the television industry for 25 years and have a good memory has served me well - so many titles on our site I have either watched, worked on, produced, commissioned, or a friend or colleague worked on them.

But all the usual skills of a television producer are helpful - being organised, being able to focus on the big picture and not sweat the small stuff too much, being good with people.

Being able to write is handy.

Challenges of the job?

Probably the biggest challenge for NZ On Screen generally is the area of rights clearance. I have great admiration for our rights executives, Kim Baker and Catherine Juniot, who do this work. It's always satisfying when the rights finally clear for a popular favourite title like Close to Home and it makes it to the site. It takes a long time with some of the old shows because you need to contact every actor or their estate if they have passed away.