Maggie Webster-Shadbolt

How long have you been in screen production and how did you get started?

I graduated from the New Zealand Film School in Wellington three years ago. After graduation I spent my first year in the industry working on various short films, commercials and day playing on local features, while working a part time administration job. I got my first proper job offer a year after graduating on the feature film 'Lowdown Dirty Criminals' and I have been lucky enough to work full time in the screen industry ever since.

Why did you choose Film/ TV as a career?

I am a huge Film and Television nerd. I spent much of my childhood at the video store picking out videos and DVDs. My favourite part was watching the behind the scenes features to see how the magic happens. When I found out working in the screen industry was a real career option I knew I didn't want to do anything else.

Do you also work outside of film?

When I'm not working in the screen industry I work in admin and communications running websites and social media pages for small businesses. This knowledge has also come in handy when working on low budget projects without a publicity team - So many producers have no idea where to start when it comes to social media and how to get the most out of free online publicity.

What have you learnt about your department as a whole?

I have had the opportunity to work in various different departments over the last three years. I love that so many kiwis work cross departmental which just shows how quick we are to adapt and take on different challenges. However no matter what department you are working in you are only as good as your team.

Why have you chosen to join the Guild. What do you want and expect of the Guild?

Our world has been turned upside down during 2020 and more than ever we need to come together to take care of ourselves, our fellow crew/ cast members and our industry. We are so lucky to be able to continue to film with minimal complications. However it means we have a queue of projects wanting to get made in New Zealand. We need to make sure that these jobs are going to New Zealanders, and when they can’t we need to train and upskill kiwis for future productions.

What strengths do you think the NZ industry has? What could contribute to a more sustainable industry?

As an industry we are resourceful and quick to adapt to challenges. During the first lockdown nobody knew when we would be able to be back on set however within two weeks of the lockdown ending I was right back where I left off. We have such an amazing opportunity to strengthen and grow our industry during 2021. So that when all the new studios that are being built open, we have local crew and projects ready to fill them.