Dave Gibson

Gibson in 2013
Born
David Timothy Gibson

1950s
Pahiatua, New Zealand
Occupation(s)producer, director

David Timothy Gibson ONZM (born 1950s) is the founder of New Zealand film production company The Gibson Group. After its sale in 2013 to his business partners, he was appointed CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission.[1]

Early life

Gibson was born in Pahiatua to Christabel Gibson, a schoolteacher and later lecturer, and David Maurice Gibson, a farmer. He studied at St Patrick's College, Silverstream, a boys’ boarding college in Upper Hutt. He began a teaching degree at Wellington College of Education in Karori, but left after six weeks for a degree at Victoria University of Wellington in education and English. During this time, Gibson started experimenting with film. He purchased a Super 8 film camera and began filming his friends at concerts and producing short pieces for the University's Drama Society.[2]

Career

While still enrolled at Victoria University, Gibson began part-time work for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. This mainly involved labour, moving sets from Avalon Studios in Lower Hutt to the corporation's Waring Taylor Street locations.

In 1977, Gibson left his degree unfinished and established Gibson Films, in a rented office on Courtenay Place in Wellington. He began mining the genre of educational films, which he would then sell to schools and educational film distributors. One early piece about two children living on a high country sheep station sold to Encyclopædia Britannica.[3][4]

In the 1980s Gibson Films rebranded to The Gibson Group, and their genre offering widened. Early productions included The Silent One, an adaptation of the Joy Cowley novel of the same name, filmed entirely on the small island of Aitutaki in the Pacific. It was also the first New Zealand feature film directed solely by a woman. During this period, sketch comedy also became one of the mediums Gibson Group became known for. Satirical puppet show Public Eye, inspired by the UK show Spitting Image, proved popular despite having to be toned down for New Zealand audiences. Other genres included magazine-style shows The Edge (1993–94), Sunday (1995–97), B@ckchat' (1998–2000) and Frontseat (2004–2007).

Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, The Gibson Group broadened their mediums to work with interactive museum exhibitions both in New Zealand and overseas, including Our Space at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The popular children's shows The Simon Eliot Show and MyStory used cellphones and technology to let the audience interact with the host. MyStory was New Zealand's first show screened in a 'mobisode' format.[3]

Gibson's other notable productions include two natural disaster dramas for television. Aftershock (2008), an earthquake drama accompanied by a documentary and website about earthquake safety. This was followed by Eruption (2010), set in Auckland's volcanic landscape.

In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Gibson was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the film and television industry.[5]

In 2013, Gibson was appointed CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission. During his tenure the commission granted funding for successful New Zealand films such as Tickled, Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mahana, and Pork Pie.[1]

Gibson is currently a board member of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency.

In June 2017, Gibson announced that he would be stepping down from the role of CEO. In a statement, Gibson said "I've thoroughly enjoyed the last few years but have always believed CEO's [sic] shouldn't stay too long in organisations like the NZFC. I'm not sure what I'll do next."[6]

Filmography

Title Year Credited as Notes
Producer
The Old Man's Story 1979 Yes Short film
Blackhearted Barney Blackfoot 1980 Yes Short film
The Silent One 1985 Yes
The Irrefutable Truth about Demons 2000 Yes
Cowboys & Communists 2007 Yes Documentary film
We Do Things Differently Here 2011 Yes Short film
Fresh Meat 2012 Yes
The Last Ocean 2012 No Documentary film
Executive producer

Television

The numbers in writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

Title Year Credited as Network Notes
Director Producer
Hunchin' Down the Track 1980 No Yes Documentary film
The Monster's Christmas 1981 No Yes Television One Television film
Nearly No Christmas 1983 No Yes Television film
First assistant director
Cuckoo Land 1986 No Yes Television 2 Assistant director
The Haunting of Barney Palmer 1987 No Yes PBS Television film
Public Eye 1988–89 Yes (6) Yes Television One
Jean: The Ballet of Jean Batten 1990 No Yes Television One Television film
Away Laughing 1992 No Yes TV3
Undercover 1991 No Yes Channel 2 Television film
Bungay on Crime 1992 No Yes TV One
Skitz 1993–97 No Yes TV3
Typhon's People 1993 No Yes Television film
Bitter Calm 1994 No Yes Television film
Rugged Gold 1994 No Co-producer The Family Channel Television film
Mirror, Mirror 1995–98 No Yes TV One
Network Ten
Telly Laughs 1996–98 No Yes TV3
Duggan 1997 No Yes TV One
One Man's Poison 1998 Yes Yes TV2 Television film
Newsflash 1998–2000 No Yes TV2
Tiger Country 1998 No Yes TV3 Television film
The Semisis 1998 No Co-producer TV3
Clare 2001 No Yes TV One Television film
Also writer
The Strip 2002–03 No Yes TV3
The Insiders Guide to Happiness 2004 No Yes TV2
Helping Hands 2005 Yes Yes Documentary film
Holly's Heroes 2005 No Yes TV2
The Insider's Guide to Love 2005 No Yes TV2
The Hothouse 2007 No Yes TV One
Time Trackers 2008 No Yes Seven Network
TV2
Aftershock 2008 No Yes TV3 Television film
Paradise Café 2009–11 No Yes CBBC
TV2
Ben & Jeremy's Big Road Trip 2010 No Yes TV3 Television film
Executive producer
Eruption 2010 No Yes TV3 Television film
Panic at Rock Island 2011 No Yes TV2 Television film

Executive producer-only

Title Year Network Notes
The Enduring Land 1990 Docuseries
Shark in the Park 1990–91 Television One Series 2–3
The Edge 1993–94 TV3
Cover Story 1994–96 TV3
Sunday 1995–97
Backch@t 1998–2000 TV One
Dating Violence 1999 TV2 Documentary film
Bookenz 1999–2000 TV One
No. 8 Wired 2000–04 TV3
Op' Stars 2000 TV One Documentary film
A Tale of Three Chimps 2001 TV3 Documentary film
To Age or Not to Age 2001 TV One Documentary film
Tutus & Town Halls 2001 TV One Documentary film
Who Ate All the Pies? 2002 TV One Documentary film
In Search of the Moa 2003 TV2 Documentary film
50 Years on Their Toes 2003 TV One Documentary film
Cartoonists Inc 2003 TV One Documentary film
Long Lost Sons 2004 TV One Documentary film
Frontseat 2004–07 TV One
Facelift 2004–07 TV One
Dare to Be Free 2004 TV One Documentary film
Tough Act 2006 TV2 Docuseries
Here to Stay 2007–08 TV One Docuseries
The Simon Eliot Show 2007 TV3
Welcome to Paradise 2007 Prime
Aftershock – Would You Survive? 2008 TV3 Documentary film
How to Spot a Cult 2009 TV3 Documentary film
Poking the Borax 2011 TV3
Operation Hero 2011–13 TV2 Series 1–3
Street Hospital 2013 TV2 Docuseries
Series 1
Survive Aotearoa 2013 Māori Television Docuseries
Prison Families 2013 TV3 Docuseries
Dragons in a Distant Land 2013 Docuseries
War News 2014 Prime

References

  1. 1 2 "NZFC appoints Dave Gibson as new Chief Executive – New Zealand Film Commission". www.nzfilm.co.nz. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  2. Macdonald, Nikki (30 August 2014). "Man in the frame". Retrieved 27 June 2017 via Stuff.co.nz.
  3. 1 2 "Dave Gibson – NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  4. "Home » Gibson Group NZ". gibson.co.nz. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  5. "Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee honours list 2012". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  6. "New Zealand Film Commission boss Dave Gibson resigns". Stuff. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
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